Would Regime Change Solve the Iran Challenge?

Photo: iLab/CSIS

Podcast Episode by Will Todman, Jon B. Alterman, Daniel Byman, and Mona Yacoubian

Published March 5, 2026

You can find the video of this podcast here.

To discuss the risks of regime change in Iran, the lessons to draw from other regime change efforts in the Middle East and beyond, and to outline what the United States can do now to ensure a positive outcome in Iran, Jon Alterman, Daniel Byman, and Mona Yacoubian joined Will Todman on a live episode of State of Play.

Jon Alterman, "Why Decapitation Will Not Solve the United States’ Iran Problem," CSIS, March 3, 2026.
Daniel Byman, "6 Questions About Operation Epic Fury," Foreign Policy, February 28, 2026.
Mona Yacoubian and Samuel Zabin, "If Compute is the New Oil, War in the Gulf Significantly Raises the Stakes," CSIS, February 27, 2026.

Will Todman

Will Todman

Chief of Staff, Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department; and Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Jon Alterman

Jon B. Alterman

Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy

Daniel Byman

Daniel Byman

Director, Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program

Mona Yacoubian

Mona Yacoubian

Director and Senior Adviser, Middle East Program