Egyptians traditionally celebrate Sham Enessim, the country’s pharaonic spring holiday, by eating faseekh, a fermented mullet. But in the weeks prior to this year’s holiday, which fell on May 6, the price of seafood shot up 180 percent. In Port Said, where seafood is generally an affordable staple protein, the price hikes hit especially hard. Salmah Elmasry, "A Fishy Business in Port Said," CSIS, July 30, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Michelle Nunn, the president and CEO of CARE. Michelle leads more than 8,000 people working around the world in crisis response, health and education access, gender equality, and climate change. Together, they discuss the unique challenges of Gaza's humanitarian crisis by contextualizing it among other global crises. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert to discuss how global attention on Gaza has affected the conflict and the humanitarian response, and whether sustained humanitarian engagement will translate into the “day after.” Transcript, "Michelle Nunn: The Challenges of Gaza's Humanitarian Crisis," CSIS, August 20, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Professor Jonathan Rynhold, the head of the Department of Political Studies at Bar Ilan University and a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Together, they talk about how Israeli public opinion has evolved since October 7th, the divisions within Israeli politics, and Israeli attitudes towards President Biden. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss the dynamics in Israeli strategic thinking and President Biden’s efforts to move the conflict closer to resolution. Transcript, "Jonathan Rynhold: Israel's Divided Politics," CSIS, June 11, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Marc Owen Jones, an assistant professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar. He is the author of the recently released book, Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East. They talk about governments' longstanding efforts to shape the news environment in Middle Eastern states, and how the rise of social media creates new opportunities and threats for governments and citizens alike. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper about what this all means for the United States and the region. Marc Owen Jones, "How digital authoritarianism has permeated the Middle East," Middle East Eye, August 11, 2022. Marc Owen Jones, Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East (Hurst Publishers: 2022). Marc Owen Jones, "Social media fueled the Arab Spring, then helped dictators squash it," The New Arab, January 12, 2021. Transcript, "Real News, Fake News, and No News," CSIS, September 20, 2022.

To protect water resources in Lebanon, it takes more than just government action. This Mezze is adapted from a short vignette in our Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Olivia Lazard, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe focusing on the geopolitics of climate and the transitions ushered by climate change. They talk about the political and social impacts of climate change in the Middle East, what states in the region are already doing to mitigate the effects of climate change, and the bigger, transformative policy changes that are still needed. Then, Jon breaks down how international actors and governments in the region are thinking about these kinds of changes with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper.  Olivia Lazard et al., “Let’s Place Sustainability and Climate Change at the Heart of International Policy,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, July 8, 2022.   Olivia Lazard et al., “The Middle East’s Climate Change Wake-Up,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, February 17, 2022.  Jon Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Will Todman, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East," CSIS, May 18, 2021. Transcript, "Climate in the Middle East," CSIS, September 6, 2022.

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. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Marsin Alshamary, a research fellow with the Middle East Initiative at Harvard’s Belfer Center. We talk about the ongoing crisis happening outside of Iraq’s parliament, why the current intra-Shi’a conflict is unique and how it echoes similar crises before, and where Iran and the United States stand. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about what a lighter U.S touch in Iraq might look like moving forward. Marsin Alshamary , "The Sadrist Gamble: A Make-or-Break Moment for Iraq?," Italian Institute for International and Political Studies, August 4, 2022. Marsin Alshamary, “The protester paradox: Why do anti-Islamist activists look toward clerical leadership?” Brookings, April 2022.  Jane Arraf and Jon Alterman, " Not Your Mother's Iraq," CSIS, March 1, 2022. Transcript, "Iraq's Political Crisis," CSIS, August 23, 2022.

Egypt doesn't have the most famous Middle Eastern cuisine, but few would call it deadly. That may be changing. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Ambassador Beth van Schaack, the State Department's ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice. They talk about holding perpetrators of atrocities accountable in Syria, how accountability and justice fit into U.S. foreign policy, and the ways in which accountability looks different the for winners and losers of conflicts. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Lubna Yousef, the Middle East Program's new Research Associate. Beth van Schaack, Imagining Justice for Syria (UK: Oxford University Press, 2020). Natasha Hall and Will Todman, "Lessons Learned from a Decade of Humanitarian Operations in Syria," CSIS, April 22, 2021. Beth van Schaack, “Good Governance Paper No. 13: Atrocities Prevention and Response,” Just Security, October 29, 2020.  Transcript, "Accountability in Syria," CSIS, August 9, 2022.

