Babel: Translating the Middle East

Egyptians traditionally celebrate Sham Enessim, the country’s pharaonic spring holiday, by eating faseekh, a fermented mullet. But in the weeks prior to this year’s holiday, which fell on May 6, the price of seafood shot up 180 percent. In Port Said, where seafood is generally an affordable staple protein, the price hikes hit especially hard.

• Salmah Elmasry, "A Fishy Business in Port Said," CSIS, July 30, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Michelle Nunn, the president and CEO of CARE. Michelle leads more than 8,000 people working around the world in crisis response, health and education access, gender equality, and climate change. Together, they discuss the unique challenges of Gaza's humanitarian crisis by contextualizing it among other global crises. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert to discuss how global attention on Gaza has affected the conflict and the humanitarian response, and whether sustained humanitarian engagement will translate into the “day after.”

• Transcript, "Michelle Nunn: The Challenges of Gaza's Humanitarian Crisis," CSIS, August 20, 2024.

On July 31, Ismail Haniyeh, a senior leader of Hamas, was killed in Tehran. Just a day earlier, an Israeli airstrike killed a Hezbollah commander in the suburbs of Beirut. Leah Hickert speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, about how these events may continue to escalate, and their potential impact on the Israel-Hamas war. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Jon Alterman, "Do Leaders Want Gaza Negotiations to Succeed?" CSIS, August 9, 2024.

Last week, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington D.C. to deliver a speech to a joint meeting of Congress. Leah Hickert speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, about the implications of Netanyahu’s visit on U.S. foreign policy in the region. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Hasan Alhasan, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) based in Manama, Bahrain. Prior to joining IISS, he served for five years on the staff of the Crown Prince of Bahrain as a senior analyst on foreign policy and national security. Together, they compare Gulf states’ foreign policies and their underlying strategies. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss how Gulf states handle shifts in U.S. strategies and what the Gulf expects from its Great Power partners.

• Transcript, "Hasan Alhasan: The Strategies of Gulf States," CSIS, July 23, 2024.

Masoud Pezeshkian recently won the runoff election to replace Iran's late president, Ebrahim Raisi. This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at CSIS, about Pezeshkian and the election's impact on regional politics. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Jon Alterman, "The Impacts of Raisi's Death," CSIS, May 20, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Ambassador Karim Haggag. After an Egyptian diplomatic career that spanned more than 25 years, Amb. Haggag is now a professor of practice at the American University in Cairo's School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, the director of the university’s Middle East Studies Center, and a non-resident visiting scholar with Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Together, they compare the war in Gaza to other crises in Egypt’s history, discuss Egypt's complicated relationships with Israel and Hamas, and anticipate Egypt's role in the "day after" in Gaza. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert to discuss U.S. diplomatic leverage in the Middle East. 

• Transcript, "Karim Haggag: Egypt's Balancing Act," CSIS, July 9, 2024.

On March 20, Saudi Arabia announced that it planned to invest $40 billion into AI development. This move comes on the heels of the UAE's creation of two large language models developed within the last year. However, as these Arabic-speaking nations race for AI supremacy, they are starting behind the pack.

• Josh Phillips, "The Voice Inside AI's Head Speaks English," CSIS, June 18, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Karim Elgendy, an expert on climate and energy policy in the Middle East and North Africa. Elgendy is the associate director at Buro Happold, an associate fellow at Chatham House, and a senior non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute. They talk about the geopolitics of climate change, the challenges hindering climate diplomacy, and the factors driving energy production in the region. Then, he continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss climate's role in regional diplomacy and the public discourse around climate in the Middle East.

• Transcript, "Karim Elgendy: Climate Diplomacy in the Middle East," CSIS, June 25, 2024.

Recently, the Lebanese government developed a plan to deport Syrian refugees who were not registered with the United Nations, which accounts for almost half of all refugees in Lebanon. Although Lebanon’s sovereignty is important, so are its humanitarian obligations and its role in regional security. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Natasha Hall and Will Todman, “Lebanon’s Dangerous Campaign against Refugees,” CSIS, June 4, 2024. 

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Professor Jonathan Rynhold, the head of the Department of Political Studies at Bar Ilan University and a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Together, they talk about how Israeli public opinion has evolved since October 7th, the divisions within Israeli politics, and Israeli attitudes towards President Biden. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss the dynamics in Israeli strategic thinking and President Biden’s efforts to move the conflict closer to resolution.

• Transcript, "Jonathan Rynhold: Israel's Divided Politics," CSIS, June 11, 2024.

Since the revolution, Tunisia has had 12 different governments. Amid chronic political instability, Tunisian institutions lack the legitimacy necessary to implement policies. Environmental policies have taken a particularly hard hit. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Mohamed Omar Kardous, "Political Instability and Environmental Politics in Postrevolutionary Tunisia, CSIS, April 9, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House and a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies for almost 20 years. They talk about the fallout from President Raisi’s death, how Gulf states are likely to react, and the feasibility of U.S. policy options going forward. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert to discuss what’s next for Iranian foreign policy and what opportunities there are for the United States.

• Transcript, "Sanam Vakil: Iran's Trajectory after Raisi," CSIS, May 29, 2024.

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at CSIS, about the impacts of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash, and how it will affect Iran's foreign and domestic policy. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Jon Alterman, "The Impacts of Raisi's Death," CSIS, May 20, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Nicholas Blanford, a Beirut-based security consultant, the author of two books on Lebanon, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. They talk about Hezbollah’s evolution, its ties to other actors in the region, and the role the group is playing in the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss Hezbollah’s deep roots in Lebanese society and the organization’s future.

• Transcript, "Nicholas Blanford: Hezbollah’s Struggle Against Israel," CSIS, May 14, 2024.
• Nicholas Blanford, Warriors of God: Inside Hezbollah's Thirty-Year Struggle Against Israel, Random House, 2011.
• Nicholas Blanford, Killing Mr Lebanon: The Assassination of Rafik Hariri and Its Impact on the Middle East, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2006.

Desperate for stability and lured by promises of a life of luxury, a Syrian widow accepted a marriage proposal from a member of an Iraqi militia. She did not know that she would become one of dozens of Syrian women to fall victim to Iraqi marriage exploitation in the past year alone. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Josh Phillips, "The Bonds of Marriage between Syria and Iraq," CSIS, May 1, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hans Grundberg, the United Nations' special envoy of the secretary-general for Yemen. They discuss what a UN mediator does, why successful mediation is about more than just reaching a peace agreement, and how the internationalization of conflicts complicates mediation. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert to discuss the tradeoffs between different mediators and why the UN separates its humanitarian work from its mediation efforts.

• Transcript, "Hans Grundberg: Mediation in Yemen," CSIS, April 30, 2024.

Leah Hickert speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at CSIS, about the tensions rising between Iran and Israel, as well as the potential for regional escalation. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hiba Husseini, a Palestinian lawyer and a legal adviser to Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations for 30 years. They discuss the state of pro-peace communities after October 7th and the war in Gaza's effect on future peacemaking efforts. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss why youth are increasingly supportive of armed struggle, the pre-conditions for a new Palestinian political leadership, and the ways in which Gaza’s reconstruction could create opportunities for peacemaking.

• Transcript, "Hiba Husseini: Peacemaking After Oslo," CSIS, April 2, 2024.

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Will Todman, deputy director and senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about how displacement has become a flashpoint across the region and the innovative solutions necessary to mitigate these crises. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Will Todman, "Support for Refugees Erodes in the Middle East," CSIS, June 5, 2023.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a former Jordanian diplomat, and the current president and CEO of the International Peace Institute. They discuss the pursuit of human rights in a multipolar world and the role that the United Nations can play in Gaza. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert to explore the importance of codifying human rights into international law and the challenges of sustaining international attention on human rights crises.

• Transcript, "Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein: Human Rights in a Messy World," CSIS, April 2, 2024.

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about the U.S. strategy toward protracted conflicts, which can serve as forums for great power competition. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Natasha Hall, "The New Forever Wars," CSIS, January 25, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dana Stroul, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East. They talk about the U.S. defense strategy in the Middle East before and after the war in Gaza, how the conflict has changed U.S. security partnerships with Arab states, and the lessons Israel should learn from U.S. military experience in the region. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert to discuss the multi-dimensional challenges of the Israel-Hamas war and the timeline for U.S. government action.

• Transcript, "Dana Stroul: The U.S. Defense Strategy in the Middle East," CSIS, March 19, 2024.

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about the challenges of mitigating climate change through humanitarian interventions in conflict-affected countries. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Natasha Hall, "Redefining Climate Finance for a Troubled World," CSIS, March 12, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Amos Yadlin, a former head of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the Israel Defense Forces. They discuss Israeli strategy in Gaza, the impacts of the war on Israel’s global relationships, and how this war differs from Israel’s previous conflicts. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss how Israelis weigh their international partnerships against what they perceive to be a threat to their survival.

• Transcript, "Amos Yadlin: A New Type of Israeli War," CSIS, March 5, 2024.

On January 28, a drone reportedly piloted by forces connected to Iran killed three U.S. troops at a base in northeast Jordan and wounded more than two dozen more. The strike is the highest casualty event the United States has had in the Middle East in more than a decade, prompting questions about how the United States will respond. A new audio brief from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Jon Alterman, "What Will the United States Do after the Drone Strike in Jordan?" CSIS, January 29, 2024.
• Jon Alterman, "'What Will the United States Do after the Drone Strike in Jordan?': Audio Brief with Jon Alterman," CSIS, January 30, 2024.
• For more spoken word summaries from CSIS experts about their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries, please listen to the CSIS podcast Audio Briefs.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Amb. David Satterfield, the U.S. special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues. They discuss the crisis in Gaza, the challenges of getting aid to civilians, and the role of humanitarian assistance in ending the conflict. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss other humanitarian crises in the region and the U.S. government’s competing interests. 

• Transcript, "Amb. David Satterfield: Humanitarian Aid in Gaza," CSIS, February 20, 2024.

With violence between Palestinians and Israelis at its highest levels in decades, voices have risen again in favor of a two-state solution. Reviving the idea will require redefining some terms, including "two," "state," and "solution." A new audio brief from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Jon Alterman, "A Different Two-State Solution," CSIS, January 10, 2024.
• Jon Alterman, "Audio Brief: A Different Two-State Solution with Jon B. Alterman," CSIS, February 2, 2024.
• For more spoken word summaries from CSIS experts about their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries, please listen to the CSIS podcast Audio Briefs.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Bader Al-Saif, a U.S.-trained Kuwaiti academic. Together, they discuss Kuwaitis’ perceptions of the Israel-Hamas war, U.S. geostrategy, and where Kuwait itself is headed almost 35 years after Iraq’s invasion of the country. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to explore the perceptions and use of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict elsewhere in the region.

• Transcript, "Bader Al-Saif: Kuwait's Perceptions, People, and Progress," CSIS, February 6, 2024.
• Bader Al-Saif, "الكويت بعد الغزو... بين الفرص الضائعة وآفاق العبور نحو كويت جديدة” [Kuwait after the Invasion... Between Missed Opportunities and Prospects for Crossing into a New Kuwait], Al Majalla, August 3, 2023.

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Will Todman, deputy director and senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about Manish Msab, the first environmental movement to defeat the Tunisian government in court. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Will Todman, "I Am Not a Dump: Mobilization and Environmental Action in Tunisia," CSIS, January 3, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Yana Abu Taleb, the Jordanian director of EcoPeace Middle East, a trilateral peacebuilding organization that seeks shared solutions to environmental issues affecting Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. Together, they discuss EcoPeace’s development over the past 30 years and the unique challenges it faces today. Then, he continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert to explore how grassroots activism and peacebuilding vary in different political contexts.

• Transcript, "Yana Abu Taleb: Environmental Peacebuilding in the Arab-Israeli Conflict," CSIS, January 23, 2023.

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Will Todman, deputy director and senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about how entrepreneurs can help regional governments adapt to climate change. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Will Todman, "Entrepreneurs Can Help the Middle East Adapt to Climate Change," CSIS, January 3, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Rafat Al-Akhali, a Yemeni who went from being an exchange student in Canada to being a youth activist, a government minister, and then a development consultant. Together, they discuss youth activism in Yemen, the international community's responses to protracted conflicts, and the outlook for Yemen's future. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to explore the problem of “brain drain” and how it affects conflict-affected societies.

• Transcript, "Rafat Al-Akhali: Yemen on the Brink," CSIS, January 9, 2023.

China has established itself as an essential partner in Gulf states' energy transitions. However, Western governments have been reluctant to compete head-to-head with Chinese enterprises in the renewables sector in the Gulf. A new audio brief from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Faris Al-Sulayman and Jon Alterman, "China's Essential Role in the Gulf States' Energy Transitions," CSIS, December 11, 2023.
• Jon Alterman, "'China's Essential Role in the Gulf States' Energy Transitions': Audio Brief with Jon B. Alterman," CSIS, December 11, 2023.
• For more spoken word summaries from CSIS experts about their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries, please listen to the CSIS podcast Audio Briefs.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with music journalist Danny Hajjar about the changing Arab music scene. They talk about the rise of Arab hip-hop, how increasing connectivity influences the way Arab artists produce and distribute music, and what the next big thing will be. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert, discussing soft power, censorship, and music. 

• Transcript, "Danny Hajjar: The Evolution of Arabic Music," CSIS, December 20, 2023.
• The songs sampled in this episode can be found on the "Today's Arab Music Playlist" on Spotify.

This week, Zeid Qiblawi speaks with Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the Middle East Program at CSIS, about the reversal of human rights norms in an increasingly multipolar world. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Natasha Hall, "Breaking Point: Human Rights in a Multipolar World," CSIS, November 30, 2023.

This week on Babel, you will hear excerpts from Jon Alterman's recent discussion with Chatham House experts Renad Mansour and Farea al-Muslimi, alongside the CSIS Middle East Program's Natasha Hall. They discuss a recent Chatham House report, which argues that although political settlements have been resolving more conflicts in the region, these elite bargains are actually prioritizing stability over accountability, leaving citizens to pay the costs. Then, Jon, Natasha, Renad, and Farea discuss how this phenomenon has played out in Iraq, Lebanon, and Libya, and the potential way forward.

• Transcript, "Renad Mansour and Farea Al-Muslimi: The Cost of Political Settlements in the MENA Region," CSIS, November 28, 2023.
• Renad Mansour, Tim Eaton, and Lina Khatib, "Rethinking Political Settlements in the Middle East and North Africa," Chatham House, September 20, 2023.

The Middle East is experiencing a water crisis exacerbated by climate change, inefficient water use, and decades of resource mismanagement. Water insecurity not only aggravates pre-existing vulnerabilities; it also drives instability, conflict, and displacement. In this short episode of Babel, Leah Hickert speaks with Natasha Hall about why the region's business-as-usual approach to water is becoming more costly by the day.

• Natasha Hall, "The Ripple Effects of Water Insecurity," CSIS, May 4, 2023.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Palestinian-Israeli scholar and activist Rula Hardal about her life in both Israel and the West Bank, what reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians would look like, and the concessions that each side needs to make for a sustainable path forward. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert, discussing past moments of crisis in the Middle East, and why some become inflection points, while others don’t. 

• Transcript, "Rula Hardal: Life as a Palestinian Citizen of Israel," CSIS, November 28, 2023.

The Israeli military is the most formidable fighting force in the Middle East. And yet it is quite possible that the war in Gaza will be the first war in Israel’s history that the army has fought and lost. A new audio brief from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Jon Alterman, "Israel Could Lose," CSIS, November 7, 2023.
• Jon Alterman, "'Israel Could Lose': Audio Brief with Jon Alterman," CSIS, November 10, 2023.
• For more spoken word summaries from CSIS experts about their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries, please listen to the CSIS podcast Audio Briefs.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Palestinian political analyst Khalil Sayegh about what people get wrong about Gaza, the spread of misinformation, and why grassroots peace efforts need to change in the aftermath of the conflict. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert, discussing the war's information landscape and the challenges of grassroots peacebuilding.

