Political Gabfest What’s the Point of the Iran War?
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Mar 5, 2026 
Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment and Iran expert, offers a concise take on the conflict’s unclear objectives and shifting U.S.-Israeli aims. He unpacks credibility-driven decisions, risks of arming Kurdish factions, and whether Iran can coalesce around pluralistic nationalism. The conversation also touches on leadership vacuums and why mass uprisings remain unlikely.
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Big Law Won But DOJ's Flip Revealed Chaos
- Emily Bazelon outlines the legal fight: four major firms sued Trump's executive orders restricting government business and won in district court on First Amendment grounds.
- The DOJ's sudden withdrawal then reversal of appeal exposed internal chaos and embarrassed the administration.
Arming Kurds Risks Backfiring On U.S. Goals
- Sadjadpour warns arming Kurdish rebels risks national backlash since Kurds are only ~10% of Iran and deeply integrated culturally.
- He cautions that external attempts to splinter Iran could unify majority sentiment against foreign meddling.
Iran's Deep History Makes National Unity More Likely
- Sadjadpour argues Iran's 2,500‑year national identity makes a pluralistic Iranian nationalism more attainable than ethnic fragmentation seen in Iraq.
- He suggests positive nationalism could be an antidote to regime radicalism if nurtured carefully.