About this episode

The episode discusses the complexities of the conflict in Iran, comparisons to the war in Ukraine, and various cultural topics including a book and a Pulitzer prize-winning story.

It's Friday, and we still don't understand exactly what is going on with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, so instead we discuss unfair comparisons between this conflict and Putin's war in Ukraine, the historical context of so-called "wars of choice," the strange absences from the jacket of Rachel Goldberg-Polin's book, and the Pulitzer prize awarded to photographs from a since-retracted New York Times story. Plus, Seth recommends Ulrich Boschwitz's The Passenger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Seth

Topics covered

• Iran
• Strait of Hormuz
• wars of choice
• Putin's war in Ukraine
• Pulitzer prize
• photography

Keywords

• Iran
• Strait of Hormuz
• wars of choice
• Ukraine
• Pulitzer prize
• photography
• Rachel Goldberg-Polin
• Ulrich Boschwitz

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Commentary Magazine, New York Times

Books & works: Ulrich Boschwitz's The Passenger

Places: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine

More episodes of The Commentary Magazine Podcast

• Iran Impasse · May 7, 2026 · 1h 8m
• Operation Epic Waffle · May 6, 2026 · 1h 7m

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