Worlds Apart

Failing the states? Ali Rizk, security analyst
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and partially, Syria – a failed state, followed by the implosion of radicalism and terrorism, has been the most typical, if not assured, outcome of Western interventions in the Middle East. As Washington yet again...
May 31, 2026 06:41
Worlds Apart is a fast-paced, in-depth discussion on the most pressing issues facing the world today.It strives to depart from the traditional Q&A form of interview in favor of a more emotive and engaging conversation. Host Oksana Boyko is not afraid to ask the hard questions that others avoid, with the aim of promoting intelligent public debate.

Failing the states? Ali Rizk, security analyst
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and partially, Syria – a failed state, followed by the implosion of radicalism and terrorism, has been the most typical, if not assured, outcome of Western interventions in the Middle East. As Washington yet again...
May 31, 2026 06:41
Boys about Beijing? Patrick Henningsen, Global affairs analyst
Just a week apart, but miles away in tone and substance. The visits to China by the American and Russian presidents have showcased not only the drastic difference in political culture but also the remarkable contrast in the notions of bilateral...
May 24, 2026 09:35
Strait defeat? Hamidreza Gholamzadeh, Director of DiploHouse
The US has exhausted its inventories to fuel proxy conflicts overseas, then launched another war in the Middle East that has already precariously depleted its weapons stockpiles, making US President Trump’s peace-making ambitions ruinous to...
May 17, 2026 07:14
Making sense of intel? Rick Spence, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Idaho
An old Soviet joke had it that the economy has to be economical, and, in the same vein, intelligence needs to be intelligent. The collapse of the Soviet system showed that it was short on both but, in retrospect, it may have been a worthy, albeit...
May 11, 2026 06:49
Road to Damascus? Ammar Kahf, Executive Director of the Omran Center for Strategic Studies
A year ago, after the fall of the Assad government, Syria seemed well poised for a new beginning. With Russia and Iran out, and Türkiye and Saudi Arabia squarely in, the path forward appeared clear and unobstructed — that is, until the...
May 3, 2026 06:33
Competence Gulf? Daniel Levy, president of the US/Middle East Project
The US-Israeli attack against Iran and its asymmetrical response have created upheaval in the global energy markets and long-term uncertainty about how the markets and the international system will function in the future. With geopolitical actors...
Apr 26, 2026 06:47
Strong talk, weak walk? Mehmet Ozkan, professor of international relations, Turkish National Defense University
The conflict in Iran is still far from over, but the Israeli military establishment is increasingly worried about ‘another big enemy’ – this time Türkiye, which is supposedly set on increasing its influence in the Middle East,...
Apr 19, 2026 07:06
Epic fury, epic fail? Alam Saleh, Senior Lecturer in Iranian Studies, Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies, ANU
Promising to wipe out a whole civilization and asking for God’s blessing for the Great People of Iran — this now historic post by President Trump seems to have set in motion a peace-making process that may cool tensions in the Middle...
Apr 12, 2026 08:03
Opting for pain? Max Otte, Economist
NATO’s first secretary general famously said that the bloc’s purpose was to keep the Russians out and the Germans down. The war in Ukraine seems to have fully accomplished this goal but is it enough to keep the Americans in? To discuss...
Apr 5, 2026 05:29