The historic deal brokered by China for a Saudi-Iran rapprochement reflects not only a changing region, but a shifting world order. While the US focuses on its proxy war in Ukraine, with US officials essentially blocking meaningful peace discussion both there and in Yemen, its “strategic competitor” China now looks like the adult in the room. Its diplomatic ... Show More
Jul 27
Terror, Pogroms & Land Theft: Inside Israel's Final Push to Take the West Bank, w/ Jasper Nathaniel
Journalist Jasper Nathaniel just spent a month in the occupied West Bank, and he came back with a warning: while the world watches Gaza, Israel is finishing a decades-long project to dominate the West Bank and drive Palestinians off their land for good.Rania Khalek talks with him ... Show More
45m 10s
Jul 10
Revulsion at Israel Is Changing Everything, w/ Susan Abulhawa
It's been over a thousand days since Israel began its livestreamed genocide in Gaza, and global politics is still shifting as a result. Candidates who refuse AIPAC money are toppling Democratic incumbents across the US, support for Israel has become a political liability and the ... Show More
50m 8s
Mar 2023
The Gulf narrows: Iran-Saudi relations
<p>The two regional rivals have negotiated a deal, ending a seven-year lapse in diplomatic ties. Elsewhere, though, Iran remains aggressive. We ask what to make of its <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2023/03/23/iran-wants-a-detente-with-its-neighbours-but-not-with-ame ... Show More
25m 22s
Mar 2023
The Gulf narrows: Iran-Saudi relations
<p>The two regional rivals have negotiated a deal, ending a seven-year lapse in diplomatic ties. Elsewhere, though, Iran remains aggressive. We ask what to make of its <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2023/03/23/iran-wants-a-detente-with-its-neighbours-but-not-with-ame ... Show More
25m 22s
Jul 2021
India, China and the contested border
<p>The foreign ministers of India and China have held talks amid an enduring standoff that has opened up new fault lines over Asia’s future. Meanwhile, the US has shown a growing interest in its alliance with India, despite concerns about the Modi government's domestic policies. ... Show More
22m 28s
Jun 2025
Shifting Dynamics of Gulf–Asia Relations
In this episode of MEnbar, host Marc Owen Jones welcomes Adel Abdel Ghafar, Fellow and Director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, to explore the shifting dynamics of Gulf–Asia relations. Ghafar discusses China's growing influence across t ... Show More
38m 33s