• Transcript, "Khalil Sayegh: What We Get Wrong About Gaza," CSIS, November 14, 2023.
• Jon Alterman, "Israel Could Lose," CSIS, November 7, 2023.

A recent flurry of Islamic experimentation with artificial intelligence has been met with mixed results. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Tel Aviv-based journalist and analyst Neri Zilber about the war in Gaza, how Israelis are thinking about what comes next, and what it means for the region. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert, discussing Arab states' reactions to the conflict and the circumstances in which they might assist in managing post-war Gaza.

• Transcript, "Neri Zilber: Inside Israeli Politics During Wartime," CSIS, October 31, 2023.
• Neri Zilber, "Fears Grow the Israel has 'No Plan' Agreed for Postwar Gaza," Financial Times, October 24, 2023.
• Jon Alterman and Daniel Byman, "The World Can't Solve the Israel-Hamas War without Egypt," CSIS, October 25, 2023.
• Neri Zilber, "As Biden Arrives, Israel's War Aims are Ambitious, but Incomplete," the Christian Science Monitor, October 17, 2023.

Just over two weeks after Hamas invaded Israel, Leah Hickert speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at CSIS, about the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

• Transcript, "The Outlook for Israel's Military Campaign against Hamas," CSIS, October 23, 2023.
• Jon Alterman, "President Biden Heads to Israel," CSIS, October 17, 2023.
• Jon Alterman, "Hamas and Israel: The Current Situation and Looking Ahead," CSIS, October 11, 2023.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Lebanese journalist Dalal Mawad about her new book, All She Lost. The book weaves together women’s stories as they grapple with the 2020 explosion at the Port of Beirut, its aftermath, and the underlying pathologies that have contributed to Lebanon’s troubles. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert, discussing the role of women and collective memory in political and social developments throughout the region.

• Transcript, "Dalal Mawad: The Beirut Port Explosion Through Women's Eyes," CSIS, October 17, 2023.
• Dalal Mawad, All She Lost: The Explosion in Lebanon, the Collapse of a Nation and the Women who Survive, Bloomsbury Publishing, August 3, 2023.

In the desert region of Tindouf in southern Algeria, the sun beats down on sandy expanses that are home to little more than a network of refugee camps. But in August 2021, a group of Sahrawi refugees were bustling inside a building studded with rectangular pools and filled with tons of tilapia—literally. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman breaks down Egypt's economic crisis with Khalid Ikram, a veteran economist and consultant for over a dozen major international development organizations. They talk about the Egyptian military’s role in the economy and how Egyptian policymakers can alleviate the current crisis. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert, discussing how other governments in the region handle their economies in comparison to Egypt.

• Transcript, “Khalid Ikram: Egypt's Economic Crisis,” CSIS, October 3, 2023.

Conflict and instability hinder water data collection in the Middle East, thereby complicating water management strategies that could contribute to more equitable development and sustainable peace. A new Viewpoint from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Tarek Megerisi, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. They talk about the ongoing conflict in Libya and the interests of international actors in the country. Tarek also discusses the recent flooding that devastated the city of Darna, and how the last decade of conflict contributed to the degradation of key infrastructure in Libya. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert, discussing the ways natural disasters challenge governments in the region. 

• Tarek Megerisi, “The politics of catastrophe: Morocco, Libya, and how Europeans should respond,” European Council on Foreign Relations, September 13, 2023. 
• Transcript, “Tarek Megerisi: Libya’s Crises,” CSIS, August 8, 2023
• Photo credit: SeeSaw Foto.

Amid widespread shortages of basic products in Tunisia, grocery store owners have become like black marketeers in one manifestation of Tunisia’s growing food crisis. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with award-winning Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad. During the conversation, Abdul-Ahad discusses the fallout from the war and U.S. occupation, his career reporting from Iraq, and the ways that working alongside leading journalists influenced his work. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert, discussing the legacies of sectarianism in Iraq and Lebanon.

• Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, A Stranger in Your Own City: Travels in the Middle East's Long War, Penguin Random House, 2023.
• Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, "Guns, cash, and frozen chicken: the militia boss doling out aid in Baghdad," The Guardian, March 20, 2023.
• Transcript, "Ghaith Abdul-Ahad: Iraq Through Iraqis' Eyes," CSIS, August 22, 2023.
• Photo credit: Rena Effendi.

Baaloul is not like most towns in Lebanon for two reasons. First, its inhabitants do not use any of Lebanon’s most common languages; instead, the lingua franca is Spanish. Second, it has reliable electricity. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Haneen Sayed, an international development expert and former lead specialist at the World Bank. During the conversation, Dr. Sayed discusses the roots of the economic crisis in Lebanon and how the international donor community can play a more constructive role. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Marty Pimentel, discussing the effect of sectarianism on Lebanon's political economy and the legacy of protest and civil war.​​

• Haneen Sayed, "How Better Social Protection Can Strengthen Lebanon's Social Contract," Carnegie Middle East Center, June 14, 2023.  
• Jon Alterman and Jihad Azour, "The Middle East's Economic Outlook," CSIS, January 10, 2023.
• Transcript, "Haneen Sayed: Lebanon's Economic Crisis," CSIS, August 22, 2023.

Amer al-Azaawy founded a small solar company in Baghdad. With little public awareness about the benefits of solar energy and no government support, he decided to take matters into his own hands. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hana Al Omair, an award-winning Saudi writer and director, and chairwoman of the new Saudi Cinema Association. During the conversation, Al Omair analyzes massive shifts underway in the Saudi film industry and emerging trends in Saudi cinema. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Danny Sharp, discussing where the Saudi film industry might go and why Hollywood blockbusters remain so popular in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the region.

"The Bride of the Beqaa" captures the imagination of many Lebanese. The mountain city of Zahle overlooking the Beqaa plateau is famed for its beauty, pleasant climate, and quality arak. But for many years, Zahle was also famous for having 24/7 electricity without relying on neighborhood generators. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman welcomes Jason Rezaian back to the podcast. Jason is a former hostage and alongside Jon, he is the co-executive director of the CSIS Commission on Hostage Taking and Wrongful Detention. They speak about the growing phenomenon of hostile governments and groups imprisoning Americans to gain leverage against the United States, why it’s becoming more common, and what the United States can do both to respond when an American is detained and to deter wrongful detention and hostage taking altogether. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp, speaking about the case of Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student who was kidnapped in Iraq in March by groups close to the Iranian government. 

• Jason Rezaian, “Now the real work to end hostage-taking and wrongful detentions begins,” Washington Post Global Opinions, August 30, 2022. 
• Jason Rezaian and Danny Sharp, “Just Call Them Hostages,” CSIS, July 20, 2023. 
• Transcript, “Jason Rezaian: The Rise of Hostage Taking,” CSIS, July 25, 2023. 

Through new urban planning projects, Saudi Arabia is encouraging its citizens to join a quiet revolution of walking. While many Saudi cities have improved their mobility index, the government still faces many challenges. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Shirin Hakim, head of the Environment, Climate Security, and Public Health unit at the Center for Middle East and Global Order. They talk about Iran’s worsening environmental issues, the Iranian government’s decades-long mismanagement and overexploitation of its natural resources, and how Western sanctions play into the Iranian regime’s environmental strategy. Dr. Hakim closes the interview with thoughts on how U.S. policymakers should weigh environmental protection with broader foreign policy priorities. Later in the episode, Jon sits down with Will Todman and Danny Sharp to break down Will’s latest report “The Unique Promise of Environmental Cooperation in the Gulf,” which argues that diplomacy on environmental issues could be one pathway to reducing tensions and breaking through on some of the trickier security issues in the Gulf.

• Shirin Hakim and Karen Makuch, “Springtime in Iran signals the renewal of an environmental movement,” Atlantic Council, April 21, 2023.
• Shirin Hakim and Karen Makuch, “Conflicts of Interest: The Environmental Costs of Modern War and Sanctions,” RUSI, May 11, 2022.
• Will Todman, Lubna Yousef, and Mennah Abdelwahab, “The Unique Promise of Environmental Cooperation in the Gulf” CSIS, July 11, 2023.
• Transcript, “Shirin Hakim: Iran's Environmental Challenges” CSIS, July 11, 2023.

As power outages become more frequent in Iraq, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is working to attract private investors in its renewable energy sector to access the full potential of the sun. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program. 

• Will Todman, "Powering Recovery: Reform, Reconstruction, and Renewables in Conflict-Affected States in the Arab World," CSIS, March 3, 2023.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dalia Hatuqa, a Ramallah-based journalist who has published widely in leading outlets around the world. They talk about the state of politics in the West Bank and Gaza; how the West and Arab states are engaging with the issue of Palestinian self-determination; and Palestinians’ rising frustration with their government, the Israeli government, and the international community. Later in the episode, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Danny Sharp, exploring the internal and external barriers to change in Palestinian politics.

• Dalia Hatuqa, “The New Palestinian Resistance: Young militants are ditching old-style factionalism to fight Israel’s occupation,” Foreign Policy, March 29, 2023.
• Dalia Hatuqa, “Abbas is Destroying Democracy to Ensure His Successor Supports Israel,” Foreign Policy, March 24, 2022.
• Dalia Hatuqa, “Abu Mazen Stacks the Deck,” New Lines Magazine, March 19, 2021.
• Jon Alterman, “A U.S. Pivot Away from the Middle East: Fact or Fiction?” CSIS, May 23, 2023.
• Jon Alterman, “Will Israeli-Palestinian Violence Spin Out of Control?” CSIS, February 28, 2023.
• Transcript, “Dalia Hatuqa: Palestinian Politics,” CSIS, June 27, 2023.

In a new episode of Babel, we talk to Will Todman about how even well-intentioned Western LGBTQ+ advocacy in the Middle East can have negative consequences for local LGBTQ+ communities.

•  Will Todman, "LGBTQ+ Advocacy in the Middle East Backfires," CSIS, December 16, 2022.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Christoph Reuter of Der Spiegel magazine, an award winning journalist and conflict reporter. They talk about Captagon, criminal networks, and Syria's war economy. Later, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Lubna Yousef, and they explore the intersection between criminal networks and war zones.

• Transcript, "Christoph Reuter: Syria's War Economy," CSIS, June 13, 2023.
• Jon Alterman and Natasha Hall, "Accountability in Syria," CSIS, August 9, 2022.
• Jörg Diehl, Mohannad al-Najjar, and Christoph Reuter, “Syria’s Drug Smuggling: The Assad Regime Would Not Survive Loss of Captagon Revenues,” Der Spiegel, June 21, 2022.  
• Will Todman and Natasha Hall, "Russia Waged a Cheap War in Syria. Here's What Those Tactics Might Look Like in Ukraine," CSIS, March 11, 2022.

In mid-2022, Iranian authorities accused Israel and the United Arab Emirates of stealing their rain. But Iran’s increasingly dire water shortages make it harder to blame others for the Iranian government’s poor water management. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Nicolas Pelham of The Economist and author of a recent article in 1843 magazine entitled "The Mystery of Morocco's Missing King." They talk about the Moroccan monarchy, King Mohammed VI’s unusual friendship with a German kickboxer, and what it means for the future of Morocco. Later, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp, as they compare the different ruling strategies of Arab kings.

• Nicolas Pelham, "MBS: despot in the desert," 1843 magazine, July 28, 2022.
• Transcript, "Nicolas Pelham: Morocco's Missing King," CSIS, May 30, 2023.

As Egypt's economic crisis continues, a new proposition of introducing donkey meat to Egypt's cuisine causes public uproar amidst soaring food prices. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hafsa Halawa of the Middle East Institute and author of a new paper entitled "Gulf Investment in Egypt, A Balance of Mutual Need." They talk about Egypt’s economic crisis, the recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan, Egypt's military's economic involvement, and the changing face of Gulf financial support. Later, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef, as they examine United States - Egypt policy and what an Egypt crisis means for the entire region. 

• Hafsa Halawa, "Gulf Investment in Egypt: A Balance of Mutual Need," Carnegie, May 8, 2023.
• Babel, "COP 27 Preview: Electrifying the Middle East with Ali al-Saffar," CSIS, November 1, 2022.
• Transcript, "Hafsa Halawa: Egypt's Economic Turmoil," CSIS, May 16, 2023.

Suffering from a debilitating electricity and water shortage crisis, some communities in Libya resort to "power plays" and acts of intimidation to ensure their access to basic services. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program. 

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Prof. Killian Clarke of Georgetown's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service about his forthcoming book tentatively entitled The Return of Tyranny: How Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed. They talk about the counterrevolution in Egypt, the complex relationship between the military, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the public, and lessons learned from counterrevolutions around the world. Later, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Lubna Yousef, debating similarities between Egypt and Tunisia, and how the region views U.S. influence post 2011.

• Killian Clarke, “Revolutionary Violence and Counterrevolution,” American Political Science Review, December 19, 2022. 
• Killian Clarke, "This Is How to Stop the Coup in Sudan," The New York Times. 29 October 2021.
• Jon Alterman, "Egypt's Economic Challenge," The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, April 2023.
• Transcript, "Egypt's Counterrevolution and the Return to Tyranny," CSIS, May 2, 2023.

GCC countries are beginning to tackle their obesity problem, but structural and cultural challenges to improving fitness abound. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Ayham Kamel of the Eurasia Group. They talk about the current diplomatic landscape in the Gulf, how Gulf leaders perceive their security interests, their views on the U.S. staying in power in the region, and how they are responding to the U.S. retrenchment from the Middle East. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Danny Sharp, discussing how Gulf countries are finding opportunities in a reduced U.S. presence and how they are pursuing their own interests. 

• Transcript, "The Gulf's Regional Diplomacy," CSIS, April 18, 2023.

What started as a job advertisement for a sandwich maker in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) quickly landed one firm in hot water last December. As the UAE pushes for companies in the private sector to hire more Emiratis, they're finding that there are some jobs that Emiratis may not want. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group. They talk about the Saudi-Iranian agreement to resume diplomatic ties, how it fits into Iran’s wider foreign policy strategy around the region, and the prospects for a broader détente between Iran and its Arab neighbors in the Gulf. Vaez suggests that a regional nuclear agreement between Iran and Arab states in the Gulf might be a more viable path forward than an agreement between Iran and the West. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper, discussing what this all means for U.S. policy toward Iran and in the rest of the region. 

• Ali Vaez, “The Long Twilight of the Islamic Republic,” Foreign Affairs, February 2, 2023. 
• Jon Alterman, "Saudi Arabia Steps Out," CSIS, March 23, 2023.
• Jon Alterman, "Why Did China Help Saudi Arabia and Iran Resume Diplomatic Ties?" CSIS, March 10, 2023.
• Transcript, "Iran's Regional Policy," CSIS, April 4, 2023.

Imported entertainment options have flourished under MBS, helping erode the Saudi state’s ability to shape public culture. But now, Saudi state-owned firms are using the growing popularity of anime to shape their own narrative, at home and abroad. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

In a special episode of Babel to mark the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war, Jon sits down with two Iraqi guests to talk about the aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion. Dr. Marsin Alshamary is a research fellow with the Middle East Initiative at Harvard's Belfer Center, and Hamzeh Hadad is an adjunct fellow with the Center for New American Security. Alshamary and Hadad talk about how the war in Iraq has shaped both Iraqi politics and their own lives, their experiences as members of the diaspora who travel extensively to Iraq, the lingering effects of the Saddam Hussein era, and the future of Iraqi politics. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef, discussing the different ways in which diaspora communities interact with both their home countries and their host countries. 

