This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with music journalist Danny Hajjar about the changing Arab music scene. They talk about the rise of Arab hip-hop, how increasing connectivity influences the way Arab artists produce and distribute music, and what the next big thing will be. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert, discus ... Show More
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
Feb 2024
Arabic Music in the Age of Digital Distribution | Ghaliaa
On this episode of Quartertones, up-and-coming musician Ghaliaa discusses her love for music, career to date, and finding inspiration in non-fiction. She talks about her childhood, how she came to be so multi-instrumental, and who her Arabic music inspirations are. Ghaliaa also r ... Show More
51m 2s
May 2022
Arabic Musicology | Youmna Saba
Youmna Saba performed three pieces: Al Sobh (الصبح), Madd W Jazr (مد وجزر) & Hubut (هبوط), followed by a discussion.Youmna Saba (Beirut, 1984) is a musician and musicologist whose current research focuses on the musical dimension(s) of the Arabic language, as a tool to generate n ... Show More
56m 25s
Nov 2023
145/ Arab Jews For Palestinian Liberation w/ Hadar Cohen and Dahab Kashi
Daniel and Joey host a conversation between Hadar Cohen and Dahab Kashi, exploring the radical power of Arab Jewish perspectives. Often seen as mutually exclusive identities, the existence and experience of Arab Jews transcends the narrow, and violent, confines of both Zionism an ... Show More
1h 12m
May 2024
The New Arab Weekly - May 23rd, 2024
While The New Arab Voice is on holiday, we bring you another episode of The New Arab Weekly podcast.You can find all the links you'll need to subscribe to The New Arab Weekly here. This week on The New Arab Weekly podcast, we look at the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi a ... Show More
54m 46s
Sep 2023
Producing for Arab Pop Stars: Metrics & Mental Health | Sleiman Damien
With a vast discography featuring both emerging artists and some of the biggest names in Arabic music, Sleiman Damien is completely tapped into the region’s pop genre. We asked him what he thinks of the phrase “Arab pop fusion”, which metrics actually matter to him, and why he th ... Show More
1h 1m