This week on Babel, Jon Alterman talks with Ambassador James Jeffrey, who recently finished serving as the Secretary of State's special representative for Syria engagement and as the special envoy to defeat ISIS. Ambassador Jeffrey talked about Turkey's Middle East policy, how to think about Turkey's versus Erdogan's views, and if Turkey has any allies in th ... Show More
May 2025
Babel Special: Jon Alterman's Next Chapter
This week on a special edition of Babel, Will Todman speaks with Jon Alterman, the creator of Babel and the show’s host since it began in 2019. They discuss Jon’s reflections on 22 years directing the CSIS Middle East Program, his analysis of how the Middle East policy ecosystem ... Show More
34m 59s
May 2025
Mohanad Hage Ali: Hezbollah and the Captagon Trade
This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Mohanad's latest paper for Carnegie investigates the rise of a new form of drug smuggling in Lebanon. Together, they discuss Hezbollah’s i ... Show More
50m 16s
May 2025
Analysis: Will Trump’s Houthi Deal Stick?
On Tuesday, May 6, President Trump declared that the United States would immediately halt its bombing of Houthi targets, bringing an end to months of intensified U.S. strikes across Yemen. The president linked the policy reversal to what he described as the Iran-backed Houthis’ c ... Show More
6m 13s
Feb 2025
Trump’s New Middle East Policy
Negar Mortazavi speaks to Murtaza Hussain, foreign policy correspondent at Dropsite News, and Hooman Majd, Iranian-American journalist and author, about President Trump’s new Middle East policy. Episode 127.
35m 50s
Nov 2024
Diplomacy is Not a Dirty Word
Negar Mortazavi in conversation with Steven Simon, Lara Friedman, Nader Hashemi, and Jon Hoffman, discussing US policy in the Middle East under Biden and Trump. This panel was hosted in person by the National Iranian American Council.
1h 19m
Jan 2021
‘Things are going to get tougher’ in US-Turkey relations, says Amberin Zaman
<p>Al-Monitor Senior Correspondent Amberin Zaman discusses why US-Turkey relations are unlikely to get better; the Kurdish question in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria; why an Israel-Turkey rapprochement is not imminent; and her new role as the other host of ‘on the Middle East….also Andr ... Show More
32m 53s
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Episode 152 of</span> <a href="https://www.hiddenforces.io/podcasts"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Hidden Forces</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">, Demetri Kofinas speaks with</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Soner</span> < ... Show More