• Marsin Alshamary and Hamzeh Hadad, “The Collective Neglect of Southern Iraq: Missed Opportunities for Development and Good Governance,” International Peacekeeping, February 16, 2023.  
• Hamzeh Hadad, “Climate of opportunity: Iraq’s new government as regional conciliator,” European Council on Foreign Relations, November 4, 2022.  
• Marsin Alshamary, “Authoritarian Nostalgia Among Iraqi Youth,” War on the Rocks, July 25, 2018.  
• Transcript, "Iraq 20 Years Later," CSIS, March 21, 2023.

In Lebanon, neighboring communities are looking to connect and build off one another's initiatives, but a dysfunctional environment makes capitalizing on that opportunity a challenge for international donors and Lebanese communities alike. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This Mezze episode was adapted from a vignette in the Middle East Program's latest report, Powering Recovery: Reform, Reconstruction, and Renewables in Conflict-Affected States in the Middle East, written by Will Todman.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with the Middle East Program's Will Todman to break down Will's new report, Powering Recovery: Reform, Reconstruction and Renewables in Conflict-Affected States in the Arab World. They talk about how governments and politicians in conflict-affected states can actually benefit from broken electrical systems, what the United States and international donors miss when they ignore those dynamics, and how renewable energy can offer a better pathway forward for donors and conflict-affected societies in the region. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Lubna Yousef and Caleb Harper, diving into Lubna's chapter on Libya and her experience on the ground before and after the revolution, and what key lessons donors should take away from Will's report. 

• Transcript, "Powering Recovery," CSIS, March 7, 2023.

Before the pandemic, Chinese tourism to Israel was growing the fastest out of any country. As Chinese tourists begin to return to the market, Israel may continue to be a popular destination.

This week, in a special episode of Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Middle East Program senior fellow Natasha Hall about the aftermath of the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. They talk about the aid response, how governments are instrumentalizing the aid response to advance their own goals, and the challenges in delivering aid to areas of northwest Syria controlled by rebel groups. Natasha draws on her earlier study, “Rescuing Aid in Syria,” to argue that the United States and other donor governments need to rethink their aid response in Syria, better monitor where aid is going, and prepare for additional acute crises. 

Transcript, "The Aftermath of Earthquakes in Syria," CSIS, February 21, 2023.

Egypt's fish farmers have been struggling for years now. Media reports and industry groups blame due climate change and Cairo's pollution of Egypt's waterways but farmers say the real culprit lies beneath the surface: the Egyptian military has become the largest player in the market, crowding out smaller farmers in the process.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Bilahari Kausikan, a Singaporean diplomat with a 37-year career in Singapore's ministry of foreign affairs, serving most recently as Ambassador-at-Large. In his conversation with Jon, Dr. Kausikan suggests that U.S.-China competition may not be as binary as it may seem, explores the ways in which a complex international system gives regional states greater agency on the world stage, examines how U.S. engagement with the Middle East is changing as priorities shift to Asia, and proposes what lessons the Middle East can take from similar shifts in U.S. policy in Southeast Asia post-Vietnam. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Caleb Harper, discussing how states in the region are balancing efforts to be seen as more independent global actors with their existing relations with the United States.

• Bilahari Kausikan, "China's Strategic Dilemma," Asia Sentinel, March 22, 2022.
• Jon Alterman, "The Arab World at an Inflection Point," CSIS, January 17, 2023.
• "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East," Babel Miniseries, March 7, 2022.
• Transcript, "The Middle East in a Multipolar World," CSIS, February 7, 2023.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) doesn’t seem like the ideal place for a salmon farm, but aquaculture is becoming an increasingly large part of the UAE's food security strategy. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Hanna Notte, a senior research associate with the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. They talk about Russia's interests in the Middle East and where they stand after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's growing economic and defense relationship with Iran, and how Arab states view Russia's war in Ukraine. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp, discussing the implications for U.S. policy in the region and what U.S. decision-makers should do about it. 

• Hanna Notte, “Don’t Expect Any More Russian Help on the Iran Nuclear Deal,” War on the Rocks, November 3, 2022. 
• Hanna Notte, “The Impact of Russia’s Ukraine Invasion in the Middle East and North Africa,” Congressional Testimony, Before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism, 117th Congress, May 18, 2022.
• Jon Alterman, "The Middle East's Indifference to Ukraine is a Warning," Defense One, May 12, 2022.
• Hanna Notte, “Will Western-Russian Confrontation Shake the Middle East?” War on the Rocks, March 29, 2022. 
• Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East After Ukraine," CSIS, January 24, 2023.

“Every two minutes, an Egyptian couple files for divorce — that's how long it takes to heat up pita bread," joked one host on Egyptian TV last year. In an effort to bring that number down, the Egyptian government is trying to take action before couples tie the knot in the first place.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Jihad Azour, the director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They talk about the Middle East's economic outlook, the impacts of COVID and the Ukraine war on local economies, and the political consequences of economic reforms. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp, discussing popular attitudes to IMF-supported reforms and the potential consequences of greater Gulf state investment in the region.

• Transcript, "The Middle East's Economic Outlook," CSIS, January 10, 2023.

As regional conflicts blaze, Lebanese and Israeli drug markets are feeling the heat: over the past two years, hashish prices have fallen 50 percent in Lebanon, while in Israel, prices are rising. 

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Khalid Albaih, a Sudanese cultural producer, artist, and political cartoonist. They talk about how Albaih got his start as a political cartoonist, how he went viral during the Arab Spring and what he was trying to do, and why he's rethinking his role on the internet today. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about the vast amount of information available online today and the "information bubbles" that many of us find ourselves trapped in. 

• "The Future is Unwritten: Khalid AlBaih, Khartoon!" UN75: Artists for Tomorrow.
• Khalid Albaih, "Arab Spring Cartoon: Citizen Journalism from Syria to Sudan," Al Jazeera, March 26, 2021.
• Transcript, "The Information Bubble," CSIS, December 27, 2022.

Libya's electricity grid has been struggling for years, but the government thinks it has found a new culprit: illegal bitcoin mining farms it says are popping up across the country.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with C. Raja Mohan, a senior fellow at the Asia Policy Institute who has been writing about Indian foreign policy for decades. They talk about India's strategy in the Middle East and how it's changed under Prime Minister Modi, how Indian policymakers think about the region, and potential areas for cooperation between India and its regional partners. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about how the region sees India and what a more active India in the Middle East would mean for the United States. 

• “Lessons on navigating the evolving geopolitics in the Middle East,” The Indian Express, July 19, 2022.
• C Raja Mohan, “India in the Middle East: From Rigid Ideology to Flexible Pragmatism,” Reichman University, March 24, 2022. 
• C Raja Mohan, “New India Finds an Old Role in a Changing Middle East,” Foreign Policy, October 29, 2021. 
• Transcript, "India's Middle East Strategy," CSIS, December 13, 2022.

In the Jordan Valley, influential tribal members and landowners have steady access to water, while individual consumers and small farmers struggle. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program, adapted from a vignette in our report, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East."

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Tamar Hermann, a senior fellow with the Israel Democracy Institute who has been analyzing Israeli polling data for decades. They talk about the rightward shift of young Jewish Israelis, changing attitudes toward Arab citizens of Israel, and the rising politics of grievances there. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp about the link between public opinion and decision-making around the region. 

• Tamar Hermann, "Only Half of Israelis Intend to Repeat Their 2021 Vote," Israel Democracy Institute, August 31, 2022.
• Tamar Hermann, "Majority Think Low Chances Next Election will End Gridlock," Israel Democracy Institute, July 5, 2022.
• Tamar Hermann et al., "The Israeli Democracy Index 2021," Israel Democracy Institute, 2022.
• Transcript, "Israel's Rightward Shift" CSIS, November 28, 2022.

Increasingly, a range of dialects have appeared on television and in movies. Arab children’s television, however, has proven surprisingly immune to the trend. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Helen Lackner, the author of the new book, Yemen: Poverty and Conflict, who has spent five decades covering Yemen. ​​​​​​​ They talk about how conflict has been endemic in Yemen for hundreds of years, how the current conflict fits into that history, and what a post-conflict Yemen could look like. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper about U.S. goals in Yemen and other conflict-affected countries in the Middle East. 

• Helen Lackner, Yemen: Poverty and Conflict (Oxfordshire: Routledge, 2022).
• Jon Alterman and Peter Salisbury, "Yemen's Civil War," Babel, July 27, 2021.
• Transcript, "Yemen in Conflict," CSIS, November 15, 2022.

Amid a worsening economic crisis, Lebanon is facing yet another shortage: a lack of foreign workers to work as maids and nannies in Lebanese homes. Despite a high unemployment rate among Syrians living in Lebanon, they aren't likely to be part of the solution. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Ali al-Saffar, the Middle East and North Africa program manager at the International Energy Agency (IEA). They talk about the state of electric grids in the Middle East; renewable electricity and the energy transition; and why some Middle Eastern countries have too little electricity, why some have too much, and why that matters. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about subsidies and reform in the region.

• Jon Alterman, "The Middle East's Coming Centrality," CSIS, September 20, 2022.
• Ali al-Saffar and Brent Wanner, "How producers in the Middle East and North Africa can free up more natural gas for exports," IEA, May 25, 2022.
• Ali al-Saffar and Matthew Van der Beeuren, "The case for energy transitions in major oil- and gas-producing countries," IEA, November 18, 2020.
• Transcript, "COP 27 Preview: Electrifying the Middle East," CSIS, November 1, 2022.

Many countries have large trade deficits with oil producers in the Middle East, but Brazil is deep in surplus: it isn’t hungry for oil imports, but the region's consumers are hungry for its meat. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Mahsa Alimardani, a scholar at the University of Oxford and a senior researcher with Article19. They talk about the recent protests in Iran and how both protestors and the regime have used social media, the cat and mouse game of online access and censorship in Iran, and what Western social media companies can be doing to better moderate their platforms. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about the intersection of protest movements and social media around the Middle East.

• Mahsa Alimardani, Kendra Albert, and Afsaneh Rigot, "Big Tech Should Support the Iranian People, Not the Regime," The New York Times, September 30, 2022.
• Mahsa Alimardani, "How Instagram is Failing Protestors in Iran," Slate, June 2, 2022.
• Jon Alterman and Jason Rezaian, "What We Get Wrong About Iran," CSIS, February 1, 2022.
• Jon Alterman and Karim Sadjadpour, "Iran's Future," CSIS, July 13, 2021.
• Transcript, "Protest, Social Media, and Censorship in Iran," CSIS, October 18, 2022.

Israel's generous subsidies for in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) have earned it the highest per capita rate of IVF procedures in the world, but that generosity may soon literally overflow with a decades-long buildup of frozen embryos.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Sami Atallah, the founding director of The Policy Initiative in Beirut. They talk about Lebanon's three year old financial crisis, its struggle with political accountability, and where change might come from. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Caleb Harper about how donors and the international community are thinking about Lebanon.

• Sami Atallah et al., “When elections don’t matter? How new parliamentarians can improve the politics of power-sharing arrangements,” Middle East Institute, July 19, 2022. 
• Sami Atallah, “Lebanon’s Parliamentary Elections: How Did the Opposition Win?” Jadaliyya, May 24, 2022.  
• Will Todman and Caleb Harper, "Lebanon's Growing Humanitarian Crisis," CSIS, December 16, 2021.
• Will Todman, "Lebanon's New Government," CSIS, September 10, 2021.
• Transcript, "Lebanon's Freefall," CSIS, October 4, 2022.

Tunisia’s revolution in 2011 improved many things, but the odors of Tunis was not one of them. This Mezze was adapted from the Middle East Program's report, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East."

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Marc Owen Jones, an assistant professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar. He is the author of the recently released book, Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East. They talk about governments' longstanding efforts to shape the news environment in Middle Eastern states, and how the rise of social media creates new opportunities and threats for governments and citizens alike. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper about what this all means for the United States and the region.

• Marc Owen Jones, "How digital authoritarianism has permeated the Middle East," Middle East Eye, August 11, 2022.
• Marc Owen Jones, Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East (Hurst Publishers: 2022).
• Marc Owen Jones, "Social media fueled the Arab Spring, then helped dictators squash it," The New Arab, January 12, 2021.
• Transcript, "Real News, Fake News, and No News," CSIS, September 20, 2022.

To protect water resources in Lebanon, it takes more than just government action. This Mezze is adapted from a short vignette in our Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Olivia Lazard, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe focusing on the geopolitics of climate and the transitions ushered by climate change. They talk about the political and social impacts of climate change in the Middle East, what states in the region are already doing to mitigate the effects of climate change, and the bigger, transformative policy changes that are still needed. Then, Jon breaks down how international actors and governments in the region are thinking about these kinds of changes with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper. 

• Olivia Lazard et al., “Let’s Place Sustainability and Climate Change at the Heart of International Policy,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, July 8, 2022.  
• Olivia Lazard et al., “The Middle East’s Climate Change Wake-Up,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, February 17, 2022. 
• Jon Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Will Todman, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East," CSIS, May 18, 2021.
• Transcript, "Climate in the Middle East," CSIS, September 6, 2022.

In Saudi Arabia, religious leaders warn that there's a new sin to add to the list: flashing your emergency lights to warn other drivers of upcoming speed cameras. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Marsin Alshamary, a research fellow with the Middle East Initiative at Harvard’s Belfer Center. We talk about the ongoing crisis happening outside of Iraq’s parliament, why the current intra-Shi’a conflict is unique and how it echoes similar crises before, and where Iran and the United States stand. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about what a lighter U.S touch in Iraq might look like moving forward.

• Marsin Alshamary , "The Sadrist Gamble: A Make-or-Break Moment for Iraq?," Italian Institute for International and Political Studies, August 4, 2022.
• Marsin Alshamary, “The protester paradox: Why do anti-Islamist activists look toward clerical leadership?” Brookings, April 2022. 
• Jane Arraf and Jon Alterman, " Not Your Mother's Iraq," CSIS, March 1, 2022.
• Transcript, "Iraq's Political Crisis," CSIS, August 23, 2022.

Egypt doesn't have the most famous Middle Eastern cuisine, but few would call it deadly. That may be changing. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Ambassador Beth van Schaack, the State Department's ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice. They talk about holding perpetrators of atrocities accountable in Syria, how accountability and justice fit into U.S. foreign policy, and the ways in which accountability looks different the for winners and losers of conflicts. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Lubna Yousef, the Middle East Program's new Research Associate.

• Beth van Schaack, Imagining Justice for Syria (UK: Oxford University Press, 2020).
• Natasha Hall and Will Todman, "Lessons Learned from a Decade of Humanitarian Operations in Syria," CSIS, April 22, 2021.
• Beth van Schaack, “Good Governance Paper No. 13: Atrocities Prevention and Response,” Just Security, October 29, 2020. 
• Transcript, "Accountability in Syria," CSIS, August 9, 2022.

More and more people in the Middle East are accusing their governments of lying about the weather—falsely reporting lower temperatures to skirt UN regulations that prevent workers from laboring in searing conditions. Government weather reports may be off by a few degrees, but the critics are off by a mile. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Henry Rome, deputy head of research at the Eurasia Group and a longtime watcher of Israel and Iran. They talk about negotiations for a new nuclear deal with Iran and why they've stalled, scenarios for where negotiations and Iran's nuclear program might go from here, and how the region might change if Iran successfully develops a nuclear weapon. Then, Jon continued the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper about what the lack of a deal would mean for the United States and U.S. policy in the Middle East.

• Henry Rome, “The Limits of a New Iran Nuclear Deal,” Foreign Affairs, March 8, 2022. 
• Henry Rome, “The status of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program,” International Institute for Strategic Studies, January 25, 2022.  
• Henry Rome and Eric Brewer, “Getting to ‘No’ With Iran,” War on the Rocks, December 1, 2021. 
• Jon Alterman, "Iran Will Still be a Slog," Defense One, January 25, 2021.
• Transcript, "Nuclear Negotiations with Iran," CSIS, July 26, 2022.

