After the Iran War, Can America Still Be Trusted?
Annelle Sheline on alienating allies.

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The US/Israel war against Iran has been devastating to many US allies, both in the Middle
East and the wider world. It could easily lead to a Global Depression. Even before the
war, Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute noted that countries such as Qatar and
Saudi Arabia had good reason to wean themselves away from a close reliance on the
US. I talked to Annelle about the current state of the war and why it will only intensify
the alienation of traditional US allies.
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People clear rubble in a house in the Beryanak District after it was damaged by missile attacks two days before, on March 15, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.
(Majid Saeedi / Getty Images)The US/Israel war against Iran has been devastating to many US allies, both in the Middle East and the wider world. It could easily lead to a global depression. Even before the war, Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute noted that countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia had good reason to wean themselves away from a close reliance on the United States. I talked to Annelle about the current state of the war and why it will only intensify the alienating of traditional US allies.
Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
The US/Israel war against Iran has been devastating to many US allies, both in the Middle
East and the wider world. It could easily lead to a Global Depression. Even before the
war, Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute noted that countries such as Qatar and
Saudi Arabia had good reason to wean themselves away from a close reliance on the
US. I talked to Annelle about the current state of the war and why it will only intensify
the alienation of traditional US allies.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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Even before February 28, the reasons for Donald Trump’s imploding approval rating were abundantly clear: untrammeled corruption and personal enrichment to the tune of billions of dollars during an affordability crisis, a foreign policy guided only by his own derelict sense of morality, and the deployment of a murderous campaign of occupation, detention, and deportation on American streets.
Now an undeclared, unauthorized, unpopular, and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran has spread like wildfire through the region and into Europe. A new “forever war”—with an ever-increasing likelihood of American troops on the ground—may very well be upon us.
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