App Store

Google Play

DK - Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

Nyd den ubegrænsede adgang til tusindvis af spændende e- og lydbøger - helt gratis

Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst 

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Babel will take you beyond the headlines to discuss what’s really happening in the Middle East and North Africa. It features regional experts who explain what’s going on, provide context on pivotal developments, and highlight trends you may have missed. Jon Alterman, senior vice president, Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy, and director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts the podcast along with his colleagues from the Middle East Program. This podcast is made possible through the generous support of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates. All views, positions, and conclusions expressed here should be understood to be solely of those of the speaker(s).

Babel: Translating the Middle East

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Max Gallien, a political scientist specializing in informal and illegal economies and North African politics. He is a research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies and the International Centre for Tax and Development at the University of Sussex. Together, they discuss the political, social, and economic functions of smuggling economies in North Africa. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Martin Pimentel and Will Todman to discuss what factors lead Middle Eastern states to ignore, or even condone, smuggling by their citizens.
Transcript, "Max Gallien: Black Markets of the Maghreb," CSIS, December 10, 2024.

Max Gallien: Black Markets of the Maghreb

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Will Todman and Natasha Hall, senior fellows at the CSIS Middle East Program, for a special episode on the sudden collapse of the Assad regime and what will replace it. Together, they discuss the promise and peril of this historic moment, and the domestic and regional forces moving aggressively to shape Syria’s new direction.

Special: Syria's Post-Assad Scramble

Just a month after Bashar al-Assad fell in Syria, the country is in the midst of a swirl of regional diplomacy. The new Syrian foreign minister is on another regional swing, and the foreign ministers of Germany and France visited Damascus. A central question is when and how the comprehensive sanctions placed on Syria during a half-century of Assad family rule will be lifted. Asher Grant-Sasson speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, about the prospects for these diplomatic efforts and what their results might signal about Syria’s future.

Analysis: Syria’s Bid for Sanctions Relief

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with eL Seed, an award-winning French-Tunisian artist whose monumental artwork blending the styles of Arabic calligraphy and graffiti is spreading in the Arab world and far beyond. His smaller works are in some of the most important museum collections around the world, but he takes special pride in his process of working with communities to select meaningful quotations to inspire his art and then to execute that artwork together. Jon and eL Seed discuss the cultural and political forces that shaped eL Seed's artistic evolution, as well as art’s role in spurring social change. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Martin Pimentel and Natasha Hall to discuss the ways art anchors Middle Eastern diaspora communities to their homelands and interacts with political movements across the Arab world.
Transcript, "eL Seed: Arabic Calligraffiti," CSIS, January 14, 2025.

eL Seed: Arabic Calligraffiti

Last Sunday, Hamas released three female Israeli hostages that it had kidnapped on October 7, in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. The deal was the first step in the first phase of a three-phase agreement between Israel and Hamas that the Biden and Trump administrations brokered together, alongside the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Asher Grant-Sasson speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, about where this conflict stands after 15 months of warfare and what we should expect in the coming weeks and months.

Analysis: Gaza Peace?

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.

U.S. Diplomacy in the Middle East

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.

How Iran Negotiates

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.)

Do Syrian Negotiations Matter?

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.

Getting aid to Yemen

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

Analysis: Gaza Peace?

Analysis: Gaza Peace?

Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

Other podcasts you might like ...