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. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Henry Rome, deputy head of research at the Eurasia Group and a longtime watcher of Israel and Iran. They talk about negotiations for a new nuclear deal with Iran and why they've stalled, scenarios for where negotiations and Iran's nuclear program might go from here, and how the region might change if Iran successfully develops a nuclear weapon. Then, Jon continued the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper about what the lack of a deal would mean for the United States and U.S. policy in the Middle East. Henry Rome, “The Limits of a New Iran Nuclear Deal,” Foreign Affairs, March 8, 2022.  Henry Rome, “The status of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program,” International Institute for Strategic Studies, January 25, 2022.   Henry Rome and Eric Brewer, “Getting to ‘No’ With Iran,” War on the Rocks, December 1, 2021.  Jon Alterman, "Iran Will Still be a Slog," Defense One, January 25, 2021. Transcript, "Nuclear Negotiations with Iran," CSIS, July 26, 2022.

Some Lebanese investors have turned to the beer and wine industry as the Lebanese economy tumbles and holding dollar deposits in banks becomes riskier. But a crisis is brewing, and alcohol may not be able to provide a pathway out of it. A New Mezze from the Middle East Program.

Since the revolution, Tunisia has had 12 different governments. Amid chronic political instability, Tunisian institutions lack the legitimacy necessary to implement policies. Environmental policies have taken a particularly hard hit. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program. Mohamed Omar Kardous, "Political Instability and Environmental Politics in Postrevolutionary Tunisia, CSIS, April 9, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Gregory Gause, professor of international affairs at Texas A&M University and a longstanding expert on Saudi Arabia. They talk about President Biden's upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia and what both sides hope to get out of the meeting, why Gause thinks that the United States should focus on order in the Middle East, and how the energy transition will impact U.S. engagement with the region. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp to break down how President Biden and U.S. officials are thinking about the president's trip. Gregory Gause, "America's New Realism in the Middle East," Foreign Affairs, July 6, 2022. Jon Alterman, "Rethinking Saudi Arabia," CSIS, June 23, 2022. Gregory Gause, "The Price of Order," Foreign Affairs, March 2022. Gregory Gause, "The United States is the Last Check on MBS's Power," Foreign Affairs, March 30, 2021. Transcript, "President Biden's Trip to Saudi Arabia," CSIS, July 12, 2022.

Israel has more vegans per capita than any other country. Within that community is tremendous diversity.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Frank Verrastro, a senior advisor with the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at CSIS. They talk about price volatility in the energy market, President Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia and its potential effect on the oil supply, and the current bottlenecks affecting the production of oil and natural gas. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Caleb Harper about how Middle Eastern oil producers are thinking about the near-term future of energy and what that means for U.S. relationships in the region. Frank Verrastro and Albert Helmig, "High Gasoline Prices Put Focus on Refiners, No Easy Solutions Ahead," CSIS, June 28, 2022. Jon Alterman, "Who Needs Oil When You Have Land?" CSIS, March 28, 2022. Jon Alterman, "A New Revolution in the Middle East," CSIS, August 9, 2021. Transcript, "The Middle East and Global Energy Markets," CSIS, June 28, 2022.

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.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Nadia Oweidat, a Middle East fellow at the Wilson Center and an assistant professor at Kansas State University. They talk about Russian disinformation efforts in Arabic media outlets, how authoritarian states in the region are amplifying those efforts, and how she thinks Western governments should respond. Then, Natasha Hall, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about how populations and states in the region think about the United States as the international system becomes more multipolar.  Nadia Oweidat, “The Russian Propaganda in Arabic Hidden from the West,” Wilson Center, April 18, 2022. Nadia Oweidat, “Supporting Youth Activists in the MENA Region: A Challenging Reality and Opportunities for a Bright Future,” Wilson Center, August 12, 2021. Jon Alterman, "The Middle East’s Indifference to Ukraine Is a Warning," Defense One, May 12, 2022. Natasha Hall and Will Todman, "Russia waged a cheap war in Syria. Here’s what those tactics might look like in Ukraine," Washington Post, March 11, 2022. Transcript, "Disinformation in the Arab World," CSIS, June 14, 2022.

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. Now, they believe the government has a new strategy to punish them: building a dam. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Ambassador Fred Hof about his new book, Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace. They talk about Ambassador Hof's effort to negotiate peace between Syria and Israel between 2009 and 2011, what complicated those efforts, what he thinks he could have done differently, and the qualities that make for a good mediator. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper, taking a closer look at U.S. mediation in the Middle East and the interplay between U.S. mediators on the ground and policymakers in Washington.  Frederic Hof, "I almost negotiated Israel-Syria peace. Here’s how it happened." Atlantic Council, May 26, 2022. Frederic Hof, Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace, (Washington, D.C.: USIP Press, 2022). Transcript, "Lessons Learned from U.S. Negotiations with Syria," CSIS, May 31, 2022.

In Bahrain, municipal authorities claim that seagulls are "too fat to fly," and they say that Bahrain's growing food waste is to blame. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Haider al-Abadi, an Iraqi politician who served as prime minister from 2014 to 2018, while the country was battling the Islamic State Group (ISG). They talk about his decision making as prime minister, the Iraqi government's response to the ISG, and the limits of decentralization in Iraq. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp continue the conversation about the roots of systemic corruption in Iraq and the consequences of the country's sectarian political system. Event, "Statesmen's Forum: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi," CSIS, April 16, 2015. Transcript, "Iraq and the Fight Against the Islamic State" CSIS, May 17, 2022.

Some find going to the dentist traumatic. In Morocco, the experience could be especially so, because the dentist may turn out never to have gone to dental school. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House and a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies for almost 20 years. They talk about the fallout from President Raisi’s death, how Gulf states are likely to react, and the feasibility of U.S. policy options going forward. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert to discuss what’s next for Iranian foreign policy and what opportunities there are for the United States. Transcript, "Sanam Vakil: Iran's Trajectory after Raisi," CSIS, May 29, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Tim Lenderking, the U.S. special envoy to Yemen. They speak about the UN-negotiated ceasefire in Yemen, recent U.S. diplomatic efforts in the country, and what makes the current moment in Yemen different than other openings in the past. Then, Jon, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about the interplay between U.S. and UN diplomatic engagement in Yemen, and in the rest of the region. Babel, "Peter Salisbury: Yemen's Civil War," CSIS, July 27, 2021. Transcript, "Tim Lenderking: Ceasefire in Yemen," CSIS, May 2, 2022.

