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).
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The Internationalization of Libya
This week on Babel, Jon is joined by Frederic Wehrey, senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
26 min
202
A Mezze: Cut from Whole Cloth
Middle Eastern governments are struggling to combat purchases of military uniforms by malign actors attempting to impersonate soldiers.
3 min
203
The Climate-Security Nexus with Marwa Daoudy
Marwa Daoudy, assistant professor at Georgetown University, joins Jon to talk about the climate-security nexus in Syria.
24 min
204
A Mezze: Speaking the Same Language
Syrians seem to be laying the groundwork for an enduring Russian presence in the country with an increase in Russian language education.
3 min
205
Changing Gulf Economies During Covid-19
This week on Babel, Gregory Gause joined Jon to talk about how Gulf economies are changing during Covid-19.
28 min
206
A Mezze: Wife Goes On
Lavish celebrations with cakes, wedding halls, and invitations are marking a new trend in Saudi Arabia—divorce parties.
3 min
207
Disinformation During Covid-19
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.
26 min
208
A Mezze: You've Got Mail
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.
4 min
209
COVID-19 in Iran
This week, Jon talks with Ariane Tabatabai, a Middle East fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund.
23 min
210
A Mezze: Moral Test
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.
3 min
211
Economic Implication of COVID-19 in the Middle ...
Jon talks with Tarik Yousef, a senior fellow in the global economy and development program at Brookings and director of the Brookings Doha Center.
21 min
212
A Mezze: Iraq’s Explosive Plague
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.
3 min
213
COVID-19 and Cascading Crises in the Middle East
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.
12 min
214
Jihadi Poetry in Yemen
This week, Jon, Will, and McKinley 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.
27 min
215
A Mezze: Sana's Solar Revolution
Solar panels are giving Yemenis access to affordable power solutions, even as traditional electric grids are failing.
2 min
216
Sectarianism in Lebanon
Jon and Hanin Ghaddar discuss sectarianism in Lebanon, the changing role of Hezbollah, and what’s next for a country mired in economic troubles.
29 min
217
China in the Middle East: Part Six
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.
21 min
218
China in the Middle East: Part Five
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.
20 min
219
China in the Middle East: Part Four
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.
17 min
220
China in the Middle East: Part Three
In the third episode of our podcast miniseries, China in the Middle East, Jon Alterman explores China’s security interests in the Middle East.
17 min
221
China in the Middle East: Part Two
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.
16 min
222
China in the Middle East: Part One
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.
21 min
223
A Mezze: Santa Claus is Coming to Tehran
This December, Iranians of all faiths gather to admire Christmas trees and Santa figurines, despite governmental restrictions on Christians and other Western holidays.
3 min
224
A Mezze: Dodging a Bullet
Young people across the Arab World are resorting to extreme measures—like cutting off limbs, or faking being kidnapped—to avoid mandatory military service.
3 min
225
The Rise of Individualism in the Arab World
In the latest episode, Vivian Salama, White House correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, interviews Jon Alterman on his new report.
17 min