Juan Cole, professor of history at the University of Michigan and proprietor of the blog Informed Comment and author of the new book Napoleon’s Egypt: Invading the Middle East, discusses the likelihood of war with Iran, Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt and the similarity to the policy of the neo-Jacobin George W. Bush, the abject failure of the “surge,” Ahmadinejad’s statement that he wished the Israeli government would fall one day, and the push in DC for an Allawi coup.

MP3 here. (19:06)

Juan R. I. Cole is Professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian History at the University of Michigan. He has written extensively about modern Islamic movements in Egypt, the Persian Gulf, and South Asia. His most recent book is Sacred Space and Holy War. His blog, Informed Comment, is a widely read source for Middle East news and commentary.