Hello and welcome to background briefing, available 24-7 at background briefing.

I am Ian Masters, and today we'll look into a number of stories and issues in the news.

We'll begin with an overview of the US getting dragged back into the tormented Middle East

as a war between Israel and Hamas rages while Washington tries to focus on a far more serious

war of Russian aggression that is destroying Ukraine and threatening Europe.

Furthermore, the Secretary of State, who is in the Middle East, is warning that

Azerbaijan may launch a military invasion of Armenia at any moment, further distracting the

U.S. government.

Joining us is Stephen Simon, who served on the National Security Council staff as Senior Director

for Middle Eastern and North African Affairs from 2011 to 2012.

He also worked on the NSC staff from 1994 to 1999 on counterterrorism and Middle East security

policy.

These assignments followed a 15-year career at the United States Department of State.

Currently, a fellow in international affairs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

he is the co-author among other books of The Age of Sacred Terror,

the winner of the Arthur C. Ross Award for Best Book in International Relations.

And his latest book is Grand Delusion, the rise and fall of American ambition in the Middle East.

And we'll discuss his article at Responsible Staircraft,

the Israel that fought the Omkipper War no longer exists.

Then we'll examine rising tensions on university and college campuses as pro-Israel and

pro-Palestinian students clash, leading to the firing of some professors and the criticism

of some administrators, joining us to discuss the efforts by the Trump era's Kenneth Marcus, the former head of

...