Adam Lucente, Al-Monitor correspondent, discusses the background, controversy and prospects for LIV Golf, the professional tour backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Golf commentator who criticized Saudi-backed LIV Golf sued for defamation - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East Saudi Public Investment Fund acquires shares in Amazon, Google, Uber - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East 9/11 victims protest Saudi-funded LIV Golf event at Tr...
Sep 08, 2022•19 min•Ep. 122
Iran is a longtime ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and, alongside Russia, helped stave off his overthrow at the hands of Sunni rebels backed by Turkey. Little is known about Iran's presence in Syria however. Western journalists do not have access to their zones of influence. Yet there is persistent talk of the establishment by Iran of a Shiite Crescent stretching from its borders through Iraq and Syria on to Lebanon. Israel and the United States have escalated attacks against Iran...
Aug 30, 2022•33 min•Ep. 121
Ali Hashem, Al-Monitor columnist and journalist for Al Jazeera English, discusses the latest on the Iran nuclear deal, what it means for the region, and how it could open up the prospect of direct US-Iran diplomacy under the JCPOAJoint Commission. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Aug 23, 2022•31 min•Ep. 120
Mark Fitzpatrick, Associate Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and expert on Iran’s nuclear program, discusses whey there may be an Iran nuclear deal sooner rather than later, how close Iran may be to developing a nuclear weapon, and why an Iran nuclear deal would be an obvious benefit for regional security. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Aug 16, 2022•29 min•Ep. 119
Turkish leaders continue to threaten another military offensive against the Syrian Kurds. But they need either the Kremlin's or Washington's approval to mount any such offensive in the zones that are under Russian and US control. Salih Muslim, the leader of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party that hold power in northeast Syria says Erdogan is unpredictable and might carry out a military operation. Muslim recalls in this conversaton with Amberin Zaman the days when he used to travel to Turk...
Aug 08, 2022•39 min•Ep. 118
Hanene Tajouri Bessassi, Tunisia’s ambassador to the United States, says that while US criticism of the July 25 vote was considered interference in the country’s domestic politics, Tunis welcomes continued US partnership and international support for democracy, which she described as the ‘unique destiny of the Tunisian people.’ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Aug 03, 2022•22 min•Ep. 117
Amberin Zaman speaks to Yevgeniya Gaber a former Ukrainian diplomat who is currently a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and Carleton University about Turkey's role in the Russia Ukraine conflict ahead of President Erdogan's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Sochi. Turkey has been seeking to play mediator between the warring countries and scored a diplomatic victory earlier this month brokering a deal together with the United Nations for Ukrainian grain to be shipped from its bl...
Aug 01, 2022•26 min•Ep. 116
Elizabeth Hagedorn, Al-Monitor State Department Correspondent, and Andrew review US President Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia, including what was achieved, and not achieved, with regard to Iran, human rights, energy security, and the war in Yemen. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jul 21, 2022•18 min•Ep. 115
Martin Indyk, Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses US President Joe Biden’s trip this week to Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia, and his recent CFR Special Report, with Steven Cook, The Case for a New US-Saudi Strategic Compact . Indyk has served as US ambassador to Israel, assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs, special assistant to President Clinton and special envoy under President Obama for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and...
Jul 11, 2022•35 min•Ep. 114
Ukraine is accusing Russia of stealing its grain and shipping it to Turkey via the Black Sea. Ukraine wants Turkey to crack down on the illicit trade but Ankara is wary of upsetting the Kremlin. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jul 05, 2022•29 min•Ep. 113
Dr. Dina Esfandiary, Senior Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group, discusses the latest round of indirect talks between Iran and the US about the Iran nuclear deal; Iran’s policies in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen; and how Iran is managing its ties with Russia and China following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jun 30, 2022•29 min•Ep. 112
Daniel Shapiro, former US Ambassador to Israel and Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council, discusses what to expect from US President Joe Biden’s trip next month to Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia; whether the US and Israel are in sync on the Iran nuclear deal; the prospects for Israel-Saudi normalization and Israel-Palestinian peace talks; and scenarios for Israel’s fall elections, including the possible return of Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister. See Privacy Po...
Jun 23, 2022•40 min•Ep. 111
Stephen Kalin, Wall Street Journal Middle East Correspondent based in Riyadh and Dubai, breaks down the issues around US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia and the region, including Iran, Yemen, Israel normalization, and global energy security….and how Saudi Arabia is managing the windfall from higher oil prices. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jun 17, 2022•24 min•Ep. 110
Hadley Gamble, Anchor for CNBC’s Capital Connection from Abu Dhabi, discusses US President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to the Middle East; why Saudi-Israel normalization may be a ‘matter of time’; the fate of the Iran nuclear deal; why Turkey is holding out on Sweden and Finland’s NATO bids; the global food crisis and the consequences of the Ukraine war; and some good news trends in regional markets. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com...
Jun 10, 2022•25 min•Ep. 109
Violence against women in Turkey is an extremely big problem. The government's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention to combat violence against women is making matters a lot worse. The government's claims that existing legislation should be enough doesn't stack up because the laws are not being fully implemented says Human Rights Watch Turkey director Emma Sinclair-Webb. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-in...
