Call Me Back - with Dan Senor

Ark Media

Political and geopolitical analysis from the world's top experts, hosted by Dan Senor.

  • 46 minutes 43 seconds
    Zionophobia - with Judea Pearl

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    Do most people misunderstand the true nature of Antizionism?

    Dan sits down with renowned computer scientist and public intellectual Judea Pearl to understand why he coined the term “Zionophobia.” Pearl argues that Antizionism is not simply policy criticism but a rejection of Jewish collective sovereignty.

    Pearl shares his personal story, that dates back to the founding of Israel, and explains how the murder of his son, Daniel Pearl, and the violence of the Second Intifada have reshaped his thinking about Israel, identity, and moral clarity. 

    The conversation spans failed peace efforts, the politics of language, the meaning of indigeneity, and Pearl’s warning that Israel’s greatest long-term vulnerability may be the erosion of bipartisan American support.

    Read Judea’s book Coexistence and Other Fighting Words

    In this episode:

    03:00 - From AI pioneer to Zionist advocate

    24:00 - “Zionophobia,” not anti-Semitism

    29:00 - Terrorism, moral asymmetry, and the Carter controversy

    35:00 - Education as the true battlefield

    38:00 - Why peace efforts failed and what was misunderstood

    41:00 - Indigeneity, sovereignty, and competing narratives

    44:00 - The bipartisan question and Israel’s strategic future

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

    19 February 2026, 5:00 am
  • 44 minutes 45 seconds
    Saudi & UAE: The Cold Gulf War - with Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner-Levy

    Please take 5 minutes to fill out Ark Media’s LISTENER SURVEY
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    For years, normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel was seen as the ultimate goal of the Abraham Accords and the final step towards unlocking regional stability. But a sharp rivalry is heating up between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. Dan is joined by Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner-Levy to unpack the economic, political, and personal dynamics driving this feud, what it means for Israel, and why India and global energy corridors may matter more than most people realize.

    In this episode:

    00:18 - MBS’s Vision 2030 under pressure and the internal Saudi recalibration

    10:40 - Mentor turned rival: How MBS and MBZ went from alignment to confrontation

    18:45 - The Yemen flashpoint that ruptured the Saudi–UAE relationship

    24:00 - Energy corridors, IMEC, and the India factor

    28:30 - Is Israel collateral damage or strategically positioned?

    34:50 - Why UAE’s “infrastructure diplomacy” may be winning quietly

    38:45 - The future of normalization versus regional integration

    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.

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

    16 February 2026, 5:00 am
  • 11 minutes 24 seconds
    ADL's Jonathan Greenblatt responds to Bret Stephens (INSIDE Call me Back sneak peek)

    This is a sneak peek from the latest Inside Call me Back, the members-only edition of the podcast. Following Bret Stephens’ controversial “State of the World Jewry” speech, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, joins Dan to respond directly.

    Is the Jewish community overinvested in fighting antisemitism? Did institutions miss the warning signs before October 7? And can Jewish identity flourish without first ensuring Jewish security?

    To hear the full conversation, become a member by following the link in the description or visiting arkmedia.org.

    In the full episode: 

    Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of Anti-Defamation League, joins Dan to respond to Brett Stephens’ controversial “State of the World Jewry” speech, which argued that too many Jewish resources are invested in fighting Antisemitism, rather than building a Jewish life. Jonathan, whom Bret called out by name, tells Dan that the two mustn’t be seen as mutually exclusive. The two also discuss whether Jewish institutions should do some soul searching after being blindsided by Oct. 8, whether the Blue Square Alliance Superbowl ad missed the mark, and what the data’s showing about anti-Jewish trends in America.

    Read Jonathan’s op-ed, American Jews need both security and identity
    Register for the Never is Now Summit and use discount code “Senor20”
    Watch the Call Me Back episode from the 2025 Never is Now Summit
    Watch Jonathan’s previous appearance on Call Me Back

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

    14 February 2026, 10:00 pm
  • 32 minutes 15 seconds
    Trump meets Netanyahu, but what’s the endgame? - with Nadav Eyal

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    Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with President Trump ended without any clear declaration about simmering tensions with Iran, so Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal joins Dan to try to read between the lines. What did Netanyahu hope to achieve? Does anyone know Trump’s plan? Is an attack on Iran still on the table and did Netanyahu move the needle? Could the talks with Iran be just a head fake?

