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. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Hiba Husseini: Peacemaking After Oslo

10 days ago 38m 49s

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hiba Husseini, a Palestinian lawyer and a legal adviser to Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations for 30 years. They discuss the state of pro-peace communities after October 7th and the war in Gaza's

Analysis: Support for Refugees Erodes in the Middle East

16 days ago 8m 9s

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Will Todman, deputy director and senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about how displacement has become a flashpoint across the region and the innovative solutions necessary to mitigate these cris

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein: Human Rights in a Messy World

23 days ago 36m 15s

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a former Jordanian diplomat, and the current president and CEO of the International Peace Institute. They discuss the pursuit

Analysis: The New Forever Wars

1 month ago 6m 12s

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about the U.S. strategy toward protracted conflicts, which can serve as forums for great power competition. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle E

Dana Stroul: The U.S. Defense Strategy in the Middle East

Mar 19th, 2024 43m 26s

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dana Stroul, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East. They talk about the U.S. defense strategy in the Middle East before and after the war in Gaza, how the conflict has

Analysis: Redefining Climate Finance for a Troubled World

Mar 12th, 2024 6m 27s

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about the challenges of mitigating climate change through humanitarian interventions in conflict-affected countries. A new Analysis from the CSIS

Amos Yadlin: A New Type of Israeli War

Mar 5th, 2024 36m 40s

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Amos Yadlin, a former head of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the Israel Defense Forces. They discuss Israeli strategy in Gaza, the impacts of the war on Israel’s global relationships, and h

Audio Brief: What Will the United States Do after the Drone Strike in Jordan?

Feb 27th, 2024 3m 18s

On January 28, a drone reportedly piloted by forces connected to Iran killed three U.S. troops at a base in northeast Jordan and wounded more than two dozen more. The strike is the highest casualty event the United States has had in the Middle

Amb. David Satterfield: Humanitarian Aid in Gaza

Feb 20th, 2024 34m 36s

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Amb. David Satterfield, the U.S. special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues. They discuss the crisis in Gaza, the challenges of getting aid to civilians, and the role of humanitarian assistanc

Audio Brief: A Different Two-State Solution

Feb 13th, 2024 2m 46s

With violence between Palestinians and Israelis at its highest levels in decades, voices have risen again in favor of a two-state solution. Reviving the idea will require redefining some terms, including "two," "state," and "solution." A new au

Bader Al-Saif: Kuwait's Perceptions, People, and Progress

Feb 6th, 2024 37m 41s

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Bader Al-Saif, a U.S.-trained Kuwaiti academic. Together, they discuss Kuwaitis’ perceptions of the Israel-Hamas war, U.S. geostrategy, and where Kuwait itself is headed almost 35 years after Iraq’s

Analysis: Environmental Action in Tunisia

Jan 30th, 2024 7m 17s

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Will Todman, deputy director and senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about Manish Msab, the first environmental movement to defeat the Tunisian government in court. A new Analysis from the CSIS M

Yana Abu Taleb: Environmental Peacebuilding in Jordan

Jan 23rd, 2024 27m 37s

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Yana Abu Taleb, the Jordanian director of EcoPeace Middle East, a trilateral peacebuilding organization that seeks shared solutions to environmental issues affecting Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. To

Analysis: Climate Entrepreneurs in the Middle East

Jan 16th, 2024 7m 2s

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Will Todman, deputy director and senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about how entrepreneurs can help regional governments adapt to climate change. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Progra

Rafat Al-Akhali: Yemen on the Brink

Jan 9th, 2024 39m 39s

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Rafat Al-Akhali, a Yemeni who went from being an exchange student in Canada to being a youth activist, a government minister, and then a development consultant. Together, they discuss youth activism

Audio Brief: China's Essential Role in the Gulf States' Energy Transitions

Jan 2nd, 2024 2m 57s

China has established itself as an essential partner in Gulf states' energy transitions. However, Western governments have been reluctant to compete head-to-head with Chinese enterprises in the renewables sector in the Gulf. A new audio brief f

Danny Hajjar: Today's Arab Music

Dec 26th, 2023 34m 28s

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with music journalist Danny Hajjar about the changing Arab music scene. They talk about the rise of Arab hip-hop, how increasing connectivity influences the way Arab artists produce and distribute music,

Analysis: Human Rights in a Multipolar World

Dec 19th, 2023 6m 31s

This week, Zeid Qiblawi speaks with Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the Middle East Program at CSIS, about the reversal of human rights norms in an increasingly multipolar world. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.Natasha Hall,

Renad Mansour and Farea Al-Muslimi: The Cost of Political Settlements in the MENA Region

Dec 12th, 2023 27m 50s

This week on Babel, you will hear excerpts from Jon Alterman's recent discussion with Chatham House experts Renad Mansour and Farea al-Muslimi, alongside the CSIS Middle East Program's Natasha Hall. They discuss a recent Chatham House report, w

Analysis: The Ripple Effect of Water Insecurity

Dec 5th, 2023 5m 16s

The Middle East is experiencing a water crisis exacerbated by climate change, inefficient water use, and decades of resource mismanagement. Water insecurity not only aggravates pre-existing vulnerabilities; it also drives instability, conflict,

Rula Hardal: Life as a Palestinian Citizen of Israel

Nov 28th, 2023 38m 10s

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Palestinian-Israeli scholar and activist Rula Hardal about her life in both Israel and the West Bank, what reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians would look like, and the concessions that e

Audio Brief: Israel Could Lose

Nov 21st, 2023 3m 52s

The Israeli military is the most formidable fighting force in the Middle East. And yet it is quite possible that the war in Gaza will be the first war in Israel’s history that the army has fought and lost. A new audio brief from the CSIS Middle

Khalil Sayegh: What We Get Wrong About Gaza

Nov 14th, 2023 36m 30s

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Palestinian political analyst Khalil Sayegh about what people get wrong about Gaza, the spread of misinformation, and why grassroots peace efforts need to change in the aftermath of the conflict. The

A Mezze: Chat GPMufti

Nov 7th, 2023 3m 11s

A recent flurry of Islamic experimentation with artificial intelligence has been met with mixed results. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.