This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dina Esfandiary, the Middle East Geoeconomics Lead at Bloomberg. Previously, Dr. Esfandiary served as a senior adviser for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group and was a fellow at The Century Foundation. Her research focuses on security in the Persian Gulf and Iran’s foreign relations ... 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
Nov 2024
Hezbollah Falls into the Crosshairs: Israeli attacks in Lebanon, possible peace deals, and Hezbollah's future
<p>This week on <em>The New Arab Voice podcast</em> we look at the escalating conflict in Lebanon.</p><p>In recent months Israeli airstrikes have ramped up, targeting Hezbollah's military stores, infrastructure, and its leadership. Additionally, Israeli troops have crossed the bo ... Show More
36m 29s
Sep 30
Hezbollah's Existential Crisis: Lebanon's effort to disarm the resistance and the future of the Party of God
It has been annus horribilis for Hezbollah.They were struck by a deadly pager attack, Israel launched a devastating air and ground campaign against the group, and their long-time leader was killed in an Israeli airstrike. The war left Hezbollah battered and broken, and now, the L ... Show More
29m 46s
Feb 2025
Lebanon Finally Decides: Joseph Aoun named as new president
Lebanon finally has a new president. After an over two year wait, Joseph Aoun was chosen to be the new President of Lebanon, with a healthy majority of the votes in parliament .Aoun, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces comes into office with a bulging ... Show More
27m 51s
Oct 6
Return to Makdisi Street w/ Samir Makdisi
The brothers welcome their father, Samir Makdisi, Professor Emeritus at the American University of Beirut, to the show. They discuss the significance of Makdisi Street—the street itself!— in Beirut's cultural history, the social and political location of Ras Beirut in the larger ... Show More
1h 14m
Sep 2024
Israel vs. Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran — and Itself
<p>It’s been almost a year since Oct. 7. More than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza are dead. The hostages are not all home, and it doesn’t look like there will be a cease-fire deal that brings them home anytime soon. Israeli politics is deeply divided, and the country’s international ... Show More
1h 16m