Is the U.S. Done With the Middle East?

People are worried that AI will automate their jobs. Yet Brian Merchant has interviewed hundreds of workers disrupted by AI, and what he sees isn’t a technological revolution but a centuries-old power struggle: bosses wielding new tech as leverage to deskill and destabilize worke ... Show More

Data centers may be the most controversial objects in America. They’re blamed for draining water reservoirs, stressing electrical grids, and driving up utility bills. Communities throughout the country are pushing back and seeking moratoria. But Andy Masley says this is all wrong ... Show More

NATO’s future remains in doubt as Donald Trump again threatens to pull U.S. troops from Europe. But the practical stakes of these debates aren’t always clear. What military capabilities does Europe stand to lose? How long would it take to replace them? And how might Russia exploi ... Show More

The assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh appears to have made life more difficult for President-elect Biden - yet another event to weigh up as he considers what to do about Donald Trump’s legacy across the Middle East. Over the last four years the Rep ... Show More

Month by month, US President Joe Biden is shifting away from Trump-era foreign policy positions. But how dramatic will the pivot be? In the Middle East, there are signs of a changed approach to the region's two oil-rich adversaries Saudi Arabia and Iran; more pressure on the Saud ... Show More

What's the US planning for the Middle East? President Donald Trump came to the region on Monday to cement his plan for peace in Gaza. He says the end of the war ushers in a historic new dawn. But can he succeed where his predecessors have failed? In this episode: Sarah Eltantawi, ... Show More

Joe Biden’s approach to the Middle East will likely be very different than Donald Trump’s. But should it be? For some, the Trump legacy was the right approach: A transactional style that resulted in a host of political and diplomatic victories, including normalizing relations bet ... Show More

Since Israel's war against Hamas began, the US has tried to prevent a wider regional war from breaking out. Now, with US attacks against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, drone strikes in Iraq and fighting across Israel's northern border with Lebanon is that regional conflict the US w ... Show More

The US has been examining China's expanding involvement in the Middle East from various perspectives, both within and beyond the region. A major topic of discussion has been the strained relationship between China and the US, which is having a significant impact on the strategic ... Show More

Big things are shaping up in the Middle East as the Biden administration appears to be rethinking its get-tough policy on Saudi Arabia, even as it continues to hold out hope for a revived nuclear deal with Iran. Meanwhile, Russia looks poised to shut down a key humanitarian aid c ... Show More

This week on Babel, Jon is joined by Hassan Barari, a professor of international politics at the University of Jordan who is currently on leave teaching at Qatar University. Jon and Hassan talk about how the Middle East has viewed past U.S. administrations and the current one. Th ... Show More