The Overlook

Is the Middle East Moving Towards Cooperation?

This April, the N7 Initiative convened a dialogue on the future of the I2U2 Group in New Delhi, India, on April 23, 2025. The event brought together senior officials, private sector leaders, and policy experts from the four countries participating in I2U2: India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States. It was the first convening of this group in almost two years. The I2U2 Group was formed in July 2022 to improve connectivity between the countries and tackle challenges that cut across the Middle East and Indo-Pacific and impact the United States. In today's episode, Dominique speaks with N7 Associate Director Emily Milliken to discuss the potential of the Israel-India relationship, how increased cooperation with the I2U2 group is related to the Abraham Accords, and the possibility of seeing them expand to more member states.

Yale's attack on Jews this Holocaust Remembrance Day

Antisemitism at Yale University has become a significant concern, particularly following the October 2023 Hamas attacks. Jewish students have reported increased hostility, including verbal harassment, physical intimidation, and exclusion from campus events. These incidents have prompted federal investigations, administrative actions, and widespread debate over the balance between free speech and campus safety. Yale's response has been influenced by federal scrutiny. In April 2025, the university revoked the student organization status of Yalies4Palestine, a group involved in recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, citing violations of university policies. The U.S. Department of Education's Task Force to Combat Antisemitism praised this decision. However, some students and faculty argue that Yale's actions were motivated more by the threat of federal funding cuts than by a commitment to addressing antisemitism. Over the last week, Yale has once again been in the news as pro-Palestinian students harassed and intimidated Jewish students during Holocaust Remembrance Day, highlighting the dangerous repeat of history flourishing on American campuses.

The Strange Death of Experts

In today's episode, Dominique brings Isaac Woodward back for a part two reaction to the Douglas Murray-Dave Smith debate, focusing on the facts of the Israel-Hamas war, the nature of warfare, and the death of the expert class in a post-COVID world primed to accept conspiracy theories platformed on new media channels. The rise of decentralized information and the rejection of academic institutions and historical methods has led to the rise of alternative histories and war reports that fuel misinformation and anti-Israel campaigns.

Hamas Bankrupt, End of War Near?

In 2023, Hamas was emboldened by the weak foreign policy of the Biden administration, which released billions of dollars in frozen assets to the Iranian regime, directly funding Hamas in the Israel-Gaza war. The Trump administration signals a stark foreign policy shift; the U.S. has returned to a policy of intolerance for terrorism and Islamism. All of Hamas' key funding channels have been disrupted: Israel has cut off aid that Hamas would sell to their starving population, Trump has cut off UNRWA funding and reimposed a maximum pressure campaign against the Iranian regime, which has significantly cut money flow to Gaza. But we need to remember this was never a war Hamas could win. Hamas was always the weaker actor surviving on the pressure of an international anti-Israel campaign. Hamas going bankrupt is downstream of strong foreign policy. Despite the reality that Hamas and Iran are financially diminished, neither entity should be underestimated. As the U.S. presses for a resolution favorable to Israel and Hamas weakens due to financial constraints, the West should not forget Hamas is not just an organization but an ideology— the latter of which will take a lot more than defunding to eliminate. It is the economic grievances and disenfranchised Gazan youth that will pose the most significant difficulty in a long-term solution to this war.

The Christian Genocides the West Won't Talk About

During the First World War, approximately 1.2 million Armenian Christians were killed in a genocide carried out by the Ottoman Turks. Motivated by fears of Armenian involvement in the war and using the chaos as cover, the Ottomans pursued an ethno-nationalist and ideological agenda. This ethno-religious conflict continues today between the modern nation-states of Azerbaijan (backed by Turkey) and Armenia, who have fought for decades over disputed territories. The most recent instance of ethnic cleansing culminated in 2022 with a nine-month blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing indigenous Armenians to flee under Azerbaijan's brutal campaign—which included the destruction of Christian sites, the killing of Armenians, and the desecration of Christian cemeteries. Jackie Abramian joins Dominique to discuss Christian persecution in the Middle East and Africa. Jackie's docuseries, "Faces of Persecution: Exploring Global Religious Oppressions," is an educational documentary featuring inspiring and insightful interviews with global scholars, experts, and victims of religious persecution. The series amplifies the tireless advocacy of grassroots organizations and champions of multi-faith religious rights. It examines the plight of Yazidi Christians persecuted by ISIS, Armenian Christians targeted by Azerbaijani and Turkish forces, and Nigerian Christians under attack by radicalized Islamist Fulani herders. These are the persecuted Christians the West has forgotten.