This week on Babel, Jon talks with Carsten Wieland, a German diplomat who served in the United Nations with three separate special envoys to Syria. They discuss the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, the politicization of humanitarian aid in Syria, and the implications of humanitarian aid policy in Syria for broader international humanitarian law. 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
Jan 2025
On the Situation in Syria and its Implications for the Region
Thuraya, Angie, Mohammad, and Edward join Breht to discuss recent events in Syria. Together they discuss what happened, Syria under the Assad government, the hope and concerns of the the Syrian people, the role Syria plays in the axis of resistance, Syria's connections to Palest ... Show More
1h 34m
Dec 2024
The fall of Assad in Syria and its impact on the Middle East
Today on the show: after Syrian rebels took Damascus, Fareed is joined by Natasha Hall, senior fellow at the CSIS Middle East Program, and Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to discuss what the fall of Assad’s regime means for Syria ... Show More
41m 14s
Sep 2025
Syria’s foreign minister on his country’s future
Today on the show, Fareed sits down with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani at the Council on Foreign Relations for a wide-ranging discussion on his transition from rebel to statesman, the future for religious minorities in Syria, and whether peace with Israel seems viable ... Show More
40m 57s
May 2025
A Trauma Surgeon's Story From Gaza
<p>Tommy and Ben discuss President Trump’s policy changes on Syria and his man-crush on its president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, what lifting sanctions on Syria could (and should) look like, more details on how Qatar’s plane bribe came together, and Tulsi Gabbard’s shocking politicization ... Show More
1h 44m