On Call Me Back, Walter Russell Mead discusses the paradox at the heart of the new memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, what it reveals about President Donald Trump’s approach to power, and how leaders across the Middle East are recalculating their assumptions about America, Israel, and the region’s future.
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Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Indonesia's Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka during the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 22, 2025. (Getty Images)