Some Lebanese investors have turned to the beer and wine industry as the Lebanese economy tumbles and holding dollar deposits in banks becomes riskier. But a crisis is brewing, and alcohol may not be able to provide a pathway out of it. A New Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Gregory Gause, professor of international affairs at Texas A&M University and a longstanding expert on Saudi Arabia. They talk about President Biden's upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia and what both sides hope to get out of the meeting, why Gause thinks that the United States should focus on order in the Middle East, and how the energy transition will impact U.S. engagement with the region. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp to break down how President Biden and U.S. officials are thinking about the president's trip.

• Gregory Gause, "America's New Realism in the Middle East," Foreign Affairs, July 6, 2022.
• Jon Alterman, "Rethinking Saudi Arabia," CSIS, June 23, 2022.
• Gregory Gause, "The Price of Order," Foreign Affairs, March 2022.
• Gregory Gause, "The United States is the Last Check on MBS's Power," Foreign Affairs, March 30, 2021.
• Transcript, "President Biden's Trip to Saudi Arabia," CSIS, July 12, 2022.

Israel has more vegans per capita than any other country. Within that community is tremendous diversity.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Frank Verrastro, a senior advisor with the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at CSIS. They talk about price volatility in the energy market, President Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia and its potential effect on the oil supply, and the current bottlenecks affecting the production of oil and natural gas. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Caleb Harper about how Middle Eastern oil producers are thinking about the near-term future of energy and what that means for U.S. relationships in the region.

• Frank Verrastro and Albert Helmig, "High Gasoline Prices Put Focus on Refiners, No Easy Solutions Ahead," CSIS, June 28, 2022.
• Jon Alterman, "Who Needs Oil When You Have Land?" CSIS, March 28, 2022.
• Jon Alterman, "A New Revolution in the Middle East," CSIS, August 9, 2021.
• Transcript, "The Middle East and Global Energy Markets," CSIS, June 28, 2022.

Street children are an unfortunately common presence on Morocco’s city streets. Police in Agadir think they have an answer: DNA testing. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Nadia Oweidat, a Middle East fellow at the Wilson Center and an assistant professor at Kansas State University. They talk about Russian disinformation efforts in Arabic media outlets, how authoritarian states in the region are amplifying those efforts, and how she thinks Western governments should respond. Then, Natasha Hall, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about how populations and states in the region think about the United States as the international system becomes more multipolar. 

• Nadia Oweidat, “The Russian Propaganda in Arabic Hidden from the West,” Wilson Center, April 18, 2022.
• Nadia Oweidat, “Supporting Youth Activists in the MENA Region: A Challenging Reality and Opportunities for a Bright Future,” Wilson Center, August 12, 2021.
• Jon Alterman, "The Middle East’s Indifference to Ukraine Is a Warning," Defense One, May 12, 2022.
• Natasha Hall and Will Todman, "Russia waged a cheap war in Syria. Here’s what those tactics might look like in Ukraine," Washington Post, March 11, 2022.
• Transcript, "Disinformation in the Arab World," CSIS, June 14, 2022.

Years after Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State group (ISG), locals in the territory it formerly controlled continue to complain of a campaign of retribution. Now, they believe the government has a new strategy to punish them: building a dam. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Ambassador Fred Hof about his new book, Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace. They talk about Ambassador Hof's effort to negotiate peace between Syria and Israel between 2009 and 2011, what complicated those efforts, what he thinks he could have done differently, and the qualities that make for a good mediator. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper, taking a closer look at U.S. mediation in the Middle East and the interplay between U.S. mediators on the ground and policymakers in Washington. 

• Frederic Hof, "I almost negotiated Israel-Syria peace. Here’s how it happened." Atlantic Council, May 26, 2022.
• Frederic Hof, Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace, (Washington, D.C.: USIP Press, 2022).
• Transcript, "Lessons Learned from U.S. Negotiations with Syria," CSIS, May 31, 2022.

In Bahrain, municipal authorities claim that seagulls are "too fat to fly," and they say that Bahrain's growing food waste is to blame. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Haider al-Abadi, an Iraqi politician who served as prime minister from 2014 to 2018, while the country was battling the Islamic State Group (ISG). They talk about his decision making as prime minister, the Iraqi government's response to the ISG, and the limits of decentralization in Iraq. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp continue the conversation about the roots of systemic corruption in Iraq and the consequences of the country's sectarian political system.

• Event, "Statesmen's Forum: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi," CSIS, April 16, 2015.
• Transcript, "Iraq and the Fight Against the Islamic State" CSIS, May 17, 2022.

Some find going to the dentist traumatic. In Morocco, the experience could be especially so, because the dentist may turn out never to have gone to dental school. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Tim Lenderking, the U.S. special envoy to Yemen. They speak about the UN-negotiated ceasefire in Yemen, recent U.S. diplomatic efforts in the country, and what makes the current moment in Yemen different than other openings in the past. Then, Jon, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about the interplay between U.S. and UN diplomatic engagement in Yemen, and in the rest of the region.

• Babel, "Peter Salisbury: Yemen's Civil War," CSIS, July 27, 2021.
• Transcript, "Tim Lenderking: Ceasefire in Yemen," CSIS, May 2, 2022.

Storing pallets of vegetable oil in your garage might earn you some strange looks; in Algeria, it can land you in prison. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.  

In the seventh episode, Jon concludes the series by looking at views on how the Middle East should fit into U.S. global strategy. He talks with Stephen Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School; Dalia Dassa Kaye, senior fellow at UCLA's Burkle Center for International Relations; Martin Indyk, distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel and as assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; and Michael Doran, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who served in the Bush administration as a senior director on the National Security Council, a deputy assistant secretary of Defense, and senior advisor in the State Department. 

• Michael Doran, "Biden Koshers Iranian Terror," Tablet Magazine, April 13, 2022.
• Martin Indyk, "The Price of Retrenchment: What the Ukraine Crisis Reveals About the Post-American Middle East," Foreign Affairs, February 14, 2022.
• Dalia Dassa Kaye, "America Is Not Withdrawing From the Middle East," Foreign Affairs, December 1, 2021.
• Stephen Walt, "What Comes After the Forever Wars," Foreign Policy, April 28, 2021.
• Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Seven," CSIS, April 19, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.  

In part six, Jon explores how people and governments in the Middle East see the United States, what they want from the United States in the region, and how that’s changing. Jon speaks with Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, an Emirati political scientist; Nabil Fahmy, Cairo’s former ambassador to Washington and later Egypt’s foreign minister; Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut; Alon Pinkas, a former diplomat who worked at the top levels of the Israeli government; and Nasser Hadian, an Iranian political scientist. 

• Alon Pinkas, "Israeli Boasting on Iran Isn’t Foreign Policy, It's Just Bragging," Haaretz, April 11, 2022.
• Maha Yahya, "The Middle East is on the Brink Again," Foreign Affairs, March 22, 2022.
• Nasser Hadian, "Explainer: Iran's Priorities at Nuclear Talks," United States Institute of Peace, January 3, 2022.
• Nabil Fahmy, "Adapting to a Region in Flux," Carnegie Middle East Center, May 10, 2021.
• Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, "The Rise of the United Arab Emirates," The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, Spring 2021.
• Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Six," CSIS, April 12, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.  

In part five, Jon takes a look at U.S. soft power in the Middle East, and just what makes American culture, ideals, and institutions enduringly attractive in the region—and around the world. He talks with Paul Salem, president of the Middle East Institute; Lisa Anderson, who served as the president of the American University in Cairo from 2011 to 2016; and Alanoud Alsharekh, a Kuwaiti women's rights activist and an associate fellow at Chatham House.

• Paul Salem, "Why the Arab Spring Failed—And Why It May Yet Succeed," TIME, January 5, 2021.
• Lisa Anderson, "Is There a Future for American Universities in the Middle East?" Foreign Affairs, March 22, 2019.
• Alanoud Alsharekh, Angry Words Softly Spoken: A Comparative Study of English and Arabic Women Writers, 2006.
• Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Five," CSIS, April 5, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.  

In part four, Jon analyzes U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East, and how U.S. policymakers have thought about U.S. diplomatic power in the region. He talks with Ambassador Thomas Pickering, a career diplomat with over four decades of experience, including as U.S. ambassador to the UN and to six other countries, and as the undersecretary of State for political affairs; Nathalie Tocci, an Italian scholar who served as a key advisor to the European Union’s chief diplomat; and Brian Katulis, senior fellow and vice president of policy at the Middle East Institute who served in the National Security Council, the State Department, and the Department of Defense during the Clinton administration.

• Brian Katulis and Peter Juul, “Seeking a New Balance for U.S. Policy in the Middle East,” Center for American Progress, September 7, 2021.
• Nathalie Tocci, "Transatlantic Action Plan: Middle East and North Africa," Harvard Belfer Center, February 2021.
• Thomas Pickering, “Keynote remarks: the geopolitics of the Gulf from an American perspective,” Gulf International Forum, October 23, 2019.  
• Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Four," CSIS, March 29, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.  

In part three, Jon looks at how the United States has used its economic toolkit in the region, and how successful sanctions and development aid have been in advancing U.S. interests in the Middle East. He speaks with Howard Shatz, a senior economist at RAND who served with the Bush administration’s Council of Economic Advisors in 2007-2008; Amy Hawthorne, the deputy director for research for the Project on Middle East Democracy who served as a senior advisor for Near Eastern Affairs in the State Department during the Arab Spring; and Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group’s Iran project director.  

• Howard Shatz. "The Power and Limits of Threat: The Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act at One Year,” Real Clear Defense. July 7, 2021.  
• Amy Hawthorne, "Egypt: Trends in Politics, Economics, and Human Rights," Before The House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism, 116th Congress, 2020.
• Ali Vaez and Naysan Rafati, “U.S. Maximum Pressure Meets Iranian Maximum Pressure,” International Crisis Group, November 5, 2019. 
• Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Three," CSIS, March 22, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.  

In part two, Jon traces the story of the last two decades of heavy U.S. military involvement in the Middle East, identifying how it’s changed the U.S. military and the way that the United States engages in the region. He speaks with Gen. Joseph Votel, a career army officer with over 40 years of service, most recently as commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) from 2016 to 2019; Eliot Cohen, the Arleigh A. Burke chair in strategy at CSIS who served as counselor for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the height of the surge in Iraq; and Kori Schake, a member of the National Security Council during President Bush’s first term and the deputy director of policy planning at the State Department in his second term.

• Kori Schake, Jim Mattis, Jim Ellis, and Joe Felter, “Defense in Depth: Why U.S. Security Depends on Alliances—Now More Than Ever,” Foreign Affairs, November 23, 2020. 
• Joseph Votel, "Between Then and Now, They Did Not Die in Vain," Defense One, September 9, 2021.
• Eliot Cohen, The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force (New York: Basic Books, 2016).  
• Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Two," CSIS, March 15, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Jon Alterman, senior vice president, Zbigniew Brzezinski chair in global security and geostrategy, and director of the Middle East Program, sits down with some of the preeminent foreign policy experts and former policymakers who have helped shape U.S. policy in the region. Over the next seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.  

In this first episode, Jon explores how the United States became more deeply enmeshed in the Middle East, how its role in the region has changed, and how some people think it needs to change a lot more. He talks with Ambassador Anne Patterson, a career diplomat with more than 40 years of experience in the Middle East and around the globe, most recently as assistant secretary of state for the Near East and North Africa from 2013 to 2017; Andrew Bacevich, a retired army officer, former West Point professor, and the president of the Quincy Institute; and Karim Makdisi, a professor of international relations at the American University of Beirut. 

• Anne Patterson, "We Have to Be There," The Foreign Service Journal, September 2019. 
• Karim Makdisi, "Teaching Trump's America First in/from Beirut," Political Science and Politics (vol 53:2), April 2020. 
• Andrew Bachevich, America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History. Random House, 2016. 
• Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part One," CSIS, March 8, 2022.

This week on Babel, I speak with Jane Arraf, the Baghdad bureau chief for the New York Times. She's spent more than a quarter-century as a journalist in the Middle East, working for National Public Radio, CNN, the Christian Science Monitor, and other leading outlets. I talk with Jane about the way that Iraq is becoming surprisingly normal, how Iraqis think about sectarianism now, and the way in which corruption affects nearly every aspect of society in Iraq.  Then, Will Todman, Danny Sharp, and I continue the conversation about corruption in Iraq and across the Middle East. 

• Jane Arraf, “Reveling in the Joys of Books, and Reading, at a Baghdad Book Fair,” New York Times, December 18, 2021.  
• Jane Arraf, “After Years as a Battleground, Investment Boom Lifts Iraqi City,” New York Times, July 10, 2021.  
• Transcript, "Not Your Mother's Iraq," CSIS, March 1, 2022.

Conflicts in the Middle East lead to increased demand for cosmetic surgery, and for some the results are tragic.

This week on Babel, we're doing things a bit differently. Freeing ourselves from the world of Zoom and time zones, Jon sat down in person this week with Middle East Program senior fellow Natasha Hall, whose report "Rescuing Aid in Syria" was released yesterday. They recorded their conversation on Natasha's report in a new CSIS studio, and you can watch it here. After Jon's discussion with Natasha, he continued the conversation on the report with Jake Kurtzer, senior fellow and director of the CSIS Humanitarian Agenda, and Sara Kayyali, the Syria researcher in the Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa Division.

Natasha's report explores the challenges of meeting Syrians’ humanitarian needs while ensuring that the government does not profit from the exercise. You can read it here. We have also prepared a short one-pager of the report's key findings, which you can find here.

• Natasha Hall, "Rescuing Aid in Syria," CSIS, February 14, 2022.
• Natasha Hall, "The Implications of the UN Cross-Border Vote in Syria," CSIS, June 4, 2021.
• Transcript, "Rescuing Aid in Syria," CSIS, February 15, 2022.

In Morocco, the same industry that is helping to construct new tourism developments is also depleting the very coastline that those developments rely upon. A New Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This episode was adapted from our monthly Mezze series, shining a spotlight on under-discussed trends and debates shaping the Middle East. You can read past examples of our Mezzes on the CSIS website.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Jason Rezaian, an Iranian-American journalist who grew up in California and moved to Iran to report in 2009. In 2012, he joined the Washington Post, and in 2014, he was arrested and spent 544 days in Iran's Evin Prison. Jon and Rezaian talk about why he went to Iran, what the U.S. government gets wrong about Iranians, and how Iranian leaders think about hostage-taking and its role in Iranian foreign policy. Then, Jon, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about what some Iranians get wrong about Americans and how decisionmakers should think about public opinion in Iran and other states in the region.

• Jason Rezaian, “Iran is spinning a fairytale that there’s no place like home. No one’s buying it.” Washington Post, January 12, 2022. 
• Jason Rezaian, “Four decades of ignorance have led to this U.S.-Iran standoff,” Washington Post, December 28, 2021. 
• Podcast, "Karim Sadjadpour: Iran's Future," CSIS, July 13, 2021.
• Jon Alterman, "Iran Will Still Be a Slog," DefenseOne, January 23, 2021.
• Transcript, "What We Get Wrong About Iran," CSIS, February 1, 2022.

In the olive tree-rich region of Afrin in northwestern Syria, a different type of oil fuels the wartime economy—olive oil. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This episode was adapted from our monthly Mezze series, shining a spotlight on under-discussed trends and debates shaping the Middle East. You can read past examples of our Mezzes on the CSIS website.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Bassem Youssef. He's an Egyptian satirist who parlayed his low-budget Youtube program into Al-Bernameg, the most popular show of the Arab Spring. At its height, he had a weekly audience of more than 30 million viewers. They talk about how he got his start on television, the role of satire in political conflict, and why he fled Egypt months after the military returned to power. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp continue the conversation about the limits of satire and dissent across the Arab world. 

• Bassem Youssef, Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring, (New York, NY: Dey Street Books, 2017).
• Bassem Youssef, "The Joke is Mightier than the Sword," Nieman Reports, March 24, 2015.
• Transcript, "Satire and Dissent," CSIS, January 18, 2022.

As Covid-19 restrictions reduced hajj numbers in 2021, Saudi Arabia had a prime opportunity to beta-test new crowd-control technology. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Stay tuned until the end for a special note from Jon about this new season of Babel. If you'd like to help us shape this upcoming season of Babel and the chance to win a free Babel mug, please fill out a short 8 question survey here: https://bit.ly/csisbabel.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with his longtime friend Dr. Kristin Diwan, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Kristin analyzes how young Gulf Arabs' eagerness for change finds public expression, how Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman has sought to shape young peoples' attitudes for reform in Saudi Arabia, and how young people are engaging in their own regional dialogues about change. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about youth and social change across the region. 

• Kristin Diwan, “All the Kings’ Sons,” Arab Gulf State Institute in Washington (AGSIW), April 9, 2021.  
• Kristin Diwan, “Why the Saudis Ended the Dispute with Qatar,” AGSIW, February 8, 2021. 
• Jon Alterman, "The End of History in the Middle East," CSIS, November 22, 2021.
• Jon Alterman, "Ties that Bind," CSIS, December 2, 2019.
• Transcript, "Gulf Youth and the Urge for Change," CSIS, December 21, 2021.

The Middle East has plenty of water problems without warfare. As warfare becomes more common, water is becoming an increasingly common weapon. A New Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with Ghassan Salamé, a Paris-based academic and former UN mediator with over three decades of experience moving between academia and public policy. They talk about how he started his UN career, the role and limitations of the United Nations as a conflict mediator, and how his experiences as a practitioner inform the way that he teaches international affairs. Then, Jon, Will Todman, Danny Sharp talk about how their own academic backgrounds prepared them for careers in foreign policy.

• Stephanie Williams and Ghassan Salamé “Why There’s Hope for Libya,” Newlines Magazine, April 22, 2021.  
• "An Interview with Dr. Jon B. Alterman," New Perspectives in Foreign Policy, 2015.
• Transcript, "In and Out of the Ivory Tower" CSIS, December 7, 2021.

In Damascus, even death is getting more expensive. With limited space and the demand for cemetery plots rising, armed thugs have established an illegal grave trade in Syria. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

As Saudi officials crackdown on corruption, they are increasingly zeroing in on a new target: suspiciously full camel lips. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with Robert Worth, a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine who interviewed Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya's long-standing dictator, in May. They discuss Saif Gaddafi's political ambitions in the upcoming elections, unique aspects of Libya's society and revolution, and the memory of the Gaddafi regime in Libya. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp discuss nostalgia for authoritarianism across the Middle East.

• Robert Worth, "Qaddafi's Son Is Alive. And He Wants to Take Libya Back," New York Times Magazine, July 30, 2021.
• Robert Worth, A Rage for Order: The Middle East in Turmoil, from Tahrir Square to ISIS (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016).
• Transcript, "Authoritarian Nostalgia in Libya," CSIS, November 16, 2021.

Some in Israel hope electronic “e-bikes” can be a life-saving solution to long ambulance wait times on the country’s jam-packed roads. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with Robert Springborg, a long-time scholar of the Middle East who has advised governments and international organizations working in the region for decades on issues of economics, politics, and foreign assistance. We discuss shared aspects of political economy in the Middle East, how political economies of the region differ, and institutional obstacles to reform in the Middle East. Then, Jon, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper discuss regional cooperation and integration.

• Jon Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Will Todman, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East," CSIS, April 2021.
• Hicham Alaoui and Robert Springborg, "Education in the Arab World: A Legacy of Coming Up Short," Wilson Center, April 5, 2021.
• Robert Springborg, Political Economies of the Middle East and North Africa, (Cambridge, UK ; Medford, MA: Polity, 2020).
• Transcript, "The Middle East's Political Economies" CSIS, November 2, 2021.

As Bahrain aims to become a regional leader in pharmaceuticals and medicine, the country is rolling out a range of innovative technologies, some of which undermine the privacy of patients. That may be a hard pill to swallow for some Bahrainis. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with Chloe Cornish, the outgoing Middle East correspondent at the Financial Times, where she covered Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. They discuss sectarianism in Lebanese and Iraqi politics, similarities and differences between protests in Iraq and Lebanon, and why people-led political change is so difficult in a sectarian system. Then, Jon, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about the nature and implications of sectarian politics in Iraq and Lebanon.

• Chloe Cornish, “Young Iraqis voice frustration ahead of polls: ‘They want rapid change’,” Financial Times, October 8, 2021.   
• Will Todman, "Lebanon's New Government," CSIS, September 10, 2021.
• Chloe Cornish, “Lebanon’s year from hell: a diary,” Financial Times, July 29, 2021. 
• Jon Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Will Todman, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East," CSIS, May 18, 2021.
• Transcript, "Levantine Contrasts," CSIS, October 19, 2021.

Morocco debates how to integrate young African migrants into Moroccan society. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow for the Middle East at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). They discuss changing Middle Eastern views of the United States, the United States' focus on "defense diplomacy" with regional partners, and the implications of his conversations with regional actors for policymakers in Washington Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp, continue the conversation about competing visions of the United States in the Middle East and how they might influence each other.

• Emile Hokayem, “Reassuring Gulf Partners While Recalibrating U.S. Security Policy,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May 18, 2021. 
• Jon Alterman "Focus on Influence, Not Power, in the Middle East," Defense One, March 25, 2021.
• Emile Hokayem and John Raine, “The Strategic Implications of COVID-19 for the Middle East,” IISS, December 2020.
• Transcript, "Competing Views of the United States," CSIS, October 5, 2021.

Crowdsourcing of female roles is rising in Egypt driven by the digital revolution. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Monica Marks, a professor of Middle East politics at NYU Abu Dhabi who has been thinking about Tunisia for almost 15 years. They discuss Tunisian President Kais Saied's recent moves to consolidate power, why Tunisians seem to support him, what's at stake for Tunisia's democracy, and what role Western donors and institutions can play in the country. Then, Jon, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about the nature of popular authoritarianism and how we should think about popular despots in Tunisia and the rest of the Arab world. 

• Monica Marks, “An Interview with Hamma Hammami of the Tunisian Worker’s Party,” Jadaliyya, August 20, 2021.  
• Will Todman, "A Coup in Tunisia?" CSIS, July 27, 2021.
• Will Todman, "Challenging Authority in Post-Revolution Tunisia," CSIS, January 22, 2020.
• Monica Marks, “'Letting go of every principle': Tunisia's democratic gains under threat,” Middle East Eye, July 24, 2017.
• Monica Marks, “Tunisia’s Unwritten Story,” The Century Foundation, March 14, 2017. 
• Episode Transcript, "Tunisia's Popular Authoritarian," CSIS, September 21, 2021.

Recent moves by two food delivery services in Qatar highlight that in the struggle for both labor rights and sustainability, Qatar's challenge is both establishing its priorities and prioritizing between them. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with Colin Clarke, a senior research fellow and the director of policy and research at The Soufan Center. They discuss what Iran is set to gain in Afghanistan, Iran's relationship with al Qaeda and the Taliban, and potential areas of cooperation or conflict between Iran and the United States as the U.S. withdraws from the region. Then, Jon, Natasha, and Danny continue the conversation about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and its implications for great power competition and cooperation in the Middle East. 

• Colin P. Clarke, “The U.S. Doesn’t Have to Choose Between Counterterrorism and Great Power Competition,” World Politics Review, August 23, 2021. 
• Jon Alterman, "Stories of Afghans left behind will hurt America around the world," The Hill, August 18, 2021.
• Colin P. Clarke and Asfandyar Mir, “Making Sense of Iran and al-Qaeda’s Relationship,” Lawfare, March 21, 2021. 
• Colin P. Clarke and Ariane Tabatabai, “What Iran Wants in Afghanistan,” Foreign Affairs, July 8, 2020. 
• Episode Transcript, "Iran's Interests in Afghanistan," CSIS, September 7, 2021.

For agricultural workers laboring on large tomato farms in Morocco, low wages keep many living hand-to-mouth, while a few large tomato companies—many with foreign ties—have continued to grow. As a result, for many rural Moroccans, the government's commercial agricultural policies are leading to a mixed harvest. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with Daniel Yergin, the vice-chairman of IHS Markit and author of the new book, The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations. They discuss the global energy transition and the longevity of oil, the effects of the shale revolution on U.S. foreign policy, and how states such as China will think about energy security moving forward. Then, Jon Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp continue the conversation about the energy transition and its implications for oil producers in the Middle East. 

• Jon Alterman, "A New Revolution in the Middle East," CSIS, July 22, 2021.
• Daniel Yergin, “How will the pandemic affect the sprint away from fossil fuels?” The Guardian, October 8, 2020. 
• Daniel Yergin, “How the shale revolution has redrawn the global political map,” The Dallas Morning News, September 20, 2020. 
• Daniel Yergin, “The New Geopolitics of Energy,” The Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2020. 
• Episode Transcript, "The Global Energy Transition," CSIS, August 24, 2021.

If there is one thing Abu Dhabi has in abundance, it’s sunlight. But investors in the UAE are pouring millions of dollars into farming enterprises that don’t use any sunlight at all. Find out why with a new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with Sen. Chris Murphy, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism. They discuss the U.S. relationship with Gulf allies, regional proxy battles with Iran, investing in Lebanon and Tunisia, and how worried policymakers should be about China's growing engagement with the Middle East. Then, Jon, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper discuss what a policy of greater U.S. restraint in the Middle East might look like and what impacts it might have. 

• Chris Murphy, “Behind the Scenes of My Trip to the Middle East,” Medium, May 10, 2021. 
• Jon Alterman, "Focus on Influence, Not Power in the Middle East," DefenseOne, March 25, 2021.
• Chris Murphy, “America’s Middle East Policy is Outdated and Dangerous,” Foreign Affairs, February 19, 2021. 
• Chris Murphy, “How to Make a Progressive Foreign Policy Actually Work,” The Atlantic, October 7, 2019. 
• Episode Transcript, "U.S. Restraint in the Middle East," CSIS, August 10, 2021.

Eight years ago, Syria recorded the lowest rate of female labor participation in the Middle East. Now, Syrian men are increasingly the ones trapped at home and women are filling the vacancies they leave. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with Peter Salisbury, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst for Yemen with over a decade of experience working on the country. They discuss who's fighting in Yemen, what's at stake in the ongoing battle over Marib, and why the international community needs to broaden its mediation efforts to end the Yemeni conflict. Then, Will Todman, Danny Sharp, and Jon discuss what role the United States should play in Yemen and how the country fits into broader U.S. strategy in the Middle East. 

• Peter Salisbury, “A New UN Envoy is an Opportunity for a New Approach in Yemen,” International Crisis Group, June 18, 2021. 
• Peter Salisbury, “To Make Yemen’s Peace Process Sustainable, Include Women,” World Politics Review, April 19, 2021. 
• Peter Salisbury, “Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council: A Delicate Balancing Act,” Istituto Per Gli Studi Di Politica Internazionale (ISPI), March 29, 2021. 
• Jon Alterman, "Designating the Houthis as Terrorists Would Be a Mistake," Defense One, November 30, 2021.
• Episode Transcript, "Yemen's Civil War," CSIS, July 27, 2021.

With their savings in U.S. dollars trapped in Lebanese banks, many Lebanese have come to believe that in Lebanon, the easiest way to save money is to spend it. This is a new a mezze episode from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where focusing on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East. They discuss tipping points in Iran, the future of the regime and what a post-Islamic Republic Iran might look like, and patterns in the history of authoritarian regimes. Then, Jon, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper continue the discussion about the potential foreign policy of a post-Islamic Republic Iran and its implications for regional actors and the United States.  

• Karim Sadjadpour, “Iran Stops Pretending,” The Atlantic, June 20, 2021. 
• Karim Sadjadpour, “How to Win the Cold War With Iran,” The Atlantic, March 25, 2021. 
• Jon Alterman, “Iran Will Still be a Slog,” Defense One, January 23, 2021. 
• Jon Alterman, “Covid-19, the Iranians, and Us,” CSIS, July 21, 2020. 
• Episode Transcript, “The Future of Iran's Regime,” CSIS, July 13, 2021. 

When engineers plant reeds as part of a new project in Azraq, Jordan, they'll be doing more than just revitalizing the local environment. This is a new a mezze from the Middle East Program.

This vignette is taken from the CSIS Middle East Program’s report, “Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East," available on the CSIS website.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with Carsten Wieland, a German diplomat who served in the United Nations with three separate special envoys to Syria. They discuss the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, the politicization of humanitarian aid in Syria, and the implications of humanitarian aid policy in Syria for broader international humanitarian law. Then, Natasha Hall, Will Todman, and Danny Sharp continue the discussion about the upcoming vote on cross-border operations in the UN Security Council and its implications. 

• Natasha Hall, "The Implications of the UN Cross-Border Vote in Syria," CSIS, June 4, 2021.
• Carsten Wieland, Syria and the Neutrality Trap: The Dilemmas of Delivering Humanitarian Aid through Violent Regimes, May 2021.
• Natasha Hall and Will Todman, "Lesson's Learned from a Decade of Humanitarian Operations in Syria," CSIS, April 22, 2021.
• Episode Transcript, "The Politicization of Aid in Syria," CSIS, June 29, 2021.

With the help of a local startup, for one municipality in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, not all organic waste has to actually go to waste. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This vignette is taken from the CSIS Middle East Program’s report, “Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East," available on the CSIS website.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dahlia Scheindlin, a public opinion expert and international political consultant who has advised 8 Israeli elections. They discuss the deep divisions in Israeli society, where the new Israeli government can go from here, and how Israelis think about the changing nature of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Caleb Harper continue the discussion about Israel's diplomacy with the United States and the region.

• Dahlia Scheindlin, “Netanyahu's Greatest Achievement Was Convincing Israel He Alone Transformed the State,” Time, June 8, 2021. 
• Dahlia Scheindlin, “The First Job for Israel’s New Government: Clean Up Bibi’s Mess,” The New York Times, June 3, 2021.  
• Dahlia Scheindlin, “An anti-Netanyahu coalition government would suggest Israelis are ready for change,” The Guardian, June 2, 2021. 
• Jon Alterman, "Three Political Crises Drove the Gaza Violence," Defense One, May 25, 2021.
• Transcript, "Israel's New Government," CSIS, June 15.

Entering Tunisia’s solar industry takes more than just a sunny disposition. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This vignette is taken from the CSIS Middle East Program’s report, “Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East," available on the CSIS website.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman talks about Jordan with Dr. Jillian Schwedler, professor of political science at the City University of New York's Hunter College and a non-resident fellow at Brandeis University's Crown Center. Jon and Dr. Schwedler discuss the surprisingly long history of Jordanian protests, the ways Jordanian protests are a regular part of politics in the country, and who is and isn't allowed to protest. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp continue the discussion about the nature of protest and political display in the Middle East. 

• Jillian Schwedler, “Jordan detained a prince. The government’s determined to squash political dissent,” Washington Post, April 5, 2021. 
• Jillian Schwedler, "Material Obstacles to Protest in the Urban Built Environment", Contention 8, 1 (2020): 70-92. 
• Will Todman, "The Collapse of Jordan's Social Safety Net," CSIS, December 17, 2019.
• Episode Transcript, "Rituals of Protest" CSIS, June 1, 2021.

In Egypt, hot sauce might not be all that comes with your liver sandwich. This is a short mezze from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

This week on Babel, McKinley Knoop interviews Jon Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Will Todman about the Middle East Program's new report, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East." They discuss the origins of the report, the crucial role of trust in public service provision and governance, and how the team conducted research during the Covid-19 pandemic. To end, Jon talks about why think tanks and security-minded policymakers in Washington should care about seemingly mundane topics, like public utilities and local governance. 

