{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The Beginning of the End in the Middle East?","description":"Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate Michael Fuchs\u2019s recent article arguing for a U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East. They also discuss the impact of the Iran War and shifting American attitudes towards Israel as well as the Saudi-U.S. nuclear deal and the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani collective defense agreement. Chris commends the Congressional Budget Office\u2019s battleship assessment, and Melanie gives credit to CSIS\u2019s team for its work on munitions, while Zack laments the Congress giving the executive branch more leeway on tariffs. *The Net Assessment Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM. Show Links:   Michael Fuchs, &quot;America Must Let Go of the Middle East,\u201d Foreign Affairs, August 8, 2026.   Matthew Kroenig and Henry Sokolski, \u201cThe Saudi Nuclear Deal Invites Disaster,\u201d Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2026.   Daniel Poneman, \u201cCritics of the U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal Have It Exactly Wrong,\u201d New York Times, August 6, 2026.   \u201cAdvancing American Safety, Strength, and Prosperity in Southeast Asia,\u201d U.S. Mission to ASEAN, July 23, 2026.   Neil Irwin, \u201cTrump may get a big, new tariff authority,\u201d Axios, August 6, 2026.   \u201cThe Navy's New Battleship Program: Costs and Implications for the Shipbuilding Industrial Base, Congressional Budget Office\u201d, August 5, 2026.   Philip E. Auerswald, \u201cThe Irrelevance of the Middle East\u201d, The American Interest, May 2007   Justin Logan, \u201cWhy the Middle East Still Doesn\u2019t Matter\u201d, Politico Magazine, October 9, 2014.   \u201cThe U.S.-Saudi Agreement for Civil Nuclear Cooperation: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions\u201d, Arms Control Association, August 7, 2026.   Christopher Preble and Alessandro Perri, \u201cAssumption Testing: The Iran War Is a Case of Alliance Entanglement\u201d, Stimson Center, August 3, 2026.   Christopher Preble and Lucas Ruiz, \u201cIn a Nuclear World, Arms Control Is the Only True Deterrent\u201d, Inkstick, August 10. 2026.   Mark Cancian and Chris Park,  Six Reasons Why the US is Low on Munitions, CSIS, July 31, 2026.   CSIS Missile Defense Project   Alexandra Sharp,  The Middle East Tries Its Hand at a NATO-Style Pact, Foreign Policy, August 7, 2026.   Daniel C. Kurtzer and Aaron David Miller,  Trump\u2019s Saudi Nuclear Deal is Diplomatic Malpractice, Foreign Policy, July 27, 2026.   Eric S. Edelman,  With the Saudi Deal, Trump Risks Aiding and Abetting a Nuclear Arms Race, The Dispatch, July 28, 2026.&amp;nbsp;   ","author_name":"Net Assessment","author_url":"http:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/132282","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/42418240\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/item\/42418240"}