In 2002, a 12-metre statue of Saddam Hussein was erected in Baghdad's Firdos Square, right in the middle of one of the Iraqi capital’s many roundabouts. It depicted the Iraqi dictator standing heels together with his right arm outstretched in an open palm. It was a symbol of Saddam’s confidence and his ruthless grip on the country. A year later, Operation Iraqi Freedom was just a few weeks underway when the statue was torn down by US coalition forces, as some Iraqi citizens cheered. That was 15 ...
Apr 04, 2018•22 min
This week, Saudi Arabia witnessed the most aggressive attack on its own soil since their intervention in the Yemen civil war three years ago. The Houthis launched seven missiles at Riyadh. Saudi’s ministry of interior claimed to intercept all of them, but debris from one fell on a man’s house, killing him and injuring two others. This comes as all parties were engaged, indirectly, in talks that were believed to be considering a political settlement. The war has claimed thousands of lives, and di...
Mar 28, 2018•16 min
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in the United States on an official visit this week. The already strong relationship between the two countries is being reinforced during meetings with President Donald Trump and senior officials. He will then look to engage other aspects of his Vision 2030 in trips to Silicon Valley and other parts of he US. We talked to Joyce Karam, our Washington correspondent, who was present during Saudi embassy briefings and has been talking to insiders in the...
Mar 21, 2018•26 min
This week, we discuss Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's international outreach. The 32-year-old heir to the Kingdom made stops in Cairo and London and is next heading to Washington for a two-week tour of the US. This will be more than a political trip. After Washington, the Crown Prince is set to visit New York, Boston, Houston, San Francisco and Seattle to discuss economic co-operation, investments and his Vision 2030. We talked to Michael Stephens, a research fellow at the Royal United ...
Mar 14, 2018•24 min
The Syrian conflict is now entering its eighth year. Hundreds of thousands have been killed, clashes are fierce in rebel-held areas and the regime of President Bashar Al Assad has again been accused in recent weeks of using chemical weapons in his push to reclaim territory. Eastern Ghouta's 400,000 residents have lived under government siege since 2013, facing severe shortages of food and medicines even before the latest offensive began. Host Mina Aldroubi talks to the UN's Humanitarian Coordina...
Mar 08, 2018•24 min
It has been six months since Myanmar military operations sparked a mass exodus of the country's Rohingya Muslim minority to neighbouring Bangladesh. But although the crisis has now fallen out of the headlines, on the ground it is only growing by the day. Rohingya refugees are continuing to arrive at the already overcrowded camps in the Bangladeshi district of Cox's Bazar and, as the rainy season approaches, aid workers are preparing for high winds and flooding — which could exacerbate the spread...
Mar 01, 2018•20 min
On this special edition of Beyond the Headlines, host Naser Al Wasmi is joined by the Emirati Ambassadors to three very important countries in the UAE’s global diplomatic network: Ali Al Ahmed, UAE Ambassador to Germany; Dr Ahmed Al Banna, Ambassador to India; and Dr Ali Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to China. The diplomats are in Abu Dhabi this week for the Annual Ambassador’s Forum held at the UAE Foreign Ministry. They discussed issues ranging from the effectiveness of soft power diplomacy and E...
Feb 22, 2018•34 min
Iran and Israel were on the brink of war. Tensions arose when Israel shot down an Iranian drone on February 10, after it entered the country from Syria. Then one of the Israel’s F-16 fighters was shot down, the first Israeli plane downed in decades and a huge blow to their air force’s aura of invincibility. Damien McElroy, The National’s London bureau chief, covered a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing Iran over their intrusion. He joins host Naser Al Wasmi in discuss...
Feb 21, 2018•22 min
An international donor conference opened in Kuwait on Monday with hopes of rebuilding Iraq following its devastating war against ISIL. We discuss Iraq's reconstruction efforts in this week's edition of Beyond the Headlines. The conference brings together 70 countries, aid groups, UN agencies and corporations aimed at investing in Iraq's crippled economy, infrastructure and humanitarian crisis. Host Mina Aldroubi is joined by Dr Renad Mansour, senior research fellow at London’s Chatham House, to ...
Feb 14, 2018•24 min
All six Arabian Gulf countries import between 80 to 97 per cent of their food. Due to water scarcity and poor soil, it typically costs less to import food than to grow it here. According to the ministry of climate change and environment, the demand for food will increase by 300 per cent, putting a huge strain on our economies. We tackle the food-scarcity issue on this week's Beyond the Headlines. Host Naser Al Wasmi is joined by Dr Ismahane Elouafi, Director General at International Center for B...