• Jon Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Will Todman, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East," CSIS, April 2021.
• Jon Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Will Todman, "Sustainable States: On the Ground," CSIS, April 2021.
• Wassim Chaabane, "Decentralized Waste Management in MENA Countries: Lessons from Tunisia," CSIS, May 6, 2021.
• Mohammed Al-Saidi, "Virtue out of Necessity: Yemen’s Lessons on Resilience and Infrastructure Planning," CSIS, March 25, 2021.
• Jessica Obeid, "Failure to Power: The Need for Decentralized Renewable Energy Models," CSIS, March 18, 2021.
• Karim Elgendy, "Post-Oil Cities in the MENA Region: Lessons from Doha," CSIS, March 18, 2021.

In the struggle for Tunisia's post-revolution future, the past has been getting a controversial new lease on life. Statues commemorating Tunisia's past leaders have not been left unscathed.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman talks with Khaled Dawoud, who was arrested amidst rising political tensions in Egypt in September 2019 and was released from prison two weeks ago. Upon his release, Khaled returned to his jobs as assistant editor of Al-Ahram Weekly and a professor of journalism at the American University in Cairo. Khaled talks about his time in prison, how he became involved in politics, and how his journalism career was shaped by his time in the United States. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and McKinley Knoop continue the conversation with a discussion about the relationship between journalism, politics, and activism.

• Khaled Dawoud, "The stakes behind the story: How Egypt's media covered the Kashoggi case," Middle East Institute, October 26, 2018.
• Jon Alterman, "Making Choices: The Future of the U.S.-Egyptian Relationship," CSIS, August 2016.
• Khaled Dawoud, "Secular Parties in Egypt's Political Landscape," Middle East Institute, September 11, 2014.
• Episode Transcript, "Journalism and Politics in Egypt," CSIS, May 4, 2021.

Calculating the beginning and the end of Ramadan is an annual debate in the Middle East, and politics, sectarianism, and ethnicity are never far from the equation. This is a short mezze from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman talks about Jordan with Dr. Bessma Momani, professor of political science at the University of Waterloo and one of Canada's leading experts on the Middle East. Dr. Momani and Jon explore the recent controversy over former Crown Prince Hamzeh and the government’s concerns over public discontent. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp discuss Jordanians' relationship with the state.

• Bessma Momani, “Opinion: The authorities in Jordan sounded the alarm about a coup. Jordanians aren’t convinced,” Washington Post, April 7, 2021.
• Bessma Momani, “Our feminist foreign policy is not perfect, but in Jordan, it’s doing a lot of good,” The Globe and Mail, March 31, 2019.
• Will Todman, "The Collapse of Jordan's Social Safety Net," CSIS, December 17, 2019.
• Episode Transcript, "Jordan's Royal Intrigue," CSIS, April 20, 2021.

Being single in Iran could become very expensive if a conservative cleric gets his way. This is a short mezze from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman talks with Jessica Obeid, energy consultant, a senior global advisor at the London-based consultancy Azure Strategy, and an academy associate with Chatham House's Energy, Environment, and Resources Programme. They talk about the Lebanese power sector and what its shortcomings tell us about broader fissures in Arab society. Then, Natasha Hall, Will Todman, and Jon continue the discussion about sectarianism and renewable energy, and discuss our new report.

• Jessica Obeid, "Failure to Power: The Need for Decentralized Renewable Energy Models," CSIS, March 18, 2021.
• Natasha Hall, "Lebanon's Political Bosses Are the Real Problem," CSIS, August 17, 2020.
• Jessica Obeid, “Lebanon’s Power Sector: Making Reforms Work,” LCPS, June 2020.
• Transcript, "Lebanon's Energy Sector," CSIS, April 6, 2021.

A short mezze episode from the Middle East Program at CSIS. The Egyptian government is trying to block doctors from leaving the country, but they aren't incentivizing doctors to stay, either.

To mark a decade since protests first began in Syria, we are bringing you the stories and experiences of five different Syrians, in their own words. Omar Alshogre is now a student at Georgetown University, and he was 15 when he attended his first protest in 2011 and was subsequently imprisoned for the first time. Zaina Erhaim is an award-winning journalist, communications expert, and trainer originally from Syria who is now working with journalists throughout the Arab world. Ibrahim is from Madiq Castle, and was forcibly displaced to northern Syria in 2019, where he now lives. Wafiqa was a teacher in a town close to Damascus but was forcibly displaced in 2016. She now lives and teaches in Idlib. Finally, Ibrahim is from Madaya, a small town near Damascus that was under siege for several years.

We are honored to bring you their voices, and thank you to Omar, Zaina, Ibrahim, Wafiqa, and Ibrahim for entrusting us with their stories.

Special thanks to Kinan Azmeh and Kevork Mourad for the use of their song “A Sad Morning, Every Morning” and to Abdul-Wahab Kayyali for the use of his song “يا فجر لما تطل.”

Voice overs were provided by Natasha Hall, Mahmoud Ghanem, and Humzah Khan. Many thanks to our team at WeEdit who helped us edit and produce this episode. Thanks to McKinley Knoop for scripting the episode, Will Todman for suggesting guests, and Danny Sharp for his promotional efforts.

Yemen’s once flourishing fishing industry is now on the rocks as the country’s conflict has turned previously tranquil shores into a warzone.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman talks with Stephanie Williams, formerly the acting special representative of the UN Secretary-General and the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya. They talk about why the conflict in Libya has lasted this long, the importance of facilitating a Libyan-Libyan resolution to the conflict, and her role as a mediator in the process. Then, Natasha Hall, Will Todman, and Jon discuss their own experiences with mediation elsewhere in the region.

• NYTimes Editorial Board, "Can Libya Put Itself Back Together Again?" NYTimes, March 8, 2021.
• Stephanie Turco Williams and Jeffrey Feltman, "Can a political breakthrough mend a broken Libya?" Brookings, February 17, 2021.
• Brookings Event, "Nonstate armed actors and the US Global Fragility Strategy," Brookings, February 18, 2021.
• Episode Transcript, "UN Mediation in Libya," CSIS, March 9, 2021.

If social media influencers in the UAE want to capitalize on their fame, they have to acquire a license from the UAE government. This is a short mezze episode from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman talks with Ambassador James Jeffrey, who recently finished serving as the Secretary of State's special representative for Syria engagement and as the special envoy to defeat ISIS. Ambassador Jeffrey talked about Turkey's Middle East policy, how to think about Turkey's versus Erdogan's views, and if Turkey has any allies in the Middle East. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and McKinley Knoop discussed the durability of Turkey's presence in the Middle East.

• James Jeffrey, Merissa Khurma, Haleh Esfandiari, and Robin Wright, “On the Horizon 2021 | Middle East,” The Wilson Center, January 13, 2021. 
• Jared Szuba, “Outgoing Syria envoy reflects on Turkey, the Kurds and what everyone got wrong,” Al-Monitor, December 9, 2020. 
• Meliha Benli Altunışık, “The New Turn in Turkey’s Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Regional and Domestic Insecurities,” Foundation for European Progressive Studies, July 17, 2020. 
• Episode Transcript, "Erdogan's Middle East Policy," CSIS, February 23, 2021.

Traffickers bringing foreign tomatoes onto Iraq's black market are just one sign of Iraq's domestic produce and protectionism issues.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman talks with Dr. Hanaa Almoaibed, visiting research fellow at the London School of Economics Middle East Centre and research fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies. Dr. Almoaibed talks about her research on how Saudi's youth view vocational schools, entrepreneurship, and Vision 2030. Then, Jon is joined by his colleagues Will Todman and Danny Sharp to discuss prestige in how it relates to employment.

• Buthaina al Zubair and Caleb Harper, "Influence Peddlers," CSIS, November 18, 2020.
• Hanaa Almoaibed, "Elevating the status of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Saudi Arabia: The Need for Enhancing Stakeholder Engagement and Student Motivation," King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, June 2020.
• Jon Alterman, "Ties that Bind: Family, Tribe, Nation, and the Rise of Arab Individualism," CSIS, December 2, 2019.
• Hanaa Almoaibed, "Education and Job Opportunities: How Do Schooling Practices Affect Young Saudis' Transition to University and Employment?" King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, September 2020.
• Episode Transcript, "Saudi Arabia and the Labor Market," CSIS, January 9, 2020.

Women across the Middle East are becoming plumbers with support from some governments' training programs.

In this week's episode of Babel, Jon Alterman talks with Dr. Azzam Alwash, an engineer working to restore Iraq's wetlands and the founder of Nature Iraq. Dr. Alwash talks about why wetlands are important and how he and others work to convince Iraq's government to take action. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and McKinley Knoop discuss the relationship between climate change, governance, and trust.

• Azzam Alwash, “Iraq’s Climate Crisis Requires Bold Cooperation,” The Century Foundation, December 14, 2020. 
• Will Todman, "Iraq's Explosive Plague," CSIS, April 15, 2019.
• Azzam Alwash, “The Mosul Dam: Turning a Potential Disaster into a Win-Win Solution,” Viewpoints 68, Wilson Center, 2016. 
• Peter Schwartzstein, "Iraq's Famed Marshes Are Disappearing - Again," National Geographic, July 9, 2015.
• Episode Transcript, "Restoring Iraq's Marshes," CSIS, January 26, 2021.

The disorder of today’s Iraq leads many Iraqis to miss the old Iraq, in which life was predictable and the state provided for its citizens. Over the past several years, Iraqi support for Saddam Hussein has surged.

In our latest episode of Babel, Jon Alterman was joined by Issandr El Amrani, regional director for the Middle East/North Africa region at the Open Society Foundation. Issandr talked to Jon about how political trends across the Middle East have unfolded in the ten years since the Arab Spring. He also gives his thoughts on what trends people should be watching going forward. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp explore the Arab Spring's legacy ten years on.

• Oz Katerji, "Betrayed by Their Leaders, Failed by the West, Arabs Still Want Democracy," Foreign Policy, December 17, 2020.
• Issandr El Amrani, "In Translation: Sisi's Road to Presidency for Life," The Arabist, May 17, 2018.
• Issandr El Amrani, "Morocco's Second Spring," The Guardian, April 17, 2012.
• Episode Transcript, "The Arab Spring Ten Years On," CSIS, January 12, 2021.

As more and more women across the Middle East enter the auto industry, the fuel for change is being driven in unexpected directions.

Jon Alterman talks with Elfatih Eltahir, professor of hydrology and climate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about climate change and rising temperatures across the Middle East. Professor Eltahir explains what 'wet bulb' temperature means, and why governments should plan future cities away from the coast in order to cope with extreme heat. Then, Jon, Will Todman, and McKinley Knoop discuss climate change mitigation efforts in the Middle East.

• Suchul Kang, Jeremy Pal, Elfatih Eltahir, "Future Heat Stress During Muslim Pilgrimage (Hajj) Projected to Exceed 'Extreme Danger' Levels," Geophysical Research Letters, June 25, 2019.
• Elfatih Eltahir, short educational videos, Eltahir Research Group.
• Jeremy S. Pal and Elfatih Eltahir, “Future temperature in southwest Asia projected to exceed a threshold for human adaptability," Nature Climate Change, October 26, 2015.
• Jon Alterman and Michael Dziuban, Clear Gold, CSIS, December 2010.
• Episode Transcript, "Rising Temperatures in the Middle East," CSIS, December 29, 2020.

Egyptian vendors are reselling leftover and expired foods to Egypt's poor at heavily discounted prices.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman is joined by Karl Sharro, an architect, satirist, and commentator on the Middle East who blogs and tweets as @KarlreMarks. Karl talks about how he developed his style of comedy and the role satire has played in the Arab World. Then, Natasha, Will, and Jon talk about what satire can tell us about the Middle East.

• Karl Sharro, "Explaining Lebanon's Problems in One Minute," Karl Sharro Youtube, October 2, 2020.
• Ahmed Albasheer, "Muhasasa," Albasheer Show Youtube, November 20, 2019.
• Al-Rahel Al-Kabir, "Madad Baghdadi," Al-Rahel Al-Kabir Youtube, August 20, 2014.
• Karl Sharro, "Study confirms Lebanon is indeed the centre of the universe," Karl reMarks, April 5, 2013.
• Episode Transcript: "Satire and Comedy in the Arab World," CSIS, December 15, 2020.

Across the Middle East, ride sharing apps are helping address the region's addressing problems.

This week on Babel, Jon is joined by Sunil John, founder of Asda’a BCW and president for the Middle East and North Africa for BCW, where he runs the annual Arab Youth Survey. Sunil and John talk about the results of this year's survey. They also talk about how his team develops the survey and how it has changed over the last decade. Then, Natasha, McKinley, and Jon discuss their own experiences developing trust in research.

• Asda'a BCW, "Top 10 Findings of the Arab Youth Survey," Arab Youth Survey, 2020.
• Jon Alterman, "Designating the Houthis as Terrorists Would be a Mistake," DefenseOne, November 25, 2020.
• Jumana Khamis, "Survey sheds lights on hopes, expectations of Arab region's college students," Arab News, November 24, 2020.
• Jon Alterman, "Pivoting to Asia Doesn't Get You Out of the Middle East," CSIS, October 19, 2020.
• Transcript, "Surveying Arab Youth," CSIS, December 1, 2020.

Amidst a tangle of political banners, martyrs’ portraits, and crisscrossing power lines in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, the image of a boy gazes down. Sixteen-year-old Muhammad Okasha is celebrated in death, but unlike the fighters whose images otherwise line the streets, he did not die for the Palestinian cause. Hailed as an “electricity martyr,” he died struggling to bring power to his home.

Song Credit: "Uncertain Ground" from Duck Lake.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman talks with Sanam Vakil, deputy director of the Middle East North Africa Programme at Chatham House, where she leads the Future Dynamics in the Gulf project and the Iran Forum. Sanam and Jon talk about how Iran is thinking about the Biden presidency. They also talk about the upcoming election in Iran and what that could mean for Iran's strategy towards the United States. Then, Jon, Natasha, and Will discuss the Biden administration's likely approach to Iran.

• Sanam Vakil, "Five Key Learnings for the Biden Administration," Chatham House, November 12, 2020.
• Jon Alterman, "Actions in Anticipation of the Iranian Election," CSIS, October 5, 2020.
• Jon Alterman, "The Killing of Quds Force Commander Qasim Suleimani," CSIS, January 3, 2020.
• Sanam Vakil, "By Pulling Out of Nuclear Deal, Trump Hands Gift to Iranian Hardliners," Chatham House, May 9, 2018.
• Transcript, "Iran and the New U.S. Administration," CSIS, November 17, 2020.

In July 2019, Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu denounced the excessive use of Arabic on the city’s storefronts.

Song Credits: "Bir Demet Yasemen" from Turku, Nomads of the Silk Road; the track Gambrel via Blue Dot Sessions; and the end music is from Syrian street musicians Munzer Sheikh Alkar and Jemal Shber in Istanbul.

This week on Babel, Jon is joined by Hassan Barari, a professor of international politics at the University of Jordan who is currently on leave teaching at Qatar University. Jon and Hassan talk about how the Middle East has viewed past U.S. administrations and the current one. They also talk about what a Biden administration might mean for the future of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Then, Jon, Will, and Danny discuss anti-Americanism in the Middle East.

• Jon Alterman, "Pivoting to Asia Doesn't Get You Out of the Middle East," CSIS, October 19, 2020.
• Jon Alterman, "Actions in Anticipation of Iranian Elections," CSIS, October 5, 2020.
• Will Law, "From Obama to Trump: U.S. Policy in the Middle East," Arab Digest, September 25, 2020.
• Episode Transcript, "How the Middle East Views the U.S. Election," CSIS, November 3, 2020.

Some treat diplomacy in the Middle East like political theater—but for South Korea, it’s more of a musical.

Music Credits: Highride & Club Felix from the album Radio Pink via Blue Dot Studios.

This week Jon is joined by Hassan Hassan, director of the program on non-state actors in geopolitics at the Center for Global Policy and the editor-in-chief of its new online journal, Newlines Magazine. Hassan talks to Jon about his late colleague, Hisham al-Hashimi, and the research Hisham was conducting on the rise of Shi'ite militias in Iraq. Then, Natasha, Will, and Jon talk about the effects of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.