Storing pallets of vegetable oil in your garage might earn you some strange looks; in Algeria, it can land you in prison. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.   In the seventh episode, Jon concludes the series by looking at views on how the Middle East should fit into U.S. global strategy. He talks with Stephen Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School; Dalia Dassa Kaye, senior fellow at UCLA's Burkle Center for International Relations; Martin Indyk, distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel and as assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; and Michael Doran, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who served in the Bush administration as a senior director on the National Security Council, a deputy assistant secretary of Defense, and senior advisor in the State Department.  Michael Doran, "Biden Koshers Iranian Terror," Tablet Magazine, April 13, 2022. Martin Indyk, "The Price of Retrenchment: What the Ukraine Crisis Reveals About the Post-American Middle East," Foreign Affairs, February 14, 2022. Dalia Dassa Kaye, "America Is Not Withdrawing From the Middle East," Foreign Affairs, December 1, 2021. Stephen Walt, "What Comes After the Forever Wars," Foreign Policy, April 28, 2021. Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Seven," CSIS, April 19, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.   In part six, Jon explores how people and governments in the Middle East see the United States, what they want from the United States in the region, and how that’s changing. Jon speaks with Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, an Emirati political scientist; Nabil Fahmy, Cairo’s former ambassador to Washington and later Egypt’s foreign minister; Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut; Alon Pinkas, a former diplomat who worked at the top levels of the Israeli government; and Nasser Hadian, an Iranian political scientist.  Alon Pinkas, "Israeli Boasting on Iran Isn’t Foreign Policy, It's Just Bragging," Haaretz, April 11, 2022. Maha Yahya, "The Middle East is on the Brink Again," Foreign Affairs, March 22, 2022. Nasser Hadian, "Explainer: Iran's Priorities at Nuclear Talks," United States Institute of Peace, January 3, 2022. Nabil Fahmy, "Adapting to a Region in Flux," Carnegie Middle East Center, May 10, 2021. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, "The Rise of the United Arab Emirates," The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, Spring 2021. Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Six," CSIS, April 12, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.   In part five, Jon takes a look at U.S. soft power in the Middle East, and just what makes American culture, ideals, and institutions enduringly attractive in the region—and around the world. He talks with Paul Salem, president of the Middle East Institute; Lisa Anderson, who served as the president of the American University in Cairo from 2011 to 2016; and Alanoud Alsharekh, a Kuwaiti women's rights activist and an associate fellow at Chatham House. Paul Salem, "Why the Arab Spring Failed—And Why It May Yet Succeed," TIME, January 5, 2021. Lisa Anderson, "Is There a Future for American Universities in the Middle East?" Foreign Affairs, March 22, 2019. Alanoud Alsharekh, Angry Words Softly Spoken: A Comparative Study of English and Arabic Women Writers, 2006. Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Five," CSIS, April 5, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.   In part four, Jon analyzes U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East, and how U.S. policymakers have thought about U.S. diplomatic power in the region. He talks with Ambassador Thomas Pickering, a career diplomat with over four decades of experience, including as U.S. ambassador to the UN and to six other countries, and as the undersecretary of State for political affairs; Nathalie Tocci, an Italian scholar who served as a key advisor to the European Union’s chief diplomat; and Brian Katulis, senior fellow and vice president of policy at the Middle East Institute who served in the National Security Council, the State Department, and the Department of Defense during the Clinton administration. Brian Katulis and Peter Juul, “Seeking a New Balance for U.S. Policy in the Middle East,” Center for American Progress, September 7, 2021. Nathalie Tocci, "Transatlantic Action Plan: Middle East and North Africa," Harvard Belfer Center, February 2021. Thomas Pickering, “Keynote remarks: the geopolitics of the Gulf from an American perspective,” Gulf International Forum, October 23, 2019.   Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Four," CSIS, March 29, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.   In part three, Jon looks at how the United States has used its economic toolkit in the region, and how successful sanctions and development aid have been in advancing U.S. interests in the Middle East. He speaks with Howard Shatz, a senior economist at RAND who served with the Bush administration’s Council of Economic Advisors in 2007-2008; Amy Hawthorne, the deputy director for research for the Project on Middle East Democracy who served as a senior advisor for Near Eastern Affairs in the State Department during the Arab Spring; and Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group’s Iran project director.   Howard Shatz. "The Power and Limits of Threat: The Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act at One Year,” Real Clear Defense. July 7, 2021.   Amy Hawthorne, "Egypt: Trends in Politics, Economics, and Human Rights," Before The House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism, 116th Congress, 2020. Ali Vaez and Naysan Rafati, “U.S. Maximum Pressure Meets Iranian Maximum Pressure,” International Crisis Group, November 5, 2019.  Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Three," CSIS, March 22, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.   In part two, Jon traces the story of the last two decades of heavy U.S. military involvement in the Middle East, identifying how it’s changed the U.S. military and the way that the United States engages in the region. He speaks with Gen. Joseph Votel, a career army officer with over 40 years of service, most recently as commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) from 2016 to 2019; Eliot Cohen, the Arleigh A. Burke chair in strategy at CSIS who served as counselor for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the height of the surge in Iraq; and Kori Schake, a member of the National Security Council during President Bush’s first term and the deputy director of policy planning at the State Department in his second term. Kori Schake, Jim Mattis, Jim Ellis, and Joe Felter, “Defense in Depth: Why U.S. Security Depends on Alliances—Now More Than Ever,” Foreign Affairs, November 23, 2020.  Joseph Votel, "Between Then and Now, They Did Not Die in Vain," Defense One, September 9, 2021. Eliot Cohen, The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force (New York: Basic Books, 2016).   Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Two," CSIS, March 15, 2022.

