Just a month after Bashar al-Assad fell in Syria, the country is in the midst of a swirl of regional diplomacy. The new Syrian foreign minister is on another regional swing, and the foreign ministers of Germany and France visited Damascus. A central question is when and how the comprehensive sanctions placed on Syria during a half-century of Assad family rul ... 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
Dec 2024
Assad Spins His Surrender From Moscow
<p>Tommy and Ben discuss the latest developments out of Syria, including the rebel leadership’s promises to disband and focus on building the state, international delegations and journalists making trips to Damascus, and Israel’s bombing campaign on Syrian territory and plans to ... Show More
1h 34m
Jan 2025
On the Situation in Syria and its Implications for the Region
Thuraya, Angie, Mohammad, and Edward join Breht to discuss recent events in Syria. Together they discuss what happened, Syria under the Assad government, the hope and concerns of the the Syrian people, the role Syria plays in the axis of resistance, Syria's connections to Palest ... Show More
1h 34m
Dec 2024
Live from the Doha Forum: The Middle East after Assad
<p>Given the turbulence across Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and Iran, conversations at this year’s Doha Forum highlighted a Middle East region, and a world order, in flux. Now the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and the upcoming Donald Trump administration will shape American ... Show More
33m 16s
Dec 2024
The Middle East After Assad
After rebels took Syria’s capital, President Bashar Al-Assad fled Damascus for Russia, ending his brutal 24-year reign. His ouster marks the beginning of a new, uncertain phase for a country that’s been ravaged by 13 years of civil war. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s ... Show More
15m 28s
Sep 28
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