Feb 07, 2018•22 min
Clashes broke out in Aden over the weekend when the Southern Transitional Council called to its constituents to demonstrate. The Yemen government banned protests on the streets and prompted the semi-autonomous group to confront the presidential guard. Dozens were killed and hundreds injured. Both are blaming the violence on the other side, but are now adhering to a ceasefire organized by the Arab coalition. Host Naser Al Wasmi is joined by Professor Elisabeth Kendall, an Oxford academic, who was...
Jan 31, 2018•24 min
Turkey launched this week a military offensive into Afrin, a heavily Kurdish enclave of Syria. Ankara is calling it an 'anti-terror campaign,' targeting the US-backed Kurdish group, the People’s Protection Units. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is justifying the offensive as a pre-emptive strike, or Turkey’s right to self-defence. The war is likely an attempt for the country to hide behind anti-terrorist rhetoric to settle old scores against the Kurds. Kareem Shaheen, a journalist based in Turkey...
Jan 24, 2018•23 min
Reporting from The World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, taking place during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, host Naser Al Wasmi talks to two Paraguayan girls who have been honoured for their conservation efforts in their rainforest home. If not for young students Pamela Armoa and Analia Velazquez, the distinct, bell-like sound of the Bare-throated Bellbird risks fading away. We also spoke to H Harish Hande, the founder of the Selco Foundation and winner of the Zayed Future Energy for Prize be...
Jan 17, 2018•25 min
This week, Israel banned twenty activist organisations over their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement against Israel or BDS for short. The movement, whose co-founder we speak to in the show, is built upon three founding ideas: To put an end to Israeli occupation of all Arab lands and dismantling the wall as per international law; second, to recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and finally, to respect and protect the ...
Jan 10, 2018•24 min
From our friends on the 85% podcast, we consider the changes unfolding in Saudi Arabia from a regional perspective. In conversation with emerge85 Lab editor-in-chief Joseph Dana, emerge85 co-director Mishaal Al Gergawi (@algergawi) and Mina Al-Oraibi (@AlOraibi), editor of the UAE's leading English-language newspaper The National, discuss the challenges facing Saudi Arabia, what western media are missing, and the future of the regional order.
Jan 05, 2018•35 min
In Iran, this week a small demonstration that started in Mashhad turned into nationwide protests, with some calling for regime change. Iran has a long history of coups, protests and demonstrations. Of all the countries in the Middle East, historically, none other than Iran has been more defined by the spark within a person or group that drives them to take to the streets and fight for change. Host Naser Al Wasmi is joined by Golnaz Esfandiari, political analyst for Freedom House and a journalist...
Jan 03, 2018•34 min
The Middle East in 2017 could look like relatively tame year in a region that has become so characteristic of extreme often dramatic changes. The Arab world has become a stage for an ever shifting political reality, with coups, civil wars and millions of people displaced from conflict in the last ten years. Despite all of this, the Arabian Gulf typically remains quite peaceful as the leaders have a policy of prioritizing stability. However, this year was different. The three of the biggest stori...
Dec 28, 2017•32 min
Jerusalem serves as one of the holiest sites in the world, and as the scene of some of the most dramatic political events. Donald Trump last week recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which sent waves of protest around the world. We spoke to Joseph Dana, a writer for the National, to explain what it means on the ground. The move is likely to create unrest, but we look to understand how it will change regional dynamics. Also, as part of World Arabic Language Day, assistant foreign editor...
Dec 20, 2017•21 min
As dozens of Arabic-speaking nations celebrate their language this week, The National's Mina Aldroubi, Naser Alwasmi and Saeed Saeed discuss whether the language is being lost, the importance of preservation and education among Arab youths, and more on this special edition of Beyond the Headlines.
Dec 18, 2017•19 min
The United States is now the only country in the world that recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Since president Donald Trump announced the move in a speech last week, protests have continued to rumble across the West Bank and Gaza and Washington has been condemned by both regional leaders and politicians across the world. But although demonstrations by Palestinians against the decision have been relatively muted so far, the ramifications of the US announcement are sure to be felt for ...