• Hassan Hassan, "How Iraq's Top ISIS Scholar Became a Target for Shi'ite Militias," Newlines Magazine, October 4, 2020.
• Hassan Hassan, "ISIS in Iraq and Syria: Rightsizing the Current 'Comeback'," Center for Global Policy, May 12, 2020.
• Hisham al-Hashimi and Renad Mansour, "ISIS Inc." Foreign Policy, January 16, 2018.
• Episode Transcript, "The Rise of Iraq’s Shi'ite Militias," CSIS, October 20, 2020.

In years past, a Muslim would ask a religious scholar for a ruling, or fatwa. In Dubai today, a Muslim can ask these questions to a computer. 

Song Credits: "The Terrarium" by Sketchbook; "Stipple" by Marisala; "The Spills" by CloudBreaker. 

In part six, Jon Alterman hears from guests from previous episodes who help him recap everything he's covered so far and look at what's next for Russia in the Middle East. Jon is rejoined by Elizabeth Tsurkov, fellow at the Center for Global Policy and at the Forum for Regional Thinking; Ambassador Mohamed Anis Salem, an Egyptian diplomat with 35 years of experience; Eugene Rumer, senior fellow and director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment; and Phil Gordon, senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. Jon is also joined by Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program.

Song Credits: “Pizzicato Waltz” by Kadir-Demir via Artlist.io; “Dusting” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios; “Coulis Coulis” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios. The theme song is "Tales of Arabia" by GreatstockMusic via Pond5.

• Phil Gordon, Losing the Long Game: The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East, St. Martin's Press, October 2020.
• Eugene Rumer and Andrew S. Weiss, "Reckoning With a Resurgent Russia," Carnegie Endowment, September 9, 2020.
• Elizabeth Tsurkov, "Desperate, Thousands of Syrians Flee Toward Turkish Border," Foreign Policy, February 10, 2020.
• Natasha Hall, Benjamin Smith, Thomas McGee, Local Cross-line Coordination in Syria, United States Institute of Peace, October 3, 2019.
• Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Six," CSIS, October 6, 2020.

In part five, Jon Alterman looks at how the Middle East views Russia. He starts with Russia's relationships with Israel and Iran, before moving on to how Arab states, particularly Egypt, view Russia. Jon talks with Elizabeth Tsurkov, fellow at the Center for Global Policy and at the Forum for Regional Thinking; Mohamed Anis Salem, an Egyptian diplomat with 35 years of experience; and Anna Borschevskaya, senior fellow at the Washington Institute.

Song Credits: “Denzel Sprak” from CloudCover; “Coulis Coulis” from Confectionery; “Tarte Tatin” from Confectionery; “Dusting” from Confectionery, all via Blue Dot Studios.

Theme Song: "Tales of Arabia" by GreatstockMusic via Pond5.

• Elizabeth Tsurkov, "Syria's Economic Meltdown," Center for Global Policy, June 15, 2020.
• Anna Borschevskaya and Catherine Cleveland, "Russia's Arabic Propaganda," The Washington Institute, December 2018.
• Mohamed Anis Salem, "Arab Civil Nuclear Energy Programmes in a New Strategic Landscape," The Nuclear Forum: Security Through Disarmament, 2016.
• Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Five," CSIS, September 29, 2020.

In part four, Jon Alterman looks at U.S.-Russian cooperation and competition in the Middle East. He follows how U.S. policy in the Middle East has shaped Russian policy in the region, and how the U.S.-Russian relationship in the Middle East has evolved over the past three decades. During the episode, Jon talks with Anna Borschevskaya, senior fellow at the Washington Institute; Heather Conley, senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia, and the Artic and director of the Europe Program at CSIS; Phil Gordon, senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations; and Becca Wasser, fellow in the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security.

Song Credits: "Tarte Tatin" from Confectionary via Blue Dot Studios; “Borough” from Molerider via Blue Dot Studios; "Denzel Sprak” from CloudCover via Blue Dot Studios; and“The Records” from Union Hall via Blue Dot Studios.

• Phil Gordon, Losing the Long Game: The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East, St. Martin's Press, October 2020.
• Anna Borschevskaya, "Russia Aims to Preserve the Status Quo in Lebanon," The Washington Institute, August 12, 2020.
• Heather Conley on Energy 360°, "Race to the Top: China, Russia, U.S. Compete," CSIS, August 3, 2020.
• Becca Wasser and Ben Connable, "The Limits of Russian Strategy in the Middle East," London School of Economics, May 10, 2018.
• Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Four," CSIS, September 22, 2020.

In part three, Jon Alterman looks at Russian security interests in the Middle East. He starts with an overview of Russia's military presence, and then looks at how Moscow's presence has evolved in Syria, and then spread into Libya. He talks with Olga Oliker, director of the Europe and Central Asia Program at the International Crisis Group; Alexey Khlebnikov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council; Wa'el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Foundation and a former State Department official; and Eugene Rumer, director and senior fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Program at Carnegie.

Song Credits: “Calisson” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios; “Dusting” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios; “Coulis Coulis” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios; and the theme song is "Tales of Arabia" by GreatstockMusic via Pond5.

• Wa'el Alzayat, "The Syrian Crucible and Future U.S. Option," in Re-engaging the Middle East: A New Vision for U.S. Policy, Brookings, September 22, 2020.
• Eugene Rumer, Russia in the Middle East: Jack of All Trades, Master of None, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, October 31, 2019.
• Alexey Khlebnikov, "Russia looks to the Middle East to boost arms exports," Middle East Institute, April 8, 2019.
• Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Three," CSIS, September 15, 2020.

In part two, Jon Alterman explores Russian economic interests in the Middle East. He covers Middle Eastern investments in Russia, the arms industry, and the recent battle over oil production between Russia and Saudi Arabia. He also talks with Carole Nakhle, founder and CEO of Crystol Energy, Nikolay Kozhanov, a consulting fellow at Chatham House, and Olga Oliker, director of the Europe and Eurasia Program at the International Crisis Group.

• Olga Oliker, "Putin's Future: Reading the tea leaves," Inkstick Media, January 21, 2020.
• Nikolay Kozhanov, Russian Policy Across the Middle East: Methods and Motivations, Chatham House, February 21, 2018.
• Carole Nakhle, "Russia's Energy Diplomacy in the Middle East," in Russia's return to the Middle East: building sandcastles?, European Union Institute for Security Studies, 2018.
• Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Two," CSIS, September 8, 2020.

In the first episode of our new podcast miniseries, Russia in the Middle East, Jon Alterman gives an overview of Russian policy in the Middle East and how the Middle East fits into Russia’s worldview. He covers Russia's return to the Middle East and looks at how Russian foreign policy has changed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Jon also sits down with Dmitri Trenin, director of Carnegie's Moscow Center, and Celeste Wallander, president and CEO of the U.S.-Russia Foundation, for their insight into Russia’s foreign policy decisions.

Song Credits: Episode one songs were “La-danza” by Olivier-Olsen and “Spring-in-Barcelona” by Ian-Post, both via Artlist.

• Celeste Wallander, "Putin's Gamble: U.S.-Russian relations in an era of global change," Krasno UNC, November 14, 2019.
• Jon Alterman, "Chinese and Russian Influence in the Middle East," House Testimony, May 9, 2019.
• Dmitri Trenin, What is Russia Up To In The Middle East?, Polity Press, 2018.

This week Jon is joined by Nora Boustany, an award-winning former correspondent and a professor at the American University of Beirut. She draws on her own experiences living in Lebanon during and after the Civil War to provide perspective on Lebanon's current collapse. Then, Natasha and Jon are joined by the Middle East Program's new program manager and research associate, Danny Sharp, to discuss the impact of sectarianism on life in Lebanon.

• Natasha Hall, "Lebanon's political bosses are the real problem," The Hill, August 16, 2020.
• Jon Alterman, "Why the U.S. and Its Allies Should Keep Lebanon from Blowing Apart," The Hill, August 6, 2020.
• Jon Alterman, "Sectarianism in Lebanon," Babel: Translating the Middle East, CSIS, March 10, 2020.
• Nora Boustany, "Devalued Currency Terrorizes Beirut," Los Angeles Times, November 29, 1987.
• Transcript, "Lebanon's Latest Explosion," CSIS, August 25, 2020.

Azadeh Moaveni joins Jon Alterman to discuss her new book, Guest House for Young Widows. Azadeh is a writer and journalist who serves as the gender project director at the International Crisis Group. She tells Jon about some of the women she encountered while writing the book and why they joined the Islamic State. Then, Natasha, Will, and McKinley discuss the deradicalization process for women returning to their home countries.

• Will Todman and Erol Yayboke, “Refugees Could Help Solve Lebanon’s Economic Crisis,” CSIS, July 10, 2020.
• Will Todman, “Cross-Border Aid, Covid-19, and U.S. Decisions in Syria,” CSIS, May 8, 2020.
• Azadeh Moaveni, Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS, Penguin Random House, September 8, 2019.
• Transcript, “Why Women Join the Islamic State,” CSIS, August 11, 2020.

Kim Ghattas joins Jon to discuss her new book, Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East. Kim and Jon trace 40 years of competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran, starting with 1979 and ending with today. Then, the Middle East Program’s new senior fellow, Natasha Hall, joins Jon and McKinley for a discussion on the U.S. role in Saudi-Iranian competition.

• Jon Alterman, “Covid-19, the Iranians, and Us,” CSIS, July 21, 2020.
• Kim Ghattas, “The painful truth for Saudi Arabia: it needs the Iranian regime to survive,” The Guardian, January 29, 2020.
• Kim Ghattas, “What Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder Tells Us About the Saudi-Iran Rivalry,” The Atlantic, October 2, 2019.
• Episode transcript, “The History of Saudi-Iranian Competition,” CSIS, July 28, 2020.

We would love your feedback! Please follow us @CSISMidEast on Twitter, send us an email at [email protected] or leave a review on iTunes.

As demand for religious jewelry booms in the Middle East, fake gemstones are flooding the market.

On this week's episode of Babel, Fadi Ismail joins Jon to discuss Arab television and how it's changing. Fadi Ismail is the founder and general manager of DKL studios in Dubai and has over 30 years of experience with Arab media. During their discussion, Fadi breaks down how and why he brought Turkish programming to the Arab world, what Arab audiences want, and what Arab youth are watching. Then, Jon, Will, and McKinley discuss how audiences are changing in the Arab world. 

• Jon Alterman, New Media, New Politics? From Satellite Television to the Internet in the Arab World, The Washington Institute, 1998
• Ravale Mohydin, “Soap operas, fatwas and censorship: the Turkey-UAE battle for hearts and minds,” Middle East Monitor, June 1, 2020.
• Nabih Bulos, “Game of Shows: In the Middle East, TV programs launched as weapons of war,” LA Times, December 9, 2019.
• Episode Transcript, “Changing World of Arab Television,” July 14, 2020.

Egyptian talk shows are increasingly telling women to “love themselves,” but not everyone is on board with this new messaging.

On this week's episode of Babel, Minister Mohamad al-Ississ joins Jon to talk about Jordan's economy before, during, and after Covid-19. Minister al-Ississ is the Kingdom of Jordan's minister of finance and was previously the minister of planning and international cooperation. During our discussion, the minister breaks down Jordan's recent economic history, the economic recovery plan, and efforts to formalize the informal sector. Then, Jon, Will, and McKinley discuss the impact refugees have had on Jordan.

• Harun Onder, The Fallout of War: The Regional Consequences of the Conflict in Syria, The World Bank, 2020.
• Jon Alterman, “The Middle East’s Challenges Aren’t Just Combatting the Virus,” CSIS, April 28, 2020.
• Bruce Riedel, “Jordan’s unique coronavirus challenge,” Brookings, April 16, 2020.
• Manjari Singh, “Jordan after COVID-19: From Crisis Adjustment to Crisis Management,” The Washington Institute, April 15, 2020
• Episode Transcript, “Jordan’s Economy During Covid-19,” June 30, 2020

Saudi Arabia’s dairy industry is stirring debate around food security, depleting aquifers, and fodder imports.

This week on Babel, Jon is joined by Frederic Wehrey, senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. During their discussion, Fred breaks down the conflict in Libya, explaining who is involved and why. Fred and Jon also talk about foreign fighters, drones, and what's next for Libya. Then, Jon, Will, and McKinley discuss similarities and differences between the conflicts in Libya and Syria.

• Sandy Alkoutami and Frederic Wehrey, “China’s Balancing Act,” Lawfare, May 10, 2020.
• Frederic Wehrey, “Libya and Coronavirus” in Coronavirus in Conflict Zones: A Sobering Landscape, ed. by Jarrett Blanc and Frances Z. Brown, April 14, 2020.
• Frederic Wehrey, “’Our Hearts Are Dead.’ After 9 Years of Civil War, Libyans Are Tired of Being Pawns in a Geopolitical Game of Chess,” Time, February 12, 2020.
• Frederic Wehrey, “Libya’s Bloodshed Will Continue Unless Foreign Powers Stop Backing Khalifa Haftar,” Guardian, February 2, 2020.
• Episode Transcript: The Internationalization of Libya, CSIS, June 16, 2020.

Middle Eastern governments are struggling to combat purchases of military uniforms by malign actors attempting to impersonate soldiers.

This week on Babel, Marwa Daoudy, assistant professor at Georgetown University, joins Jon to talk about the climate-security nexus in Syria. Marwa and Jon discuss issues with past reforms in Syria, the relationship between climate change and human insecurity, and government corruption. Then, Jon, Will, and McKinley discuss a report Will released earlier in May on cross-border aid in Syria.

• Episode Transcript: The Climate-Security Nexus with Marwa Daoudy, CSIS, June 2, 2020.
• Marwa Daoudy, The Origins of the Syrian Conflict: Climate Change and Human Security, Cambridge University Press, March 2020.
• Marwa Daoudy, “The Structure-Identity Nexus: Syria and Turkey’s Collapse (2011),” Cambridge Review of International Affairs 29 (3), 2016.
• Will Todman, Cross-Border Aid, Covid-19, and U.S. Decisions in Syria, CSIS, May 8, 2020.

Syrians seem to be laying the groundwork for an enduring Russian presence in the country with an increase in Russian language education.

This week on Babel, Gregory Gause joined Jon to talk about how Gulf economies are changing during Covid-19. Greg is the head of the international affairs department at Texas A&M University and holds the John H. Lindsey '44 chair. Greg and Jon discuss Saudi Arabia's labor markets, economic reforms under MBS, and the future of the kingdom. Then, Jon, Will, and McKinley, talk about initiatives to change how young people relate to both each other and the government in the Gulf. 

• Jon Alterman, Ties that Bind: Family, Tribe, Nation, and the Rise of Arab Individualism, CSIS, December 2, 2019.
• Gregory Gause, “Saudi Arabia and Sectarianism in Middle East International Relations,” POMEPS Studies 38, March 2020.
• Will Todman, “Manufacturing New Loyalties in the UAE,”CSIS, January 9, 2020.

Lavish celebrations with cakes, wedding halls, and invitations are marking a new trend in Saudi Arabia—divorce parties.

This week on Babel, Nabih Bulos, the Middle East bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, joined Jon to talk about disinformation in the Middle East during Covid-19. Nabih and Jon discuss alternatives to state-run media, disinformation bots, and information lockdowns during Covid-19. Then, Jon, Will, and McKinley talk about state-run news agencies in the Middle East.

• Jon Alterman, “The Middle East’s Challenges Aren’t Just Combatting the Virus,” CSIS, April 28, 2020.
• Jon Alterman, “Russian Disinformation in Syria” on Babel: Translating the Middle East, CSIS, November 5, 2019.
• Nabih Bulos, “ Iraq’s derelict Baghdad tower is a metaphor for a broken country,” Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2020.
• Nabih Bulos, “Coronavirus becomes a weapon of disinformation in Middle East battle for influence,” Los Angeles Times, April 8, 2020.

