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 20 minutes
episode 1: A Mezze: High-Tech Hajj
Sharply reduced hajj numbers due to Covid-19 restrictions recently provided a prime opportunity to beta-test new crowd-control technology in Saudi Arabia.
episode 2: Bassem Youssef: Satire and Dissent
Jon Alterman speaks with Bassem Youssef about how he got his start on television, the role of satire in political conflict, and why he fled Egypt months after the military returned to power.
episode 3: A Mezze: An Olive's Odyssey
In the olive tree-rich region of Afrin in northwestern Syria, a different type of oil fuels the war-time economy—olive oil.
episode 4: What We Get Wrong About Iran
Jon Alterman talks with Jason Rezaian about what the U.S. government gets wrong about Iran.
episode 5: A Mezze: Morocco's Sand Mafias
In Morocco, the same industry that is helping to construct new tourism developments is also depleting the very coastline that those developments rely upon.
episode 6: Natasha Hall: Rescuing Aid in Syria
In a special episode, Jon speaks with Natasha Hall about her new report, Rescuing Aid in Syria.
episode 7: A Mezze: Beauty Therapy
Conflicts in the Middle East lead to increased demand for cosmetic surgery, and for some the results are tragic.
episode 9: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part One
Jon takes a closer look at how the United States responded to the 9/11 attacks by deepening its involvement in the Middle East, how its role in the region has changed, and how some people think it needs to change a lot more.
episode 10: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Two
Jon Alterman explores how the last two decades of heightened U.S. military involvement in the Middle East changed the region, and the U.S. military.