Real Talk

“If you’re an Arab, specifically a Palestinian journalist…you are political. Your identity is political.”

We recently sat down with award-winning journalist and filmmaker Hind Hassan for a reflective conversation that delves into Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon and Russia-Ukraine.  

We also discussed Western media’s coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, with Hind reflecting on the challenges faced by many journalists in the field, including those of Arab heritage: “Many of us looked at our places in the industry.”

The British-Iraqi journalist also shared insights from some of her acclaimed work in the field, which included reporting from Gaza in 2021, the last English-language interview with Yahya Sinwar (the former Hamas leader who was killed in 2024), as well as her reports on Sheikh Jarrah, the Russia-Ukraine war and an upcoming MEE documentary on Lebanon.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
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Nearly 12 years after her father was arrested in 2013, and days after Bashar al-Assad was toppled, Wafa Mustafa is now going back to Syria driven by a determination to find him. 

Wafa has not returned to her home country since escaping over a decade ago, shortly after her father, Ali, was forcibly disappeared by Bashar al-Assad’s government forces during the Syrian uprising.  

Speaking just before embarking on her journey back to Syria, Wafa joined us for a personal conversation, reflecting on the fall of Assad, her life in Germany and her relentless fight to find her father. 

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
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How did Hafez al-Assad rise from an army officer to establish a dynasty that brutally ruled Syria for 54 years?

From seizing power in 1970 to the Hama massacre, and Bashar inheriting power, Professor Joshua Landis joined us for an in-depth conversation on the Assad family’s rise to power.

Landis, chair and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, has spent nearly 15 years living in the Middle East, including Syria, up until the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. He’s also the author of a forthcoming book on Syria. 

Today on Real Talk, we take a look at Syria’s history under Hafez al-Assad and unpack how Bashar continued his father’s authoritarian rule after his death in 2000. 

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
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“AIPAC is a pro-Israel lobby and they need to be defeated for that reason. But they also represent white supremacy and everything that comes with that.”

US congressman Jamaal Bowman reflects on losing his seat after AIPAC poured millions into his Democratic primary to unseat him, reportedly making it the most expensive House primary race in US history.

The progressive member of ‘The Squad’, who called Israel’s war on Gaza a genocide, spoke to us about his views on Israel-Palestine and the role of the pro-Israel lobby in American politics. 

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“I can’t watch a guy plugged up to an IV burned alive.” 

Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of America’s most celebrated writers. His latest book, The Message, took him to Senegal, South Carolina and Israel-Palestine. 

The book has been both praised and slammed for calling out Israeli apartheid. Coates joined us to reflect on the backlash, but also takes his time to offer a deeper perspective on the Gaza genocide, the US elections, and his journey as a writer. 

This follows the extensive media coverage the book received following a CBS interview where Coates was accused by programme host Tony Dokoupil of "extremist" views in his writing about Palestinians. 

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“The relationship with Israel is in a different league entirely” 

In light of Israel’s multi-front war in the region, including Gaza, Lebanon, and the escalation with Iran, how can we understand the US-Israel ‘special relationship’? 

And where does the pro-Israel lobby in the US fit inside this framework? 

That’s what we’re asking Harvard professor Stephen Walt, who joined us for an extended conversation on Real Talk. 

Walt is considered one of the most influential US foreign policy experts. In 2007, he famously co-authored a book with John Mearsheimer titled ‘The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy’ which generated a lot of attention and controversy for challenging what has been a taboo topic in the US for decades.

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“It happens because of years of anti-Muslim, anti-migrant hatred.” 

It’s been several months since Humza Yousaf stepped down in May 2024. Now, the Scottish former First Minister, who in 2023 became the first Muslim leader of a western democracy, is sounding the alarm. 

In one of the longest interviews he’s given since resigning, Yousaf warns of rising Islamophobia in UK politics, the far right threat, and he delves into his online feud with Elon Musk. 

So we sat down in his family home in Dundee, Scotland to talk about it. 

Recorded: 17 September 2024 

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“I now rage that my government is behaving the way it’s behaving.” 

As Israel’s war on Gaza, and now Lebanon, continues with no end in sight, we’re delving into why America’s Gaza policy failed. 

Today on Real Talk, we’re joined by Matt Duss, former foreign policy adviser to Bernie Sanders and the executive vice president at the Center for International Policy. 

We discuss how President Joe Biden’s red lines in Gaza were repeatedly crossed by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, rising voter anger toward Democrats and what all this means for Kamala Harris in the upcoming US elections.

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‘They're not ready for the storm that's happening... The average Joe has Twitter and is seeing what's going on [in Gaza].’

On Real Talk, we sat down with investigative journalist Matt Kennard to discuss his latest book, The Racket.

In this conversation, Kennard dives deep into US hegemony and foreign policy, especially in light of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza. He also unpacks the broader implications of US imperialism, the upcoming US elections, and why he believes Gaza has "exposed the US empire like never before".

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
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Today on Real Talk, we speak to Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and author, about the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in the US elections.

We delve into why he believes we are “at the end of empire”, whether Trump or Harris would have different Gaza policies, the rise of Christian nationalism in the US, and his thoughts on Joe Biden’s presidential legacy.

Recorded: 29 July 2024

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Recorded: 24 April 2024 

‘The solidarity with Israel has never been stronger’ 

Voting has begun in the world’s biggest election in India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third five-year term. 

Indian journalist and author Rana Ayyub joined us on Real Talk to speak on Modi’s anti-Muslim rhetoric, India’s elections, and its current relationship with Israel.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
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“Israel should be treated as a pariah state,” argues Francesca Albanese.

In this Real Talk interview, we speak with Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, about the reported abuses inside Israel’s Sde Teiman prison and delve into whether the UN is doing enough to ensure Israel’s compliance with international law. 

We also asked her about the personal attacks levelled against her and whether they could impact her standing within the UN.

Recorded: 7 August 2024 

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
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Recorded: 28 January 2024 

Alana Hadid belongs to one of the most recognisable Palestinian families in the world. So when she sat down with us on Real Talk, we tried to unpack the pressures that come with that. 

In our conversation with Hadid, we spoke about Gaza and how she was impacted by the last few months. We also spoke about her activism, her views on how Gaza may influence the upcoming US elections, and a closer look at the forced expulsion of her Palestinian father and grandparents from their home during the Nakba of 1948. 

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
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Recorded: 12 March 2024

Our guest in this episode is US independent presidential candidate Cornel West, and we ask him why he called Joe Biden a “war criminal”. 

He also explains why he feels Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a “gangster”, why Biden’s Gaza policy makes him a “hypocrite” and how Arab-American voters will turn their backs on him.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm