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PODCAST

Babel: Translating the Middle East

Center for Strategic and International Studies

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, Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy 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

government news commentary

All Episodes

45:50

Jihad Azour: The Middle East's Economic Outlook

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2023/01/10

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Jihad Azour, the director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They talk about the Middle East's economic outlook, the impacts of COVID and the Ukraine war on local economies, and the political consequences of economic reforms. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp, discussing popular attitudes to IMF-supported reforms and the potential consequences of greater Gulf state

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3:02

A Mezze: Weed Whacking

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2023/01/03

As regional conflicts blaze, Lebanese and Israeli drug markets are feeling the heat: over the past two years, hashish prices have fallen 50 percent in Lebanon, while in Israel, prices are rising.

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38:31

Khalid Albaih: The Information Bubble

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/12/27

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Khalid Albaih, a Sudanese cultural producer, artist, and political cartoonist. They talk about how Albaih got his start as a political cartoonist, how he went viral during the Arab Spring and what he was trying to do, and why he's rethinking his role on the internet today. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about the vast amount of information available online today and the "information bubbles" that many of us find ourselves

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3:24

A Mezze: Blame it on the Bitcoin

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/12/20

Libya's electricity grid has been struggling for years, but the government thinks it has found a new culprit: illegal bitcoin mining farms it says are popping up across the country.

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35:48

C. Raja Mohan: India's Middle East Strategy

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/12/13

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with C. Raja Mohan, a senior fellow at the Asia Policy Institute who has been writing about Indian foreign policy for decades. They talk about India's strategy in the Middle East and how it's changed under Prime Minister Modi, how Indian policymakers think about the region, and potential areas for cooperation between India and its regional partners. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about how the region sees India and what a more

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3:07

A Mezze: Patching Jordan's Water Leaks

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/12/06

In the Jordan Valley, influential tribal members and landowners have steady access to water, while individual consumers and small farmers struggle. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program, adapted from a vignette in our report, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East."

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41:24

Tamar Hermann: Israel's Rightward Shift

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/11/29

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Tamar Hermann, a senior fellow with the Israel Democracy Institute who has been analyzing Israeli polling data for decades. They talk about the rightward shift of young Jewish Israelis, changing attitudes toward Arab citizens of Israel, and the rising politics of grievances there. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp about the link between public opinion and decision-making around the region. Tamar Hermann, "Only Half of

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2:16

A Mezze: Toons That Teach

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/11/22

Increasingly, a range of dialects have appeared on television and in movies. Arab children’s television, however, has proven surprisingly immune to the trend. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

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38:51

Helen Lackner: Yemen in Conflict

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/11/15

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Helen Lackner, the author of the new book, Yemen: Poverty and Conflict, who has spent five decades covering Yemen. They talk about how conflict has been endemic in Yemen for hundreds of years, how the current conflict fits into that history, and what a post-conflict Yemen could look like. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper about U.S. goals in Yemen and other conflict-affected countries in the Middle East. Helen

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3:14

A Mezze: Syrians Need Not Apply

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/11/08

Amid a worsening economic crisis, Lebanon is facing yet another shortage: a lack of foreign workers to work as maids and nannies in Lebanese homes. Despite a high unemployment rate among Syrians living in Lebanon, they aren't likely to be part of the solution. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

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37:56

COP 27 Preview: Electrifying the Middle East with Ali...

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/11/01

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Ali al-Saffar, the Middle East and North Africa program manager at the International Energy Agency (IEA). They talk about the state of electric grids in the Middle East; renewable electricity and the energy transition; and why some Middle Eastern countries have too little electricity, why some have too much, and why that matters. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about subsidies and reform in the region. Jon Alterman, "The

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2:51

A Mezze: Meat Market

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/10/25

Many countries have large trade deficits with oil producers in the Middle East, but Brazil is deep in surplus: it isn’t hungry for oil imports, but the region's consumers are hungry for its meat. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

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44:06

Mahsa Alimardani: Protest, Social Media, and...

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/10/18

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Mahsa Alimardani, a scholar at the University of Oxford and a senior researcher with Article19. They talk about the recent protests in Iran and how both protestors and the regime have used social media, the cat and mouse game of online access and censorship in Iran, and what Western social media companies can be doing to better moderate their platforms. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about the intersection of protest

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3:19

A Mezze: Honey, I Froze the Kids

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/10/11

Israel's generous subsidies for in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) have earned it the highest per capita rate of IVF procedures in the world, but that generosity may soon literally overflow with a decades-long buildup of frozen embryos.

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34:59

Sami Atallah: Lebanon's Freefall

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/10/04

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Sami Atallah, the founding director of The Policy Initiative in Beirut. They talk about Lebanon's three year old financial crisis, its struggle with political accountability, and where change might come from. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Caleb Harper about how donors and the international community are thinking about Lebanon. Sami Atallah et al., “When elections don’t matter? How new parliamentarians can improve the politics of

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2:52

A Mezze: Volunteer Trash Collectors

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/09/27

Tunisia’s revolution in 2011 improved many things, but the odors of Tunis was not one of them. This Mezze was adapted from the Middle East Program's report, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East."

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35:31

Marc Owen Jones: Real News, Fake News, and No News

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/09/20

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

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3:41

A Mezze: It Takes a Village to Protect a River

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/09/13

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.

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41:05

Olivia Lazard: Climate in the Middle East

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/09/06

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

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2:44

A Mezze: Deus ex Trafica

Babel: Translating the Middle East ·

2022/08/30

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.

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284 results

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