On Tuesday this week, Saudi Arabia hosted the first set of high-level talks between the United States and Russia since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Saudi Arabia’s role in facilitating the negotiations has drawn attention to Riyadh’s pursuit of an increasingly elevated status on the world stage. It also comes amid intensive U.S. efforts to win Saudi Arabia’s ... 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
Apr 2024
The Road From Riyadh to Jerusalem
Ali Khamenei, Iran’s longtime ruler, saw the possibility of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia as a threat to his hegemonic ambitions. On Oct. 7, Hamas, one of Tehran’s proxies, invaded Israel and committed multiple acts of barbarism. That sparked a war and froze prosp ... Show More
47m 29s
Jan 2020
Geopolitics of Saudi Arabia
Geopolitical and strategic importance of Saudi Arabia and opportunities it brings are discussed. Other topics discussed are Arab NATO, Saudi Expansion, Holy City of Mecca, Nuclear Energy, Muhammed Ben Salman, and economy of Saudi Arabia. Here we also discuss diplomatic relations ... Show More
34m 13s
Jul 2024
Diplomatic Life, Peace Initiatives, Community Engagement & Saudi-U.S. Relations | CG Faris Asad 118
Faris Asad serves as the U.S. Consul General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. Representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Over the past three years, his excellency has been pivotal in strengthening U.S.-Saudi relations, observing the country’s transformative c ... Show More
1h 8m