Jun 03, 2022•26 min•Ep. 108
Elizabeth Hagedorn, Al-Monitor State Department Correspondent, and Andrew give their takes on US Iran Envoy Rob Malley’s testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, why the Iran nuclear deal still has a pulse, the turnaround in US-Saudi relations, and US President Joe Biden’s upcoming travel to the Middle East. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
May 26, 2022•17 min•Ep. 107
It’s often said that the Kurds are the world’s largest nation without a state. Yet, in the Middle East they play an outsized role, helping Western powers advance their security goals sometimes at the cost of their relations with their own allies such as Turkey. Giran Ozcan explains why the United States needs to think of the Kurds as a standalone policy issue in its own right. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-m...
May 17, 2022•28 min•Ep. 106
Mirza Dinnayi, 2019 Aurora Prize Laureate for Awakening Humanity & Founder of House of Coexistence in Sinjar, explains how and why Sinjar has become a regional dispute involving Turkey, Syria and Iran, as well as Iraq; the culture, history and geography of the Yazidi community; the impact of the ISIS genocidal campaign; why Yazidis seek some autonomy within Iraq; and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priv...
May 12, 2022•26 min•Ep. 105
Al-Monitor columnist Daoud Kuttab discusses the background to the confrontations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and what comes next, whether Hamas is gaining in the West Bank, Palestinian perceptions of the Israeli Arab Raam Party, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
May 05, 2022•26 min•Ep. 104
Steve Clemons, Founding Editor At Large of Semafor, discusses why the Russia-Ukraine war has not boosted Biden’s ‘Trump-level’ popularity; reasons for American fatigue with global security commitments; the missing ‘realists’ and anti-war Democrats in Congress; why some Middle East elites may perceive an ‘America on crutches;’ the challenges of managing US-Saudi ties; the barriers to a US-Iran nuclear deal; why bipartisanship in the Senate still has a pulse; an update on the new global ...
Apr 28, 2022•38 min•Ep. 103
Turkey was at the forefront of an international campaign to name and shame the perpetrators of the 2018 murder in Istanbul of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Ankara has just dropped a case to try 26 Saudi officials who allegedly took their orders from Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohamed bin Salman. The consensus is thatAnkara did so to fix relations with Saudi Arabia and the powerful crown prince who it once sought to pull down. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri...
Apr 21, 2022•19 min•Ep. 102
Al-Monitor columnist Kadri Gursel discusses the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Turkey’s economy and domestic politics; why Turkey is well-positioned as mediator between Kyiv and Moscow; why the purchase of the S-400 was ‘a consequence of distress’ and ‘doomed to fail;’ Turkey’s policies toward Syria and the Kurds; whether Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman can bury the hatchet; why the 2023 elections will be a ‘remarkable example’’ for Turkey’s democratic transitio...
Apr 13, 2022•52 min•Ep. 101
Elizabeth Hagedorn, Al-Monitor State Department Correspondent, and Andrew discuss the terrorist attacks in Israel; the Middle East reaction to the Ukraine war; the prospects for an Iran nuclear deal; and the wars in Yemen and Syria. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Apr 08, 2022•35 min•Ep. 100
Abdulaziz Sager, chairman and founder of the Gulf Research Center, discusses the challenges to US-Saudi relations; why he does not necessarily expect an Iran nuclear deal to lead to progress in Yemen; why de-listing the IRGC as a terrorist group could embolden Iran in the region; how the Gulf is balancing relations among the US, Russia, and China; why a state solution remains Saudi Arabia’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priv...
Apr 01, 2022•33 min•Ep. 99
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is set to have cascading effects in Syria, where the Kremlin has been propping up the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Faced with crippling sanctions and major setbacks in its campaign in Ukraine, Russia may soon be unable to devote the kind of resources to Syria that helped Assad wrest back huge chunks of rebel-held territory. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-in...
Mar 22, 2022•30 min•Ep. 98
Mark Fitzpatrick, Associate Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, explains why the Iran nuclear agreement, while not ‘ideal’, remains a good one for the US, the region, and nuclear nonproliferation; why lifting the terrorist designation on the IRGC may be a ‘false issue’; why the remaining US citizens imprisoned in Iran should be part of the final package; and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priv...
Mar 17, 2022•37 min•Ep. 97
Dimitri Simes, President and CEO of the Center for the National Interest and Publisher of its foreign policy magazine, The National Interest , discusses the prospects for a diplomatic solution in Ukraine; the risks of miscalculation and escalation for both Russia and the West; why Russia’s stance on the JCPOA emboldens Tehran; how China could come out a winner from the crisis; and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/...
Mar 10, 2022•40 min•Ep. 96
Samuel Charap, senior political Scientist at RAND Corporation and top expert on Russia and Ukraine, discusses Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Western response; what Russia learned, or didn’t learn, from Russia’s military intervention in Syria; what Putin expects from China, India and the Middle East; why Russia still backs an Iran nuclear deal; whether and when Russia might consider cyber or nuclear weapons; why those advocating regime change in Russia should be careful ...
Mar 03, 2022•44 min•Ep. 95
The murder last month of a transgender woman in Iraqi Kurdistan by her brother in a so-called honor killing underlines the impunity faced by the LGBT community in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and beyond. Community activists say the government does nothing to protect them and that security officials who are responsible for their safety are among those who endorse violence against them. Zhiar Ali a leading advocate for the community was forced to flee to Europe after facing repeated threats. With no la...
Feb 24, 2022•23 min•Ep. 94
Dr. Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Sudan, discusses the role of UN diplomacy, as well as the impact of the October 25, 2021 coup and the Ethiopian civilian war on Sudan’s transition. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Feb 15, 2022•28 min•Ep. 93