In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Jon Alterman, senior vice president, Zbigniew Brzezinski chair in global security and geostrategy, and director of the Middle East Program, sits down with some of the preeminent foreign policy experts and former policymakers who have helped shape U.S. policy in the region. Over the next seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.     In this first episode, Jon explores how the United States became more deeply enmeshed in the Middle East, how its role in the region has changed, and how some people think it needs to change a lot more. He talks with Ambassador Anne Patterson, a career diplomat with more than 40 years of experience in the Middle East and around the globe, most recently as assistant secretary of state for the Near East and North Africa from 2013 to 2017; Andrew Bacevich, a retired army officer, former West Point professor, and the president of the Quincy Institute; and Karim Makdisi, a professor of international relations at the American University of Beirut.  Anne Patterson, "We Have to Be There," The Foreign Service Journal, September 2019.  Karim Makdisi, "Teaching Trump's America First in/from Beirut," Political Science and Politics (vol 53:2), April 2020.  Andrew Bachevich, America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History. Random House, 2016.  Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part One," CSIS, March 8, 2022.

This week on Babel, I speak with Jane Arraf, the Baghdad bureau chief for the New York Times. She's spent more than a quarter-century as a journalist in the Middle East, working for National Public Radio, CNN, the Christian Science Monitor, and other leading outlets. I talk with Jane about the way that Iraq is becoming surprisingly normal, how Iraqis think about sectarianism now, and the way in which corruption affects nearly every aspect of society in Iraq.  Then, Will Todman, Danny Sharp, and I continue the conversation about corruption in Iraq and across the Middle East.  Jane Arraf, “Reveling in the Joys of Books, and Reading, at a Baghdad Book Fair,” New York Times, December 18, 2021.   Jane Arraf, “After Years as a Battleground, Investment Boom Lifts Iraqi City,” New York Times, July 10, 2021.   Transcript, "Not Your Mother's Iraq," CSIS, March 1, 2022.

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at CSIS, about the impacts of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash, and how it will affect Iran's foreign and domestic policy. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program. Jon Alterman, "The Impacts of Raisi's Death," CSIS, May 20, 2024.

Conflicts in the Middle East lead to increased demand for cosmetic surgery, and for some the results are tragic.

This week on Babel, we're doing things a bit differently. Freeing ourselves from the world of Zoom and time zones, Jon sat down in person this week with Middle East Program senior fellow Natasha Hall, whose report "Rescuing Aid in Syria" was released yesterday. They recorded their conversation on Natasha's report in a new CSIS studio, and you can watch it here. After Jon's discussion with Natasha, he continued the conversation on the report with Jake Kurtzer, senior fellow and director of the CSIS Humanitarian Agenda, and Sara Kayyali, the Syria researcher in the Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa Division. Natasha's report explores the challenges of meeting Syrians’ humanitarian needs while ensuring that the government does not profit from the exercise. You can read it here. We have also prepared a short one-pager of the report's key findings, which you can find here. Natasha Hall, "Rescuing Aid in Syria," CSIS, February 14, 2022. Natasha Hall, "The Implications of the UN Cross-Border Vote in Syria," CSIS, June 4, 2021. Transcript, "Rescuing Aid in Syria," CSIS, February 15, 2022.

In Morocco, the same industry that is helping to construct new tourism developments is also depleting the very coastline that those developments rely upon. A New Mezze from the Middle East Program. This episode was adapted from our monthly Mezze series, shining a spotlight on under-discussed trends and debates shaping the Middle East. You can read past examples of our Mezzes on the CSIS website.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Jason Rezaian, an Iranian-American journalist who grew up in California and moved to Iran to report in 2009. In 2012, he joined the Washington Post, and in 2014, he was arrested and spent 544 days in Iran's Evin Prison. Jon and Rezaian talk about why he went to Iran, what the U.S. government gets wrong about Iranians, and how Iranian leaders think about hostage-taking and its role in Iranian foreign policy. Then, Jon, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about what some Iranians get wrong about Americans and how decisionmakers should think about public opinion in Iran and other states in the region. Jason Rezaian, “Iran is spinning a fairytale that there’s no place like home. No one’s buying it.” Washington Post, January 12, 2022.  Jason Rezaian, “Four decades of ignorance have led to this U.S.-Iran standoff,” Washington Post, December 28, 2021.  Podcast, "Karim Sadjadpour: Iran's Future," CSIS, July 13, 2021. Jon Alterman, "Iran Will Still Be a Slog," DefenseOne, January 23, 2021. Transcript, "What We Get Wrong About Iran," CSIS, February 1, 2022.

