I was sharply critical of the Trump administration’s decision in early February to reopen talks with Iran’s theocratic regime—particularly after the president had encouraged anti-government protesters to “rise up” and “take over your institutions.” In my Substack essay, Why and How the U.S. Should Support Democracy in Iran, I argued that renewed nuclear negotiations at that moment would hand the regime a lifeline. But as I wrote in The Day After the Fall of a Dictator, the central question is what comes next. Reflecting on the events of the past two months—Venezuela, Greenland, and now Iran—I am convinced it was the right decision to retitle my latest book Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder.
Author: March 5, 2026
Published at: 2026-03-05 00:00:00
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