Will Britain go to war in the Middle East (again) | Fawaz Gerges Interview

Fawaz A. Gerges is professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics. His most recent book is The Great Betrayal: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in the Middle East.

In this powerful and urgent interview, PoliticsJOE speaks with Professor Fawaz Gerges, a leading expert in international relations at the London School of Economics and a prolific author on Middle Eastern affairs. The conversation centers on Donald Trump’s reported plans to support or launch military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities — a move Gerges argues would be catastrophic, illegal, and eerily reminiscent of the 2003 Iraq invasion.

Drawing on his latest article and years of scholarship, Professor Gerges breaks down how Trump’s alignment with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu risks dragging the US and its allies into another disastrous and unlawful war in the Middle East. He warns that Trump’s rhetoric — calling Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and praising Israel’s military actions — ignores both international law and US intelligence assessments, which say Iran is not actively developing nuclear weapons.

As tensions escalate, Gerges highlights the consequences of such an intervention: the erosion of the rules-based international order, potential retaliation from Iran, skyrocketing oil prices, and the possibility of Iran accelerating its nuclear ambitions. He also warns that Britain must avoid repeating the mistakes of Iraq, where legal justifications were manufactured and the long-term fallout was devastating.

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