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).
https://www.csis.org/podcasts/babel
Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 3 days 2 hours 16 minutes
episode 20: Nicholas Blanford: Hezbollah’s Struggle Against Israel
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.
episode 19: A Mezze: The Bonds of Marriage between Syria and Iraq
Unknowingly, a Syrian widow became one of dozens of women to fall victim to Iraqi marriage exploitation in the past year alone.
episode 18: Hans Grundberg: Mediation in Yemen
This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hans Grundberg about what a UN mediator does, what successful mediation means, and how the internationalization of conflicts complicates mediation.
episode 17: Iran and Israel: A Cycle of Retaliation
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.
episode 16: Hiba Husseini: Peacemaking After Oslo
This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hiba Husseini about the state of pro-peace communities after October 7th and the ways the war in Gaza will affect future peacemaking efforts.
episode 15: Analysis: Support for Refugees Erodes in the Middle East
This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Will Todman, deputy director and senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, to discuss how the issue of refugees and displaced populations has become a flashpoint across the region and the innovative solutions necessary to mitigate these crises.
episode 14: Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein: Human Rights in a Messy World
This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, about the pursuit of human rights in a multipolar world and the role that the United Nations can play in Gaza.
episode 13: Analysis: The New Forever Wars
This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about seemingly endless conflicts around the globe and what the U.S. should do about them.
episode 12: Dana Stroul: The U.S. Defense Strategy in the Middle East
This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dana Stroul about the U.S. defense strategy in the Middle East, how the Israel-Hamas war has changed U.S. security partnerships with Arab states, and the lessons Israel should learn from U.S. military experience in the region.
episode 11: Analysis: Redefining Climate Finance for a Troubled World
This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about climate financing in conflict-affected countries.