A lack of mail boxes, accurate addresses, and even agreed-upon street names has continued to make postal reform in the Middle East a source of frustration.

This week, Jon talks with Ariane Tabatabai, a Middle East fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund. They discuss the internal political backlash in Iran, tensions between the IRGC and the Rouhani-led government, and the role of the United States. Then, Jon, Will, and McKinley talk about how the coronavirus is affecting Iran’s relationships with its regional neighbors.

• Jon Alterman, “COVID-19 and Cascading Crises in the Middle East” Center for Strategic and International Studies, March 25, 2020.
• Jon Alterman, “Add coronavirus to other crises, and the Middle East faces a catastrophe,” The Hill, March 22, 2020.
• Ariane Tabatabai, No Conquest, No Defeat: Iran’s National Security Strategy, Hurst Publishers, September 2020.
• Ariane Tabatabai, “Don’t Expect a Thaw in Iran,” Foreign Policy, December 10, 2019.

The UAE government is attempting to instill morals in its students from a young age, with mandatory lessons on ethics and Emirati culture that are tested with a standardized exam.

This week, Jon talks with Tarik Yousef, a senior fellow in the global economy and development program at Brookings and director of the Brookings Doha Center. They discuss where countries in the region were several months ago, where they are now, and what that means for their futures. Then, Jon, Will, and McKinley talk about how the spread of COVID-19 will affect middle income countries in the Middle East.

Jon Alterman, “How Will the Middle East Cope with COVID-19?” Center for Strategic and International Studies, March 26, 2020.

Tarik M. Yousef et al. “Brookings experts on the implications of COVID-19 for the Middle East and North Africa,” Brookings, March 26, 2020.

Jon Alterman, “Add coronavirus to other crises, and the Middle East faces a catastrophe,” The Hill, March 22, 2020.

Tarik M. Yousef et al. “The Middle East and North Africa over the next decade: Key Challenges and policy options,” Brookings, March 3, 2020.

From dens of snakes attacking Iraqi villagers to a swarm of locusts descending on Baghdad, a changing climate has unleashed plagues of biblical proportions on Iraq in recent years.

In this special episode of Babel, McKinley Knoop interviews Jon Alterman about how COVID-19 is exacerbating a series of existing crises in the Middle East. The episode includes the current status of COVID-19 in the region, how states with various capabilities are reacting, and what could come next. Jon also explores potential areas for U.S. involvement in the region, and why it’s important that we pay attention.

This week, Jon Alterman, Will Todman, and McKinley Knoop talk about who joins militant jihadi groups and why. Then, Jon talks with Elisabeth Kendall, an Oxford University-based scholar of Arabic literature who has focused on poetry among Yemeni jihadis. They discuss poetry in Yemen, what makes “good” jihadi poetry, and differences between al Qaeda and ISIS poetry. 

Jon B. Alterman, Religious Radicalism After the Arab Uprisings, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2015.

Elisabeth Kendall, “Militant Jihadist Poetry and the Battle for Hearts and Minds,” The Anglo-Omani Society, 2019. 

Elisabeth Kendall, “Contemporary Jihadi Militancy in Yemen: How is the Threat Evolving,” Middle East Institute, July 2018.  

Solar panels are giving Yemenis access to affordable power solutions, even as traditional electric grids are failing.

We start the second season of Babel: Translating the Middle East with a conversation with Hanin Ghaddar, a visiting fellow at the Washington Institute who focuses on Shia politics throughout the Levant. Jon and Hanin discuss sectarianism in Lebanon, the changing role of Hezbollah, and what’s next for a country mired in economic troubles.

Jon Alterman, “Iran is not one crisis, but three, for the US,” The Hill, January 10, 2020.

Jon Alterman, “Lebanon’s Government Collapses,” CSIS, October 20, 2019.

Hanin Ghaddar, “Here’s how the US can pressure Lebanon’s new government to tackle corruption,” The Hill, January 26, 2020.

Hanin Ghaddar, “Iran is Losing the Middle East, Protests in Lebanon and Iraq Show,” Foreign Policy, October 22, 2019.

In the sixth and final episode of our podcast miniseries, China in the Middle East, Jon Alterman looks at the future of China in the Middle East with Nadège Rolland and Deborah Lehr. They discuss the community of common destiny, political warfare, and opportunities for private company growth in the region. Jon explains why countries roll out the literal red carpet for foreign heads of state, and what that symbolism means for foreign powers acting in the region.

China in the Middle East is a six-part miniseries that is part of our regular series podcast, Babel: Translating the Middle East. We release new episodes every Tuesday.

Deborah Lehr, “Green Financing in Egypt,” Middle East Institute, February 11, 2020.

Deborah Lehr, “How the U.S.-China Tech Wars Will Impact the Developing World,” The Diplomat, February 23, 2019.

Nadège Rolland, “China’s Vision for a New World Order,” The National Bureau of Asian Research, January 27, 2020.

Nadège Rolland, “A Concise Guide to the Belt and Road Initiative,” The National Bureau of Asian Research, April 11, 2019.

In the fifth episode of our podcast miniseries, China in the Middle East, Jon Alterman looks at U.S.-Chinese cooperation and competition in the region with Robert Manning and Dawn Murphy. They discuss how the United States is changing its traditional role in the Middle East, and what that means for China’s role in the region. Jon also discusses how Somali pirates have brought China closer to multilateral military cooperation.

China in the Middle East is a six-part miniseries that is part of our regular series podcast, Babel: Translating the Middle East. We release new episodes every Tuesday.

Robert Manning, “The beginning of the end of a US role in the Middle East?” The Hill, October 15, 2019.

Robert Manning, “AI ripe for US-China cooperation,” Global Times, October 6, 2019.

Dawn Murphy, “China’s Approach to International Terrorism,” United States Institute of Peace, September 2017.

Dawn Murphy, hearing on “China and the Middle East,” testimony before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, June 6, 2013.

In the fourth episode of our podcast miniseries, China in the Middle East, Jon Alterman explores the Middle East’s perspectives on China with Mohammed Sudairi and Ariane Tabatabai. They talk about how the Middle East holds high hopes for China’s future role in the region and focus on Iran and the Gulf as examples. They also discuss the myth of Chinese workers speaking fluent Arabic and what Iranian storekeepers tell shoppers about bicycles made in China.

China in the Middle East is a six-part miniseries that is part of our regular series podcast, Babel: Translating the Middle East. We release new episodes every Tuesday.

Mohammed Sudairi, The Communist Party of China’s United Front Work in the Gulf: The “Ethnic Minority Overseas Chinese” of Saudi Arabia as a Case Study, Dirasat, March 2018.

Mohammed Sudairi, China as the New Frontier for Islamic Da‘wah: The Emergence of a Saudi China-Oriented Missionary Impulse, Journal of Arabian Studies, September 2018.

Ariane Tabatabai, The Islamic Republic’s Foreign Policy at Forty, Atlantic Council, February 8, 2019.

Ariane Tabatabai, Don’t Expect a Thaw in Iran, Foreign Policy, December 10, 2019.

In the third episode of our podcast miniseries, China in the Middle East, Jon Alterman explores China’s security interests in the Middle East. Jon also talks to Dean Cheng, Evan Medeiros, and Andrew Scobell about China’s current security capacity in the region, and how China is using a blend of military, economic, and technological capacities to advance China’s interest in stability and security in the region.

China in the Middle East is a six-part miniseries that is part of our regular series podcast, Babel: Translating the Middle East. We release new episodes every Tuesday.

Dean Cheng, Middle East Lessons for China: Internal Stability, The Heritage Foundation, March 21, 2011.

Evan S. Medeiros, The Changing Fundamentals of US-China Relations, The Washington Quarterly, October 11, 2019.

Andrew Scobell and Alireza Nader, China in the Middle East: The Wary Dragon, RAND Corporation, December 5, 2016.

In the second episode of the podcast miniseries, China in the Middle East, Jon Alterman looks at China’s economic interests in the Middle East. Jon also sits down with Scott Kennedy, Doug Paal and Karen Young for their insights into the Belt and Road Initiative, changing export markets, and how economic interests influence regional security concerns.

China in the Middle East is a six-part miniseries that is part of our regular series podcast, Babel: Translating the Middle East. We release new episodes every Tuesday.

Karen Young, “US policy faces blind spots on China, Middle East,” Al-Monitor, June 11, 2019.

Scott Kennedy, “Building China’s One Belt, One Road,” CSIS, April 3, 2015.

Douglas Paal, “The US and China Take Their Rivalry into More Dangerous Waters After Collapse of Trade Talks,” South China Morning Post, May 30, 2019.

In the first episode of our new podcast miniseries, China in the Middle East, Jon Alterman gives an overview of Chinese policy in the Middle East and how the Middle East fits into China’s worldview. Jon also sits down with Doug Paal, Dean Cheng, Sulmaan Khan, and Evan Medeiros for their insight into China’s foreign policy decisions.

China in the Middle East is a six-part miniseries that is part of our regular series podcast, Babel: Translating the Middle East. We release new episodes every Tuesday.

Jon Alterman and John W. Garver, The Vital Triangle: China, the United States, and the Middle East, CSIS, May 20, 2008.

Dean Cheng, “What defines the Chinese outward cyber-posture?” ISPI, October 26, 2018.

Sulmaan Khan, Haunted by Chaos: China's Grand Strategy from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping, Harvard University Press, 2018.

Evan Medeiros, China’s International Behavior: Activism, Opportunism, and Diversification, RAND Corporation, 2009.

Douglas H. Paal, “Will Xi Jinping’s Charm Offensive Win Over China’s Wary Neighbors,” South China Morning Post, December 11, 2017.

This December, Iranians of all faiths gather to admire Christmas trees and Santa figurines, despite governmental restrictions on Christians and other Western holidays.

Young people across the Arab World are resorting to extreme measures—like cutting off limbs, or faking being kidnapped—to avoid mandatory military service.

How and why are Arabs shifting their loyalty away from traditional networks? In the latest episode, Vivian Salama, White House correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, interviews Jon Alterman on his new report. He also introduces Babel's new 6-episode miniseries, "China in the Middle East," which will air in 2020.

• Jon Alterman, Ties that Bind: Family, Tribe, Nation, and the Rise of Arab Individualism, CSIS, December 2, 2019
• Sarah Dadouch, “Amid economic despair, young Lebanese see only two options: protest or leave,” The Washington Post, November 9, 2019.
• Amy Chua, “Tribal World: Group Identity is All,” Foreign Policy, July/August 2018.

Soaring fuel prices are leading Yemenis to chop down trees, and this is only adding to the humanitarian crisis.

What is the relationship between the environment and conflict in the Middle East? Peter Schwartzstein, an environmental journalist based in the Middle East, joins host Jon Alterman this week to discuss how climate change concerns exacerbate conflict, and how regional leaders should respond. Then, Jon, Will, and Amber explore how environmental concerns factor into policy discussions on the Middle East.

• Will Todman, “Iraq’s Explosive Plague,” CSIS, April 15, 2019.
• Peter Schwartzstein, “Climate Change and Water Woes Drove ISIS Recruiting in Iraq,” National Geographic, November 14, 2017.
• Peter Schwartzstein, “Death of the Nile,” BBC News, October 10, 2017.
• Jon Alterman, Clear Gold: Water as a Strategic Resource in the Middle East, CSIS, December 13, 2010.

The Egyptian government seems to be using horoscopes as a new avenue for disseminating pro-regime messages.

Russia is spreading disinformation in the Middle East, especially in Syria, in order to discredit its critics and advance its interests. This week Jon, Amber, and Will discuss the scope of the issue and its consequences. Then Elliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, sits down with Jon to explain how his citizen journalist platform detects and counters disinformation.

• Elliot Higgins, “Chemical Weapons and Absurdity: The Disinformation Campaign Against the White Helmets,” Bellingcat, December 2018. 
• Mark Katz, “When the Friend of My Friends Is Not My Friend,” The Atlantic Council, May 2019.
• Mark Katz, “What Do They See in Him? How the Middle East Views Putin and Russia,” Russian Analytical Digest, May 3, 2018.
• Suzanne Spaulding, “Democracy and Justice in the Age of Disinformation,” CSIS, May 1, 2019.

This mezze explores the diverse linguistic landscape of Iraqi Kurdistan. Listeners can expect a mezze every other week.

In this episode, Jon Alterman talks to Aisha Jumaan about her efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance to Yemenis in need. Dr. Aisha Jumaan is an epidemiologist and the founder and president of Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation. Jon, Will, and Amber also discuss how Congress is thinking about the crisis in Yemen and how it is affected by U.S. politics. 

• Jeremy Sharp, “Yemen: Civil War and Regional Intervention,” Congressional Research Service, September 17, 2019.
• Tess Bridgemean, “Getting Past the Veto on Ending Yemen War: How Congress’ Next Moves Can Succeed,” Just Security, May 3, 2019.
• Jon Alterman, “Aid and Conflict: Pitfalls in Yemen,” CSIS, August 16, 2018.
• Ben Westfall, “Fire Sale,” CSIS, November 27, 2017.

In this episode, Jon Alterman discusses the prospects for Syria’s political negotiations with Syrian journalist Ibrahim Hamidi. Ibrahim Hamidi is the senior diplomatic editor at Asharq Alawsat newspaper and previously served as the senior political editor at Al-Hayat. Jon, Will, and Amber also discuss Russian diplomacy in the Middle East, and we finish with a look at a counter-radicalism rap movement that has emerged in the Levant. Ibrahim Hamidi, “Lavrov to Asharq Al-Awsat: Putin’s visit to KSA promotes partnership to new level,” Asharq Alawsat, October 3, 2019. Ibrahim Hamidi, “Pedersen achieves the first Syrian-Syrian agreement: The constitutional committee and its reference to Resolution 2254,” Asharq Alawsat, September 24, 2019 [Arabic]. Vance Serchuk, “Russia’s Middle East power play,” National Review, September 12, 2019. “Rapping against radicalism,” CSIS, September 25, 2018. (This contains links to the rap mentioned in the mezze.)

In this episode, Jon Alterman discusses U.S.-Iran negotiations with Ambassador Wendy Sherman. Amb. Sherman is a senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group. She led the U.S. negotiations team in developing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran and is the author of Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power, and Persistence. Jon, Will, and Amber also discuss the role of Iranian soft power in the Middle East, and we finish with a look at religious eulogists in Iran.

• Jon Alterman, “U.S.-Iran Negotiations,” CSIS, September 13, 2019.
• Isaac Chotiner, “Q&A with Wendy Sherman: The Dangers of Trump’s Approach to Iran,” The New Yorker, June 19, 2019.
• Hanin Ghaddar and Dana Stroul, “Pushing Back on Iran in Syria: Beyond the Boots,” Washington Institute, January 22, 2019.
• “Soul Singers: Modernizing Shi`ite Eulogists” CSIS, July 12, 2018.

In our first episode, Jon Alterman sits down with Ambassador Bill Burns about the role of the United States in the Middle East. Amb. Burns is the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the former deputy secretary of state, and the author of The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for its Renewal. Jon, Will, and Amber also discuss escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, and we finish with a look at how some couples are opting for a new type of gold in their wedding dowries.

• James McAuley, “Hezbollah downs Israeli drone in ongoing tension between Iranian-backed groups and Israel,” Washington Post, September 9, 2019.
• David Halbfinger, Ben Hubbard, and Ronen Bergman, “The Israel-Iran shadow war escalates and breaks into the open,” New York Times, August 28, 2019.
• William Burns and Jake Sullivan, “We led successful negotiations with Iran. Trump’s approach isn’t working,” Atlantic, May 16, 2019.
• Hannah Porter, “Fool’s gold?” CSIS, January 18, 2019.