Note: Registration is free but now required to view the event live.
As conflict involving Iran roils the Middle East, UW Now Live is taking a step back to examine what this moment means beyond the immediate headlines. This conversation will unpack the consequences of instability in Iran—how it reverberates across the Middle East, intersects with the war in Ukraine, and complicates great‑power competition involving China, Russia, and the United States. From shifting alliances and energy security to nuclear deterrence, diplomacy, and long‑term regional order, the discussion asks not only what’s happening now, but what this moment could mean for the region and the world in one, three, and ten years.
Some key questions we’ll discuss include:
- How does conflict involving Iran reshape other global flashpoints?
- Where does China fit into this moment?
- What kind of world emerges next?
Join fellow UW alumni and friends online for a livestream and Q & A with a panel of experts who will discuss this evolving topic. The talk will be moderated by Mike Knetter, from the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association.
Speakers
Steven Brooke, PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, a faculty fellow at the Association for Analytic Learning about Islam and Muslim Societies and a non-resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative. His research and teaching focuses on comparative politics, religion and politics, non-democratic regimes and the politics of the Middle East. He published his first book in 2019, Winning Hearts and Votes: Social Services and the Islamist Political Advantage, and is working on two book manuscripts. His articles have appeared in a variety of journals, including the American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, and the British Journal of Middle East Studies, among others. Steven joined the faculty at UW-Madison in the summer of 2019 after three years on the faculty at the University of Louisville. He earned a PhD in government in 2015 from the University of Texas at Austin.
Yoshiko Hererra, PhD, is a former director of the Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia at UW- Madison. Before arriving in Madison in 2007, she was the John Loeb Associate Professor of Social Sciences at Harvard University. Her research focuses on Russia, nationalism and ethnic politics, and political economy, and has been published in numerous academic outlets. Herrera teaches courses on comparative politics, social identities and diversity, and a new course on the Russian war on Ukraine. In 2024 she was a recipient of a Distinguished Honors Faculty Award from the L&S Honors Program At UW-Madison. She is also the former director of the UW–Madison partnership with Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan. She earned a PhD in political science from the University of Chicago.
Andrew Kydd, PhD, is a professor of political science at UW–Madison and an affiliate of the Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia. His research interests center on the game theoretic analysis of international security issues such as proliferation, terrorism, trust, and conflict resolution. He has published articles in the American Political Science Review, International Organization, World Politics, and International Security, among other journals. His book, Trust and Mistrust in International Relations, was published in 2005 by Princeton University Press and won the 2006 Conflict Processes Best Book Award. Prior to joining UW–Madison’s Department of Political Science in 2007, he taught at the University of California–Riverside and Harvard University.
Jon Pevehouse, PhD is the Mary Herman Rubinstein Professor of Political Science and Public Policy. An expert in international relations and American foreign policy and an award-winning instructor, he has taught on campus for more than 25 years. He is the coauthor of the leading textbook in his field, International Relations, and editor emeritus of the journal International Organization. His research interests lie in international relations, international political economy, American foreign policy and political methodology. He earned a PhD from Ohio State University in 2000.
This event is hosted by the Wisconsin Alumni Association®.
