Imported entertainment options have flourished under MBS, helping erode the Saudi state’s ability to shape public culture. But now, Saudi state-owned firms are using the growing popularity of anime to shape their own narrative, at home and abroad. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.
May 22
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 15
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 8
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
Jun 2024
Learning Arabic, Saudi Culture, Resolving Misconceptions, Psychology & Intuition | Heidi 116
Heidi is the first American to study psychology in Arabic at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She started learning Arabic through Saudi TV shows and after living in the kingdom for only 3 years she had mastered the language. On this episode, Heidi talks about how she ... Show More
1h 14m
Jan 2021
Reform and Repression in Saudi Arabia, with Madawi Al-Rasheed and Jeremy Bowen
In 2018 journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi regime operatives, shocking the world and drawing widespread condemnation. Mohammad bin Salman, the kingdom’s young crown prince, denied any involvement in the killing but his reputation as a moderniser was tarnished. Bin S ... Show More
1 h
Sep 2023
How Worried Should We Be About Saudi Arabia?
In this episode, Tom and Helen explore Saudi Arabia - a place at once futuristic and authoritarian. From Aramco Oil to Cristiano Ronaldo, we discuss the ways in which the Kingdom in the Middle East is trying to take over the world, and how worried we should be. Hosted on Acast. ... Show More
58m 53s
Jul 2017
We Are Aladdin
The girls are back for episode 2 & they get into the casting of the new live-action Aladdin, the first same-sex Muslim marriage, an exciting new emoji, Qatar, updates on the travel ban, ISIS, & how the new Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia came to power. Learn more about your ad-choic ... Show More
54m 58s