Dec 13, 2017•30 min
This week's GCC summit may have closed a day early but there were some signs that progress had been made on the row between members states the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and Qatar. Though there was by no means a real resolution to the six-month-long dispute reached, the fact that the annual gathering took place at all was seen as a positive step. And, as our reporter Naser Al Wasmi explains from Kuwait City, body language between the officials gathered suggested that tensions may be easing. ...
Dec 06, 2017•34 min
Peace talks sometimes fail before they even begin. A complete political breakdown has been the case with Syria the last 7 times Bashar Al Assad's government and the opposition have gathered to talk. However, with Russia, regional powerhouses and others getting involved, the peace talks in Geneva taking place this week might have a chance of ending this brutal war. Mina Al Droubi comes to us with the story as she reports from the UN headquarters in the Swiss city. Mount Agung in Bali is threateni...
Nov 28, 2017•29 min
Talks in Sochi, Riyadh and in Geneva could finally spell an end to the Syrian civil war, where millions have been displaced and hundreds of thousands killed. The country has been spinning out of control Syrians demanded the resignation of their heavy-handed ruler, Bashar Al Assad, during the Arab Spring in 2011. Mina Al Droubi, a reporter on the foreign desk, tells us how the meetings could be another chance at a peace. In Lebanon, the resignation of Saad Al Hariri has sparked rumours to run ram...
Nov 22, 2017•25 min
Less than two years into the Paris Agreement, where 196 countries agreed to curb climate change to less than two degrees this century, the goal is beginning to slip out of reach. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the accord has been a shock to the rest of the world as it comes to grips with how to fill the gap. We record live from COP 23 in Bonn, Germany where the other 195 countries have gathered to figure out how to save the world. Lou Leonard from the World ...
Nov 15, 2017•23 min
In this episode, we look back at a night that will have deep implications for the future of Saudi Arabia. The foreign press dubbed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's anti-corruption drive as "The night of the long knives" but many Saudis may look at his manoeuvring as a long awaited move to root out corruption. This will not only come to define the news of this week, but the news of the young Prince’s reign as he looks to push the Kingdom towards his vision. Jane Kinninmont, the senior fel...
Nov 08, 2017•23 min
Cholera, as it looked to threaten and plunge Yemen into the worst pandemic since Ebola, is on the decline. The drop coincides with the end of the rainy season but could be back for another bout if medical facilities in the Middle East’s poorest country fail to improve. As a result, Doctor’s Without Borders has decided to scale down its cholera treatment centres, and Dr Caroline Seguin, the Yemen cell manager, spoke to us on how cholera, a failure in the medical system, and rampant mental trauma ...
Oct 31, 2017•28 min
One of the most heinous humanitarian disasters is taking place today, and the world has never been so slow to react. The Rohingya refugee crisis has seen more than 600,000 members of the Muslim minority flee what has been referred to as “hell on earth” by the UNHCR. We have Fiona MacGregor reporting on the topic and Queen Rania of Jordan’s visit to Bangladeshi camps. Oman, one of the oldest countries in the region, has a very young problem. Youth delinquency in the Sultanate is on the rise, and ...
Oct 25, 2017•28 min
The most deadly attack in Somalia’s war-torn history has rocked the country and claimed hundreds of lives. We look to find out why the two bombs have gone unclaimed by any terrorist organization. We talk to Colin Freeman whose on-the-ground reporting has led him to some interesting conclusions. Iraqi troops have been mobilized again, but this time it is to reclaim Kirkuk, the oil-rich Iraqi state that the Kurdish referendum attempted to claim as their own. The National reporter, Mina Al Droubi, ...
Oct 18, 2017•28 min
The Philippines are experiencing an ISIL-influenced insurgency from 8,000 KM away. We analyse what might happen if hard-line President Rodrigo Duterte decides to crack down on the Islamist surge on several of the country’s islands. We talk to Florian Neuhof who has reported from the scene of an intense battle between the two sides. Benjamin Netanyahu has been one of the most pro-Zionist leaders at the expense of Palestinians. However, as his reign is now threatened with corruption charges, his p...
Oct 11, 2017•27 min
The right to self-determination is not only the core upon which we gauge human rights but it’s considered one of the fundamental freedoms the United Nations outlines as necessary to all mankind. So why is that when people look to exercise that freedom, it’s almost universally met with resistance? We spoke to Mina Al Droubi, reporter at The National, about what is happening in Iraqi #Kurdistan and what the referendum might mean in terms of the region actually gaining independence. In #Spain, anot...
Oct 04, 2017•27 min
