Joshua M. Landis is an American academic and leading expert on the Middle East, with a particular focus on Syria. He directs the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and has been the author of the blog Syria Comment since 2004.

Kelley Currie is an American human rights lawyer and former Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues (2020–2021). She has served as the U.S. Representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council and Acting Deputy U.S. Representative to the U.N. A former senior fellow at the Project 2049 Institute, Currie has held senior roles in the U.S. State Department and various human rights organizations, focusing on security, public policy, and humanitarian issues.

Joby Warrick is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author who has been a member of The Washington Post’s National staff since 1996. Specializing in Middle East issues, terrorism, and weapons proliferation, Warrick has authored three acclaimed nonfiction books, including Red Line: The Unraveling of Syria and America's Race to Destroy the Most Dangerous Arsenal in the World and Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, which won the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction in 2016.

Tom Gardner is The Economist’s Africa correspondent, based in Nairobi. With nearly a decade of experience, including time in Addis Ababa during the 2020-22 Tigray war, his reporting on Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa has appeared in The Guardian, Foreign Policy, and The Atlantic. His first book, The Abiy Project: God, Power and War in the New Ethiopia, was published in 2024.

James Barnett is a research fellow at the Hudson Institute, specializing in conflict, terrorism, and geopolitics in Africa. With extensive fieldwork experience in conflict zones, he has conducted research in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Ukraine.

Michael John Williams is associate professor of international affairs and director of international relations graduate programs at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He specializes in international security, NATO, and European-Russian relations. Trained at the London School of Economics, he brings an interdisciplinary approach to examining society-military relations and warfare.

Matthew Klein is a returning guest and analyst at The Cook Political Report. He’s back to discuss the results of the 2024 election, offering nonpartisan insights into U.S. House and gubernatorial outcomes.

Matthew Klein is an analyst at The Cook Political Report, where he collaborates with editors to provide nonpartisan insights on U.S. House and gubernatorial elections. On election nights, he manages the publication's social media updates and oversees key site features like the House Open Seats Chart. Originally from Maryland, Matthew holds a B.A. in Political Science from Emory University, where he authored an honors thesis on political realignment in West Virginia. A film enthusiast and avid runner, he currently resides in Washington, D.C.