Tonight on Amanpour and Company, Friday, April 17th, 2026

Gen. Stanley McChrystal (Ret.)
Former Commander, Joint Special Operations Command in Afghanistan
The United States is currently locked in a stalemate with Iran, facing an escalation trap that could prove costly to a nation scarred by the memories of Iraq and Afghanistan. On the other hand, President Trump indicates another round of talks could soon take place, again with Pakistan as host. From the start, Trump never laid out a coherent exit strategy for this war. The regional implications have been massive: disruption all over the Middle East, with Gulf allies of the U.S. dragged into a war of which they wanted no part. Retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal led U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Prior to that, as Special Forces Commander in Iraq, McChrystal led the mission to kill Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. The General joins Christiane from Washington.

Maoz Inon
Co-author, "The Future Is Peace"
and
Aziz Abu Sarah
Co-author, "The Future Is Peace"
The Middle East is a scene of suffering and despair. In Gaza, the brutality of Israel's response to the grotesque Hamas attacks of October 7th is still being felt. Annexation by another name is taking place in the occupied West Bank, while Lebanon burns. Hope is in short supply. But it still shines bright in Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah and Israeli Maoz Inon, who have opted for friendship and peace despite suffering unbearable loss. The two men co-authored a newly released book, "The Future is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land." The authors' commitment and belief are enough to melt the hardest of hearts.

Michael Pollan
Author, "A World Appears"
The rise of artificial intelligence has raised probing questions about human consciousness and what it means to feel. The celebrated, best-selling author Michael Pollan has written books that challenge our understanding of food and drugs. Now Pollan turns his attention to our sense of self, and what it is that really makes us human. It's all in his new book, "A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness."