ROPESCAST

In a special 50th episode of ROPESCAST, Ksenia Svetlova sits down with Ahmed Khuzaie, a strategic analyst from Bahrain who doesn't pull any punches when it comes to the reality of Gulf security.We recorded this as the region continues to deal with the messy aftermath of the war in Iran and the persistent weight of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ahmed has a fascinating take on the Abraham Accords—he respects the history they made but argues they’ve already reached their limit. He walks us through his vision for "Abraham Accords 2.0," a necessary evolution designed to handle the much more complex security threats we’re seeing today.One of the most striking parts of our conversation is how he clarifies Bahrain’s stance on Tehran. While some neighbors have wavered or tried different diplomatic paths, Ahmed explains why Manama has stayed remarkably consistent. For Bahrain the Iranian threat was never a theory; it’s a reality they’ve lived with, which is why they’ve maintained a firm policy against normalization with the Islamic Republic.We also talk about how the war has fundamentally shifted what the Gulf cares about most, and whether the Accords can actually help stabilize the Palestinian arena.Chapters: 00:00 — Welcome to ROPESCAST00:50 — Bahrain Under Fire03:33 — Why Iran Targets Bahrain07:12 — The Myth of Bahrain’s “Shia Majority”12:28 — Did the Abraham Accords Make Bahrain a Target?15:25 — “The Gulf Will Never Be the Same Again”16:34 — Was the Iran War Worth It?24:26 — Inside Iran’s Fragile Power Structure28:21 — Abraham Accords 2.036:14 — Can Arabs Ever Accept Israel?🌐 Learn more about ROPES:  ropes.org📩 Don’t forget to subscribe to the ROPESCAST for more stories of peace, dialogue, and impact across the Middle East.

Our new ROPESCAST episode features a high-stakes dialogue between host Ksenia Svetlova and Elliott Abrams, a veteran U.S. diplomat and foundational figure in American foreign policy who served as Deputy National Security Advisor and Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela. The discussion offers an analysis of the recent conflict with the Iranian regime, interrogating the strategic paradox of an American kinetic campaign that successfully neutralized key military assets while intentionally eschewing a ground invasion, thereby leaving the regime’s governance structures and its control over the Strait of Hormuz effectively intact. Moving beyond the tactical, Abrams—now a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations—analyzes the ties between Israel and the US and discusses the military aid to Israel, settler violence and upcoming elections in Israel.The dialogue concludes by evaluating the Abraham Accords’ durability after the war with Iran, illustrating how the framework navigated its most severe geopolitical stress test to date.Chapters:00:00 — Meet Elliott Abrams: Inside U.S. Middle East Strategy08:16 — Why Trump Went to War Without Europe13:31 — Gulf States Tried to Stop the War — Then Got Hit Anyway17:34 — “We Cannot Afford Another North Korea”20:36 — Did Netanyahu Convince Trump to Attack Iran?23:22 — The Truth About Iran’s “Destroyed” Nuclear Program27:45 — Is America Turning Against Israel?35:30 — Has Israel Lost the Democratic Party?40:35 — Elliott Abrams on Settler Violence & Qatar’s Influence45:33 — Will Saudi Arabia Ever Normalize With Israel?48:23 — The Future of the Middle East After the Iran War🌐 Learn more about ROPES: ⁠ropes.org⁠📩 Don’t forget to subscribe to the ROPESCAST for more stories of peace, dialogue, and impact across the Middle East.