In this episode of The Brink, we are joined by Haviv Rettig Gur for a wide-ranging and deeply probing conversation about why Israel is so disproportionately hated, and what that hostility reveals about the state of the West.

We begin with the disruption of Haviv’s lecture at Haverford College, where keffiyeh-clad activists attempted to shut down a talk on Jewish history and the charge of settler colonialism. Haviv reflects on the ignorance driving campus activism, the collapse of serious historical scholarship, and the failure of elite universities to equip students with intellectual depth or empathy.

Haviv argues that Israel’s strength lies in its synthesis of Western democracy and Middle Eastern solidarity, combining liberal institutions with a deep sense of tribal cohesion and shared destiny. We discuss why that social trust has produced military resilience, demographic growth, technological innovation, and high levels of national happiness, even during wartime.

The conversation also examines the broader crisis facing Western societies, from cultural self-erasure and collapsing social trust to the information warfare being waged by hostile states and ideological movements. We ask whether the West can rediscover the solidarity that once sustained it, and whether Israel’s model offers lessons rather than condemnation.

In the second part of the episode, Andrew joins to discuss his new Henry Jackson Society report, Tactical Lessons from Gaza, and what Western militaries must learn from the war. We examine how Hamas weaponised civilian casualties, how the information battlefield reshaped global opinion, and how Israel adapted its military doctrine in real time to meet the challenge of urban and tunnel warfare.

This is a searching and urgent conversation about identity, democracy, and whether the West still has the confidence to defend the civilisation it built.

Watch the full uncut interview HERE: https://open.substack.com/pub/thebrinkpodcast/p/the-real-reason-israel-is-targeted?r=63dafp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

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In this episode of The Brink, Andrew is in the hot seat as we discuss his new report for the Henry Jackson Society, Tactical Lessons from Gaza, a detailed and highly praised analysis of the war and what Western militaries can learn from it. The report has been read and commended by senior military figures around the world, including four-star generals in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Andrew explains why the Gaza war has become the most politicised conflict in modern history, and how Hamas successfully turned battlefield defeat into strategic influence by weaponising civilian casualty figures. We unpack how propaganda, NGOs, international institutions, and the media helped reshape the narrative of the war, often ignoring context, verification, and basic military realities.

The conversation moves deep into the realities of combat in Gaza. We explore Hamas’ vast tunnel network, the use of human shields, and the extraordinary bravery required of Israeli soldiers fighting underground. Andrew sets out how the IDF adapted in real time, developing new approaches to combined arms warfare, intelligence fusion, special forces integration, and urban combat under unprecedented conditions.

We also examine operational and logistical failures, from ammunition shortages to supply chains under fire, and what these challenges reveal about Western unpreparedness for large-scale war. The discussion covers intelligence failures before October 7, the limits of technology without human intelligence, and why information warfare now plays a decisive role in shaping public support for conflict.

Finally, we turn to the most important lessons of all. Andrew explains how Israel dramatically reduced battlefield deaths through medical innovation, forward-deployed doctors, and whole blood transfusion, saving hundreds of lives that would have been lost in earlier wars. We ask whether Britain and its allies are willing to learn these lessons, or whether ideology and propaganda will once again stand in the way.

This is a rigorous, challenging, and essential conversation about modern warfare, truth, and what the West must confront before the next major conflict arrives.

Watch the full uncut interview HERE: https://open.substack.com/pub/thebrinkpodcast/p/the-brutal-and-honest-truth-about?r=63dafp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Don't forget to check out our merch store: https://www.thebrinkmerch.com/

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In this bonus episode Andrew and Jake were on Iran International for a special joint appearance on the London based anti regime television channel, bringing the podcast’s analysis directly to an Iranian audience watching from inside the country and across the diaspora.

In a wide ranging conversation with Iranian presenter Negar Mojtahedi, who herself is on the regime’s death list, we discuss the brutal crackdown on protesters, the scale of the killings, and why Iran’s uprising has received so little sustained attention in the West. Drawing on reporting from inside the country, we examine mass executions, torture, internet shutdowns, and the use of fear to crush dissent.

The discussion turns to Donald Trump’s approach to Iran, the limits of diplomacy, and what military action would realistically look like. We explore whether the regime can be pressured into collapse, the risks of normalising Tehran through a deal, and why the Iranian leadership’s ideology makes genuine compromise unlikely.

We also address the information war now playing out on Western streets and online, where regime propaganda is amplified by activists who frame Iran solely through the lens of opposition to Israel. From protests in London to the exploitation of Western guilt and confusion, we examine how the Islamic Republic uses disinformation to shield itself from accountability.

Finally, we ask what a free Iran could actually look like, the role of figures such as Reza Pahlavi, and whether the international community is willing to stand with the Iranian people rather than sacrifice them to geopolitical convenience.

This is a sobering and urgent conversation about tyranny, propaganda, and why Iran’s struggle matters not just to Iranians, but to the future of the free world.

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