How did Bashar al-Assad become one of the Middle East’s most feared dictators? What role did Hezbollah play in the assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister in 2005? And how did Assad’s rise to ultimate power mirror the ascent of Michael Corleone in the Godfather?
As the new millennium dawned, Bashar al-Assad prepared to step into his father’s shoes as ... Show More
Mar 7
135. Is The CIA Arming Kurdish Militias In Iran?
Former CIA analyst, David McCloskey, is joined by CNN's Chief International Correspondent, Clarissa Ward, live from the ground in northern Iraq as she breaks the story of a reported CIA operation to arm Kurdish militias to sow dissent in Iran. Listen as David and Clarissa discuss ... Show More
38m 54s
Dec 2024
Who Is the Rebel Leader Who Ousted Assad?
<p>On December 8, 2024, Syrian rebels stunned the world when they seized Damascus and toppled the government of Bashar al-Assad, more than 13 years into the country’s brutal war. </p><p>Spearheading the rebel offensive was Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, the leader of the Syrian militan ... Show More
19m 31s
Dec 2024
The final hours of the Assad regime
President Bashar al-Assad has fled Syria, ending 50 years of authoritarian rule by his family. Over the weekend, rebels who had already taken Aleppo and Hama began to close in on the city of Homs and set their eyes on the capital Damascus.As it became clear that Assad had fled, t ... Show More
28m 18s
Dec 2024
The End of Assad and a New Era for Syria — with Kareem Shaheen, Rasha Elass and Faisal Al Yafai
<p>In a momentous week in the history of Syria, New Lines’ Middle East Editor Kareem Shaheen and Editorial Director Rasha Elass join Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede to discuss how the Assad regime’s collapse happened so quickly, the terrible symbolism of the Sednaya prison complex an ... Show More
51m 30s
Sep 2024
The killing of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah
Today on the show, Fareed speaks with New York Times Magazine staff writer Ronen Bergman to discuss how Israel was able to carry out its assassination of Hezbollah’s leader in Beirut, and what might come next as tensions continue to rise throughout the region.
Then, in his fir ... Show More
41m 4s
Dec 2024
Another Take: How the Assads took Syria
Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on July 8, 2020. None of the dates, titles, or other references have been changed. Syria’s inner circle of power was dominated by the al-Assad family for more than 50 years, but over a decade of war expos ... Show More
23m 21s
Dec 2024
Syrie : comment le régime de Bachar Al-Assad est-il tombé ?
En mars 2011 débutait, dans le sillage des printemps arabes, une vague de protestation sans précédent en Syrie. Inspirées par ce qui se passait dans d’autres pays comme la Tunisie ou l’Egypte, des milliers de personnes sont descendues dans les rues pour dénoncer le pouv ... Show More
14m 37s
Mar 2025
What is behind the clashes in Syria?
<p>With hundreds dead after days of fighting between armed supporters of former leader Bashar al-Assad and government forces, the worst violence since al-Assad's fall, Syrians are grappling with how to move forward. Days ahead of the 14th anniversary of Syria's uprising, the coun ... Show More
24m 2s