Babel: Translating the Middle East
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).
76
Helen Lackner: Yemen in Conflict
Jon Alterman speaks with Helen Lackner about the history of conflict in Yemen and how the current civil war fits into it.
38 min
77
A Mezze: Syrians Need Not Apply
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.
3 min
78
COP 27 Preview: Electrifying the Middle East wi...
Jon speaks with Ali al-Saffar about the state of electricity in the Middle East and the future of energy in the region.
37 min
79
A Mezze: Meat Market
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.
2 min
80
Mahsa Alimardani: Protest, Social Media, and Ce...
Jon Alterman speaks with Mahsa Alimardani about recent protests in Iran and how both protestors and the regime have used social media.
44 min
81
A Mezze: Honey, I Froze the Kids
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.
3 min
82
Sami Atallah: Lebanon's Freefall
Jon speaks with Sami Atallah about how Lebanon got into the financial crisis it has been in for the past three years.
34 min
83
A Mezze: Volunteer Trash Collectors
Tunisia’s revolution in 2011 improved many things, but the odors of Tunis was not one of them.
2 min
84
Marc Owen Jones: Real News, Fake News, and No News
Jon speaks with Marc Owen Jones about government efforts to control the media in the Middle East and the challenges and opportunities created by the rise of social media.
35 min
85
A Mezze: It Takes a Village to Protect a River
To protect water resources in Lebanon, it takes more than just government action.
3 min
86
Olivia Lazard: Climate in the Middle East
Jon talks with Olivia Lazard about the social and political impacts of climate change in the Middle East.
41 min
87
A Mezze: Deus ex Trafica
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.
2 min
88
Marsin Alshamary: Iraq's Political Crisis
Jon speaks with Marsin Alshamary about the ongoing crisis happening outside of Iraq’s parliament, why the current intra-Shi’a conflict is unique, and where Iran and the United States stand.
37 min
89
A Mezze: Egypt's Killer Cuisine
Egypt doesn't have the most famous Middle Eastern cuisine, but few would call it deadly. That may be changing.
3 min
90
Accountability in Syria
Jon speaks with Ambassador Beth van Schaack about the prospects for accountability in Syria and the role of criminal justice and accountability in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
36 min
91
A Mezze: Taking the Heat
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.
3 min
92
Henry Rome: Nuclear Negotiations with Iran
Jon speaks with Henry Rome about U.S. negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and where it might go from here.
28 min
93
A Mezze: Lebanon's Brewing Crisis
Some Lebanese investors have turned to the beer and wine industry as the Lebanese economy tumbles and holding dollar deposits in banks becomes riskier.
3 min
94
Gregory Gause: President Biden's Trip to Saudi ...
Jon breaks down President Biden's upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia with Gregory Gause.
36 min
95
A Mezze: No Milk, No Honey
Israel has more vegans per capita than any other country. Within that community is tremendous diversity.
2 min
96
Frank Verrastro: The Middle East and Global Ene...
Jon speaks with Frank Verrastro about price volatility and the Middle East's role in the global energy market.
33 min
97
A Mezze: The DNA of Moroccan Society
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.
3 min
98
Nadia Oweidat: Disinformation in the Arab World
Jon talks with Nadia Oweidat about Russian disinformation in the Arab world.
35 min
99
A Mezze: Locals Be Dammed
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, and now they believe the government has a new strategy to punish them: building a dam.
3 min
100
Frederic Hof: Lessons Learned from U.S. Negotia...
Jon speaks with Ambassador Fred Hof about his attempt to negotiate peace between Syria and Israel between 2009 and 2011.
31 min