In the first episode, Alexander Görlach and Rafat Rizvi examine the key factors shaping the timing of the current conflict with Iran.

They explore both the overt and underlying strategic objectives driving the war, as well as its broader geopolitical implications. The discussion focuses on how the conflict is reshaping regional and global dynamics, particularly in relation to Israel, the United States, Iran, and the Gulf states.

About Hosts:

Alexander Görlach is an adjunct professor at the Gallatin School, teaching political philosophy. Previously a visiting scholar to the philosophy department of NYU and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, he also has held visiting appointments at Harvard University and was a visiting fellow at Cambridge University. Alex has a long-held interest in geopolitics. As a visiting scholar to both National Taiwan University and City University of Hong Kong, he worked on the rise of autocratic China and its implications for the democracies in East Asia.

He is the founder of the debate magazine The European, which he also ran as its editor-in-chief from 2009 to 2015. He is an op-ed contributor and columnist for the New York Times and Neue Zürcher Zeitung, amongst others. He frequently comments on current affairs on TV and radio.

Rafat Rizvi has spent most of his professional career in investment banking, including at the then US Kidder Peabody, where he led the non-Japan Asia Fixed Income business from Singapore. In the late 1990’s, Rafat was a substantial early investor in the Bangladesh, Indonesian and Sri Lankan financial services sector.

He now focuses on investing in mass-market real estate in the UK and several ASEAN countries, as well as acquiring sports assets. In 2012, he was responsible for the majority of the investment required for the acquisition of the Glasgow Rangers Football Club. He later led the investor group that acquired the St Lucia Zouks franchise at the launch of the Caribbean Premier League, which has become the leading cricket tournament in North America.

He has long held an interest in geopolitical affairs that have shaped his business and investment opportunities and global outlook.