logo
episode-header-image
Oct 30
30m 35s

Can Morocco Placate Its Frustrated Youth...

Middle East Institute
About this episode
In this episode of Middle East Focus, hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Intissar Fakir to discuss Morocco's recent "GenZ 212" protest movement, which gripped multiple cities around the country for weeks. What prompted young Moroccans to take to the streets? Fakir breaks down the underlying drivers, protesters' demands, and the government's response. The conversation then delves more deeply into Morocco's rising generation and how it perceives its future prospects. Finally, the discussion explores the possible longer-term political impact of the demonstrations, especially with an eye to next year's elections.
 
Recorded on October 29, 2025.
 
Read Intissar Fakir's analysis of the protests in Morocco here.
Up next
Yesterday
MBS's Visit and the Future of US-Saudi Relations
<div><span data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody">In this episode of <em>Middle East Focus</em>, hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj sit down with MEI Visiting Scholar F. Gregory Gause, III, to analyze the policy implications of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince </span>Mohammed bin Sal ... Show More
37m 16s
Nov 13
From War to Reconstruction: Syria's Next Chapter
In this episode of Middle East Focus, hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Charles Lister to unpack the historic November 10 meeting between US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Oval Office as well as assess pos ... Show More
37m 48s
Nov 6
Erdogan Forever?
In this episode of Middle East Focus, hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Gönül Tol to discuss democratic backsliding in Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The conversation explores how Erdoğan's crackdown against Turkey's opposition ... Show More
49m 7s
Recommended Episodes
May 2025
Can Trump Remake the Middle East?
<p>Donald Trump just finished his first tour of the Middle East since returning to the White House. The region has changed a lot since he was last there as president. There’s been Hamas’s attack on Israel, the ensuing Israeli retaliation, the weakening of Iran and its proxies, an ... Show More
54m 13s
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
What’s Next for Syria?
<p>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. ... Show More
1h 19m
Jun 2025
Analyzing Ukraine’s Attack on Russian Airbases With Former Admiral Stavridis
Today on the show, Fareed is joined by former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis to discuss Ukraine’s stunning attacks on Russian airbases. Next, Christopher Kirchhoff, a top military strategist, speaks with Fareed about the future of warfare, and how the US needs to a ... Show More
41m 14s
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
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
Dec 2024
Can Syria Rebuild?
In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart and analyst Maha Yahya discuss the new developments in Syria. They look at how Syria's new leaders governed in the areas they controlled over the last few years, why some Syrian minorities are fleeing to Lebanon, and ... Show More
30m 44s
Feb 2025
Al Shara warns armed groups in Syria and Egypt sees a way forward after Gaza war
Syria's leader Ahmad Al Shara said on Tuesday that the country must unite around a state that has a “monopoly” on weapons. The former capital of the ISIS caliphate in Syria is facing an uncertain future, much like the rest of the country. After over a year of political and econom ... Show More
5m 6s
Dec 2024
Buck Brief - Is Syria Becoming a Total Terrorist Hellhole?
With the fall of the House of Assad, Syria is now under new management—but who’s really in charge? Buck Sexton breaks down the transition with Bill Roggio, Senior Editor at Long War Journal. From jihadist factions to the region's strategic importance, they explore the implication ... Show More
25m 48s
Nov 11
How will the Syrian president's visit to the White House impact the region?
A landmark meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House.The historic sit-down signals a major shift in US-Syria relations. So, how will it shape Trump’s legacy in the Middle East? And what impact could it have on the region? In this episode: Haid ... Show More
24m 52s