Call Me Back - with Dan Senor

Is there a deeper strategy underlying President Trump’s actions?
Dan is joined by historian, Free Press columnist, CBS contributor, and Senior Fellow at Hoover Institution Sir Niall Ferguson to connect the dots on how President Trump is using leverage, unpredictability, and selective force across Iran, Venezuela, Europe, and beyond. They discuss why a counter revolution in Iran has little chance without foreign intervention, what “regime alteration” means, whether we're still living through Cold War II, and why Europe keeps taking the bait.
In this episode…
- Iran strike timing, targets, and endgame
- “Regime alteration” vs. regime change
- Why Iran’s protests failed and fear works
- Turkey’s mediation and Erdoğan’s ambitions
- Saudi pressure and regional deterrence logic
- Cold War II and the authoritarian axis
- Davos, Europe’s weakness, and the Greenland distraction
- MAGA tensions, Israel, deterrence, and Taiwan
This episode was sponsored by United Hatzalah. Donate today at IsraelRescue.org/CallMeBack. Add this number to your phone right now if you live in Israel – 1221, and for those visiting it’s 972-2-5-383838.
From the episode:
- Niall Ferguson’s essay in the Free Press, “The Myth of Revolution in Iran”
More Ark Media:
Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back
Listen to For Heaven's Sake
Listen to What’s Your Number?
Watch Call me Back on YouTube
Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal
Instagram | Ark Media | Dan
X | Dan
Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
Get in touch
Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

This is a sneak peek from a recent conversation on Inside Call Me Back, the members-only edition of the podcast. Dan and Nadav try to understand the strategic thinking of Iran’s top command and the role of surprise in deterrence.
To hear the full conversation, become a member by following the link in the description or visiting arkmedia.org.
In the full episode: 
Nadav joins Dan in the hot seat to take listener questions on Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace,” the limits of economic prosperity to deradicalize Palestinian society, and whether outside actors can actually create change in Gaza. They also discuss Qatar’s influence inside the U.S., and explore the politics of Israeli Arabs. Dan also provides his perspective on whether elite universities still matter.
More Ark Media:
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back
Listen to For Heaven's Sake
Listen to What’s Your Number?
Watch Call me Back on YouTube
Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal
Instagram | Ark Media | Dan
X | Dan
Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
Get in touch
Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

Is Antizionism a Soviet invention for persecuting Jews?
Dan is joined by Shaul Kelner, professor of Jewish studies and sociology at Vanderbilt University, to examine the rarely-told history of Antizionism. Kelner explains how a framework designed to deny Jewish life under Soviet rule has resurfaced in the West long before October 7 and why many American Jews were unprepared for its scale and intensity.
In this episode...
08:00: The Soviet roots of Antizionism
15:00: How Antizionism entered the West
21:00 Marxism and ideological monoculture in American universities
28:00 Why American Jews are seduced by Antizionism
32:00: Stop debating semantics
This episode was sponsored by SAPIR: Sign up for the SAPIR journal at sapirjournal.org/CallMeBack
From the episode:
- Shaul Kelner’s book, A Cold War Exodus: How Americans Activists Mobilized to Free Soviet Jews
- Read Shaul’s article on American Antizionism in the Shalom Hartman Institute's Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas
- Attend The State of World Jewry Address at the 92nd Street Y
More Ark Media:
Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back
Listen to For Heaven's Sake
Listen to What’s Your Number?
Watch Call me Back on YouTube
Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal
Instagram | Ark Media | Dan
X | Dan
Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
Get in touch
Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

Is a U.S. strike on Iran back on the table? How could it reshape the Middle East? And what role could the Middle East play in the new world order taking shape these days? 
Dan Senor speaks with Mark Dubowitz and Yonatan Adiri about the rising likelihood of U.S. military action against the Islamic Republic, which targets are being considered, and how Iran could retaliate. They also unpack Israel’s internal debates on how to respond, the Saudi UAE rift and what it means for normalization, Turkey’s expanding footprint, and why India is becoming a more important regional player.
In this episode...
- Is a U.S. strike on Iran coming and what would actually be hit
- How Iran might retaliate and the debates inside Israel over next steps
- Whether military action is meant to pressure the regime or help bring it down
- Why Trump paused an attack and the regional forces shaping that call
- Saudi Arabia’s recalculation, its rift with the UAE, and the impact on normalization
- Turkey’s rise and why India is becoming a quiet power broker in the region
This episode was sponsored by SAPIR: Sign up for the SAPIR journal at sapirjournal.org/CallMeBack
From the episode:
- Listen to Yonatan’s podcast What’s Your Number?
- Listen to Mark’s podcast The Iran Breakdown
More Ark Media:
Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back
Listen to For Heaven's Sake
Listen to What’s Your Number?
Watch Call me Back on YouTube
Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal
Instagram | Ark Media | Dan
X | Dan
Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
Get in touch
Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

This is a sneak peek from a recent conversation on Inside Call Me Back, the members-only edition of the podcast. Dan and Dr. Tal Becker challenge the claim that Saudi normalization is “dead” and explain why a one-state framework fails to address the core of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
To hear the full conversation, become a member by following the link in the description or visiting arkmedia.org.
In the full episode: 
Dan takes listener questions with Dr. Tal Becker on the new “Board of Peace,” why it’s being framed as an alternative to the UN, and what it could mean for Gaza and beyond. Tal also weighs Israel’s concerns about Turkey and Qatar sitting on the Gaza Executive Committee. The conversation ends with a look at trends in American Jewry and a practical explanation for why Israeli leaders often adjust once they’re governing from the Prime Minister’s Office.
More Ark Media:
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back
Listen to For Heaven's Sake
Listen to What’s Your Number?
Watch Call me Back on YouTube
Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal
Instagram | Ark Media | Dan
X | Dan
Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
Get in touch
Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo