Today’s podcast guest is Ambassador Patrick Theros, Strategic Advisor and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Gulf International Forum. He previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar.
We discuss the US-Israel-Iran war and the pending peace agreement between the US and Iran, the impacts of the war on the region, and how this conflict has affected the political prospects of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Listen now; link in bio.
Full bio
Ambassador Patrick Nickolas Theros is a Strategic Advisor and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Gulf International Forum. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar from 1995-1998. Prior to his appointment, he served as Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, responsible for the coordination of all U.S. Government counterterrorism activities outside the United States. From 1991-1993, Ambassador Theros served as the Political Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of Central Command (CENTCOM).
Ambassador Theros joined the Foreign Service in 1963, and served in a variety of positions in Washington D.C., Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Nicaragua and Syria, including charge d’affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. embassies in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
In 1999, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah Al-Thani awarded Ambassador Theros the Qatar Order of Merit for his efforts in service of the U.S.-Qatar bilateral relationship. His commitment to national service also earned him the President’s Meritorious Service Award and the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service. Ambassador Theros has also earned four Superior Honor Awards, the highest awards for distinguished service given by the Foreign Service.
Ambassador Theros graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in 1963. He has done advanced studies at the American University in Washington, D.C., the Universidad Centroamericana in Nicaragua, the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia, and the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He speaks and reads Spanish, Arabic and Greek professionally.
Today’s guest is Dr. Anne Speckhard, Director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism. She is an expert in rehabilitation and repatriation of terrorists and their families, and has consulted with foreign governments on issues of terrorist prevention, interventions and repatriation; and the rehabilitation and reintegration of ISIS foreign fighters, wives and children. Her latest book, Homegrown Hate: Inside the Minds of Domestic Violent Extremists, examines the deepening threat of domestic violent extremism in the U.S. through more than 50 in-depth interviews with current and former members of a wide range of domestic hate groups.
In this episode, we discuss the psychological and psychosocial dimensions of violent extremism, what attracts people to these ideologies, how terrorists and violent extremists have been able to utilize social media to draw people into their ideologies, and what can be done to try to prevent people from falling into these extremist ideologies.
Listen now; link in bio.
Global violence today is metastasizing, not contained; over 180,000 violent events are reported globally, signaling a world in which conflict has become a baseline condition rather than an exception. Yet the UN system and democracies appear increasingly paralyzed—trapped in vetoes, geopolitical rivalries, and hollow declarations—offering gestures of concern instead of enforcing accountability, which is desperately needed.
I recently spoke with Dimitris Eleas, a political scientist, writer, and independent researcher, on my podcast, discussing the human impact of global wars and violence. As Dimitris poignantly observes, the poor, the children, and women are those who suffer the most.
Listen to this and more in my latest podcast episode; link in bio.
As the world celebrates the FIFA World Cup 2026, thousands of families in Mexico are still searching for missing loved ones. For years, families of the disappeared have led efforts to uncover the truth, locate victims, and demand accountability in a country facing a deep disappearance crisis. Following recent demonstrations in Mexico City, Amnesty International is urging authorities to protect their right to protest peacefully. These families are not asking for special treatment—they are asking for answers. The Mexican government must ensure their safety, prevent intimidation or excessive use of force, and respect their right to seek truth and justice. The search for the disappeared cannot be ignored simply because the world's attention is elsewhere.
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Nine hundred million (900) children worldwide live in multidimensional poverty, lacking essentials such as food, clean water, healthcare, education, or safe shelter. Another 412 million survive on less than $3 a day. Child poverty is more than a lack of income—it is the denial of basic rights and opportunities. Children who grow up in poverty face higher risks of malnutrition, disease, poor educational outcomes, and lower earnings as adults. In many cases, poverty is passed from one generation to the next. Yet child poverty is not inevitable. Investments in social protection, healthcare, education, and family support programs have proven effective in helping children thrive and breaking the cycle of poverty for future generations.
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Today’s podcast guest is Ambassador Patrick Theros, Strategic Advisor and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Gulf International Forum. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar from 1995-1998, and from 1991-1993, served as the Political Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of Central Command (CENTCOM).
In this episode, we discuss the US-Israel-Iran war and the pending peace agreement between the US and Iran, the impacts of the war on the region, and how this conflict has affected the political prospects of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Listen now: soundcloud.com/alon-ben-meir/on-the-issues-episode-152-ambassador-patrick-theros
Full bio
Ambassador Patrick Nickolas Theros is a Strategic Advisor and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Gulf International Forum. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar from 1995-1998. Prior to his appointment, he served as Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, responsible for the coordination of all U.S. Government counterterrorism activities outside the United States. From 1991-1993, Ambassador Theros served as the Political Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of Central Command (CENTCOM).
Ambassador Theros joined the Foreign Service in 1963, and served in a variety of positions in Washington D.C., Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Nicaragua and Syria, including charge d’affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. embassies in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
In 1999, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah Al-Thani awarded Ambassador Theros the Qatar Order of Merit for his efforts in service of the U.S.-Qatar bilateral relationship. His commitment to national service also earned him the President’s Meritorious Service Award and the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service (1992). Ambassador Theros has also earned four Superior Honor Awards, the highest awards for distinguished service given by the Foreign Service.
After his retirement from the Foreign Service Ambassador Theros assumed the office of President of the U.S.-Qatar Business Council in March 2000 until his retirement in 2017.
Ambassador Theros’ personal commitment to community and public service earned him the rank of Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem (1999), as well as the Ellis Island Medal of Freedom (2005).
In addition to his duties as President of the U.S.-Qatar Business Council, Ambassador Theros is also active in the following organizations: The Middle East Policy Council, Board of Directors; The Council of Foreign Relations, Member; The Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs, Member; and The American Academy of Diplomacy, Member.
Ambassador Theros graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in 1963. He has done advanced studies at the American University in Washington, D.C., the Universidad Centroamericana in Nicaragua, the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia, and the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He is married to Aspasia (nee Pahigiannis) and has three children. He speaks and reads Spanish, Arabic and Greek professionally.
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Turkey’s human rights record has crossed from troubling to indefensible. Behind the language of counterterrorism and national security lies a systematic campaign that has dismantled the rule of law, criminalized dissent, and stripped hundreds of thousands of their most basic rights.
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