This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Peter Schwartzstein, an environmental journalist who reports on water, food security, and the conflict-climate nexus in around 30 countries, mainly in the Middle East and Africa. Together, they discuss Mr. Schwartzstein's new book, The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence, as well as the outloo ... 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
Jan 2025
Why violence is rising with global temperatures | Peter Schwartzstein
Climate change doesn't just melt ice caps, it also fuels conflict, corruption and division worldwide, explains TED Fellow and journalist Peter Schwartzstein. From droughts in Syria to rising seas in Bangladesh, he explores how climate stress escalates existing social instabilitie ... Show More
5m 39s
May 2021
Amanpour: Aaron David Miller, Marwan Muasher, Ana Porzecanski and Niall Ferguson
As violence continues to escalate in Gaza between the Israelis and Palestinians, Aaron David Miller, the former U.S. State Department Middle East Negotiator, and Marwan Muasher, the former Jordanian Foreign Minister, join Christiane Amanpour to discuss what it takes to address th ... Show More
57m 20s
Aug 2025
The Middle East's Water and Climate Crisis: Lessons from Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf
In this episode of Middle East Focus, host Alistair Taylor is joined by climate, energy, and sustainability expert Karim Elgendy to examine the growing water and climate crisis across the Middle East. They explore how climate change, mismanagement, and regional politics are strai ... Show More
32m 43s
May 2021
Amanpour: Mustafa Barghouti, Stav Shaffir, Karim Khan and Michael Moss
As Jerusalem is gripped once again by violent unrest, Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti and head of the Israel Green Party Stav Shaffir join Christiane Amanpour to discuss the "sad and risky combination of tensions" threatening the region. Then Karim Khan, head of the U.N. ... Show More
56m 56s
Apr 2024
Out of the Shadows: Exchanges of Fire Between Iran and Israel
<p>This week on Hold Your Fire! Richard is joined by Crisis Group experts Ali Vaez, Mairav Zonszein, Michael Hanna, Lahib Higel and Robert Blecher to discuss the exchange of fire between Iran and Israel, risks of a wider regional war and what the escalation means for the war in G ... Show More
49m 11s
May 2021
Human Rights in the Middle East
<p>Negar Mortazavi speaks to Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of DAWN, about the latest cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, what the United States can do to help improve human rights and peace across the Middle East, and the Biden administration’s policy to ... Show More
33m 5s