In the olive tree-rich region of Afrin in northwestern Syria, a different type of oil fuels the wartime economy—olive oil. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program. This episode was adapted from our monthly Mezze series, shining a spotlight on under-discussed trends and debates shaping the Middle East. You can read past examples of our Mezzes on the CSIS website.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Bassem Youssef. He's an Egyptian satirist who parlayed his low-budget Youtube program into Al-Bernameg, the most popular show of the Arab Spring. At its height, he had a weekly audience of more than 30 million viewers. They talk 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. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp continue the conversation about the limits of satire and dissent across the Arab world.  Bassem Youssef, Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring, (New York, NY: Dey Street Books, 2017). Bassem Youssef, "The Joke is Mightier than the Sword," Nieman Reports, March 24, 2015. Transcript, "Satire and Dissent," CSIS, January 18, 2022.

As Covid-19 restrictions reduced hajj numbers in 2021, Saudi Arabia had a prime opportunity to beta-test new crowd-control technology. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program. Stay tuned until the end for a special note from Jon about this new season of Babel. If you'd like to help us shape this upcoming season of Babel and the chance to win a free Babel mug, please fill out a short 8 question survey here: https://bit.ly/csisbabel.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with his longtime friend Dr. Kristin Diwan, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Kristin analyzes how young Gulf Arabs' eagerness for change finds public expression, how Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman has sought to shape young peoples' attitudes for reform in Saudi Arabia, and how young people are engaging in their own regional dialogues about change. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about youth and social change across the region.  Kristin Diwan, “All the Kings’ Sons,” Arab Gulf State Institute in Washington (AGSIW), April 9, 2021.   Kristin Diwan, “Why the Saudis Ended the Dispute with Qatar,” AGSIW, February 8, 2021.  Jon Alterman, "The End of History in the Middle East," CSIS, November 22, 2021. Jon Alterman, "Ties that Bind," CSIS, December 2, 2019. Transcript, "Gulf Youth and the Urge for Change," CSIS, December 21, 2021.

The Middle East has plenty of water problems without warfare. As warfare becomes more common, water is becoming an increasingly common weapon. A New Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with Ghassan Salamé, a Paris-based academic and former UN mediator with over three decades of experience moving between academia and public policy. They talk about how he started his UN career, the role and limitations of the United Nations as a conflict mediator, and how his experiences as a practitioner inform the way that he teaches international affairs. Then, Jon, Will Todman, Danny Sharp talk about how their own academic backgrounds prepared them for careers in foreign policy. Stephanie Williams and Ghassan Salamé “Why There’s Hope for Libya,” Newlines Magazine, April 22, 2021.   "An Interview with Dr. Jon B. Alterman," New Perspectives in Foreign Policy, 2015. Transcript, "In and Out of the Ivory Tower" CSIS, December 7, 2021.

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. They talk about Hezbollah’s evolution, its ties to other actors in the region, and the role the group is playing in the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss Hezbollah’s deep roots in Lebanese society and the organization’s future. Transcript, "Nicholas Blanford: Hezbollah’s Struggle Against Israel," CSIS, May 14, 2024. Nicholas Blanford, Warriors of God: Inside Hezbollah's Thirty-Year Struggle Against Israel, Random House, 2011. Nicholas Blanford, Killing Mr Lebanon: The Assassination of Rafik Hariri and Its Impact on the Middle East, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2006.

In Damascus, even death is getting more expensive. With limited space and the demand for cemetery plots rising, armed thugs have established an illegal grave trade in Syria. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

As Saudi officials crackdown on corruption, they are increasingly zeroing in on a new target: suspiciously full camel lips. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon talks with Robert Worth, a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine who interviewed Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya's long-standing dictator, in May. They discuss Saif Gaddafi's political ambitions in the upcoming elections, unique aspects of Libya's society and revolution, and the memory of the Gaddafi regime in Libya. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp discuss nostalgia for authoritarianism across the Middle East. Robert Worth, "Qaddafi's Son Is Alive. And He Wants to Take Libya Back," New York Times Magazine, July 30, 2021. Robert Worth, A Rage for Order: The Middle East in Turmoil, from Tahrir Square to ISIS (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016). Transcript, "Authoritarian Nostalgia in Libya," CSIS, November 16, 2021.