    In this episode:

    - What Netanyahu asked for in Washington

    - Why Israeli officials think the Iran talks may be “dead on arrival”

    - U.S. military buildup and strike contingencies

    - Why Trump’s Iran policy is not about Israel — and never has been

    - The China factor: oil, energy, and Cold War II

    -  Will Israel participate in a strike?

    - The Board of Peace and a potential Marshall Plan for Gaza

    - Why Hamas will only disarm under credible threat

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

    12 February 2026, 5:00 am
  • 46 minutes 26 seconds
    ISRAEL VOTES: The Political Landscape - with Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal

    Please spend 5 minutes to fill out Ark Media’s LISTENER SURVEY

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    What will Israelis really be voting on in the first election since October 7?

    Today we are launching Israel Votes, a new Call me Back and Ark Media series that will be your hub for unpacking the Israeli election. Ark Media contributors Amit Segal and Nadav Eyal join Dan to set the stage, exploring how October 7, the war, coalition politics, deep social divides, and the Netanyahu brand will all play a role in the upcoming vote, which many Israelis feel may determine the character and future of the Jewish state.

    In this episode:

    06:45 - Why this election feels different from every Israeli election before it

    08:55 - Netanyahu’s coalition problem and the ultra-Orthodox question

    11:55 - How October 7 changed the political map and voter psychology

    16:40 - Is this election a referendum on the past or a vote about the future?

    21:00 - What Israel’s demographic and political trends mean for the outcome

    26:45 - The opposition’s strategy and the Bennett factor

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

    9 February 2026, 5:00 am
  • 9 minutes 25 seconds
    Bret Stephens: Should We Stop Funding the Fight Against Antisemitism? (INSIDE Call me Back sneak peek)

    This is a sneak peek from the latest Inside Call Me Back, the members-only edition of the podcast. 

    Subscribe here to Inside Call me Back

    Bret Stephens argues that while organizations like the ADL do valuable work tracking and responding to antisemitic incidents, the Jewish community has overinvested in fighting antisemitism as a primary strategy.

    To hear the full conversation, become a member by following the link in the description or visiting arkmedia.org.

    In the full episode: 

    New York Times columnist Bret Stephens joins Dan on the members-only edition of Call me Back to take questions about his speech at 92nd Street Y and the public conversation it started. Should we really stop trying to fight Antisemitism? Should the ADL be “dismantled”? Can we define the psychology of Antisemitism? And what are the stories that define Judaism?

    Watch Bret's full speech: https://youtu.be/1QMTjVuo9dE

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

    7 February 2026, 11:05 pm
  • 36 minutes 22 seconds
    Bret Stephens’ State of World Jewry Address

    Is the right way to fight Antisemitism maybe to… stop fighting it?

    In this special episode, we share The State of World Jewry address delivered by New York Times columnist Bret Stephens at the 92nd Street Y. Stephens, who is also the editor-in-chief of SAPIR Journal, offers a bracing diagnosis of modern antisemitism and argues that it cannot be educated away, apologized for, or solved through allyship. Instead, he calls for Jewish confidence, cultural seriousness, and moral clarity in the face of rising hostility.

    In this episode:

    - Why antisemitism is about resentment, not misunderstanding

    - The false promise of fighting antisemitism head-on

    - The danger of approval-seeking and respectability politics

    - October 8th Jews and the identity reckoning

    - Jewish values as inherently countercultural

    - Building strength instead of chasing acceptance

    This episode was sponsored by SAPIR: Sign up for the SAPIR journal at sapirjournal.org/CallMeBack

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

    5 February 2026, 5:00 am
  • 1 hour 10 seconds
    What's Trump's plan with Iran, and beyond? - with Niall Ferguson

    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:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

    2 February 2026, 5:00 am
  • 10 minutes 16 seconds
    Is Iran Planning to Preemptively Strike Israel? (INSIDE Call me Back sneak peek)

    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:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

    31 January 2026, 10:00 pm
  • 40 minutes 16 seconds
    The Story of American Antizionism - with Shaul Kelner

    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:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

    29 January 2026, 5:00 am
  • 52 minutes 17 seconds
    The strike on Iran is back on the table - with Mark Dubowitz and Yonatan Adiri

    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:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

    25 January 2026, 9:38 pm
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