Tommy and Ben discuss the latest developments in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime, including the debate in Washington and European capitals about whether to talk with the new Syrian government, remove sanctions, or remove Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham’s terrorist designation. They also cover Trump’s trip to France and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodym ... Show More
Sep 23
Xi’s Just Not That Into You
Xi Jinping comes to Washington, the UN struggles for relevancy, and the Russian parliamentary elections turn out exactly as expected.Tommy and Ben break down Chinese President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Washington since 2015, including Trump’s personal airport greeting, an ... Show More
1h 30m
Sep 9
Can Germany’s Far Right Be Stopped?
The far right gets a huge win in Germany, Serbia celebrates a war criminal, and Nigel Farage gets caught on camera breaking the law.Tommy and Ben dig into the ultra-right-wing AfD party's historic results in a regional election, what drove it, what it would mean if they actually ... Show More
1h 36m
Dec 2024
The fall of Assad in Syria and its impact on the Middle East
Today on the show: after Syrian rebels took Damascus, Fareed is joined by Natasha Hall, senior fellow at the CSIS Middle East Program, and Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to discuss what the fall of Assad’s regime means for Syria ... Show More
41m 14s
Sep 2025
Syria’s foreign minister on his country’s future
Today on the show, Fareed sits down with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani at the Council on Foreign Relations for a wide-ranging discussion on his transition from rebel to statesman, the future for religious minorities in Syria, and whether peace with Israel seems viable ... Show More
40m 57s
Feb 2025
372. Syria, al-Sharaa, and the future of the Middle East
What does al-Sharaa's rise to power mean for Syria? Given his surprise takeover, how will today’s CIA analysts be changing the way they think about the country and what happens next? Will Syria be the next Libya?
Join Rory and Alastair as they discuss Syria’s rapidly shifting po ... Show More
1h 6m
Dec 2024
Special: Syria's Post-Assad Scramble
This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Will Todman and Natasha Hall, senior fellows at the CSIS Middle East Program, for a special episode on the sudden collapse of the Assad regime and what will replace it. Together, they discuss the promise and peril of this historic mome ... Show More
27m 55s