This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group. They talk about the Saudi-Iranian agreement to resume diplomatic ties, how it fits into Iran’s wider foreign policy strategy around the region, and the prospects for a broader détente between Iran and its Arab neighbors in the Gulf. Vaez suggests that a regional nuclear ... 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
Dec 2024
Iran-Gulf Relations
Dispatch from Rome: Negar Mortazavi speaks to Yousuf Al Bulushi, Sara Bazoobandi, and Abdulaziz Sager, about the future of Iran-GCC relations, Oman’s crucial role in mediation, the challenges and opportunities of the Iran-Saudi deal, and the path forward for the countries of the ... Show More
37m 21s
Sep 2023
The Battles of the Ayatollah
Negar Mortazavi speaks with Alex Vatanka about Iran’s domestic politics and mass protests, the crisis of legitimacy and the issue of leadership succession, Tehran’s deescalation with Washington and regional engagement with Arab rivals, and the continuous shift to the East towards ... Show More
34m 36s
Jan 2025
The Future of Iran's Nuclear Program
In this episode of MEnbar, host Marc Owen Jones is joined by Hamidreza Azizi, a nonresident fellow at the ME Council, to discuss his latest publication, "Iran’s Shifting Discourse on Nuclear Weaponization: Bargaining Tactic or Doctrine Change?" Azizi discusses the evolution of Ir ... Show More
41m 10s
Apr 2025
Nuclear diplomacy: Trump, Iran and a potential new deal
After years of stalled diplomacy, the US and Iran are back in high-level talks. Surprise meetings have taken place in Oman and Rome, with more expected soon. Could this be President Donald Trump’s long-awaited foreign policy win? Or will competing agendas, regional tensions and i ... Show More
32m 25s
May 2023
Riyadh and the World: What to Make of Saudi Arabia’s Recent Diplomacy
<p>Saudi Arabia’s diplomacy is flourishing after a decade in which Riyadh has been entangled in regional conflicts and rivalries. Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has turned the page on the Gulf Cooperation Council dispute, opened talks with Huthi rebels in Yemen, agreed to ... Show More
47m 32s