A conversation with Tylor Brand - author of Famine Worlds: Life at the Edge of Suffering in Lebanon's Great War. Tylor Brand received his Ph.D. from the American University of Beirut in 2014 and has taught at AUB, the American University of Sharjah and in his current position in the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies at Trinity College, Dublin. His book Famine Worlds: Life at the Edge of Suffering in Lebanon's Great War examines how people struggled to survive and to endure the trauma...
Mar 12, 2024•2 hr 10 min
A conversation with Ziad Akl - director of YASA - Youth Association for Social Awareness (YASA). An episode co-hosted by Wael Taleb - journalist at L'Orient Today. Covering road safety promotion, driving education and awareness, and achieving improved traffic conditions. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform. Fol...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 4 min
A conversation with David Wood - senior analyst at Crisis Group. An episode co-hosted by Wael Taleb - journalist at L'Orient Today. Covering warfront expansion deeper into Lebanon, “cautious escalation” between Hezbollah and Israel and wider geopolitical developments. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform. Follow...
Feb 28, 2024•35 min
A conversation with Richard Salame - journalist at The Public Source. An episode co-hosted by Wael Taleb - journalist at L'Orient Today. A discussion covering fact-checking and journalism in Lebanon, relative perspectives on public sourcing, a passion for the public sector and other topics ranging from reporting on the IMF staff level agreement to recurring civil employee strikes. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our ...
Feb 26, 2024•43 min
A conversation with Albert Moukheiber - neuroscientist and clinical psychologist. An episode co-hosted by Wael Taleb - journalist at L'Orient Today. A discussion covering mental health, political agency, maladaptation to uncertainty and a wider understanding of narrative and identity. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred...
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr 26 min
A quick take on Saad Hariri's current visit, Rafik Hariri's legacy 19 years following his assassination and assuming positions of power under Hezbollah-led paralysis. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan...
Feb 11, 2024•16 min
A conversation with Mohanad Hage Ali - deputy director for research at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center. An episode co-hosted by Wael Taleb - journalist at L'Orient Today. A discussion on Hezbollah's calculations in the South, regional diplomacy underway and Lebanon's position vis-a-vis the ongoing Hamas-Israel war. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbany...
Feb 07, 2024•1 hr 34 min
Welcoming Wael Taleb to The Beirut Banyan. Wael will co-host upcoming episodes covering ongoing Hezbollah-Israel clashes, constraints rubbing against free expression, and topics that range from a determined stand-up comedy scene to mental health awareness. Find Wael on Instagram: [at]wael.ramzi.taleb & Twitter/X: [at]waeltaleb23 Wael Taleb is a journalist at L'Orient Today. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Pat...
Feb 06, 2024•5 min
A quick take on words shared and promises made during commemorations of political assassinations, and the stark reality that no local solutions are available to hold Hezbollah's hitmen to account. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out...
Feb 05, 2024•5 min
On the third commemoration of Lokman Slim's assassination... What stability means when looking back on the port blast aftermath and political assassinations. A word that implies improvement while doing the opposite - accepting a country's security fate tied to Iran's regime survivability. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our podcast from your prefe...
Feb 02, 2024•17 min
Reflections on Mohamad Chatah with former UK Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher. Make sure to watch 'TEN YEARS' that includes conversations with family, friends and colleagues that reflect on Mohamad Chatah's life and career, a decade after his assassination: https://youtu.be/_jAM77Vz7bk?si=69WFPNc6MDKIY-yT Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:02 Business of diplomacy 2:13 Fellow diplomat 3:17 Showing off vs transactional 4:56 Influence towards outside players 6:26 Stability 10:17 Beyond the next corner 12:...
Jan 13, 2024•22 min
Reflections on Mohamad Chatah with former US Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman. Make sure to watch 'TEN YEARS' that includes conversations with family, friends and colleagues that reflect on Mohamad Chatah's life and career, a decade after his assassination: https://youtu.be/_jAM77Vz7bk?si=69WFPNc6MDKIY-yT Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:02 Looking back 3:04 Stopping by 5:08 July 2006 War 7:15 Bigger picture 8:52 Dinners vs Masterclass 12:37 UNSCR 1701 15:34 Strategic Vision 17:15 Day of assassinat...
Jan 12, 2024•21 min
Reflections on Mohamad Chatah with former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. Make sure to watch 'TEN YEARS' that includes conversations with family, friends and colleagues that reflect on Mohamad Chatah's life and career, a decade after his assassination: https://youtu.be/_jAM77Vz7bk?si=69WFPNc6MDKIY-yT Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:45 Central Bank Vice Governor & Lebanese Ambassador to U.S. 6:10 Senior Advisor for Foreign Affairs 12:51 STL & UNSCR 1701 21:34 July 2006 War 25:57 2006 - 2008 29:51 ...
Jan 11, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Reflections on Mohamad Chatah with Malek Mrowa, member of the Democratic Renewal Movement (Tajaddod). Make sure to watch 'TEN YEARS' that includes conversations with family, friends and colleagues that reflect on Mohamad Chatah's life and career, a decade after his assassination: https://youtu.be/_jAM77Vz7bk?si=69WFPNc6MDKIY-yT Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:02 Nassib Lahoud 2:45 Common cause 5:00 Civil society 13:40 Mathematical equation 15:08 Shared history
Jan 10, 2024•19 min
Reflections on Mohamad Chatah with former President Michel Sleiman. Make sure to watch 'TEN YEARS' that includes conversations with family, friends and colleagues that reflect on Mohamad Chatah's life and career, a decade after his assassination: https://youtu.be/_jAM77Vz7bk?si=69WFPNc6MDKIY-yT Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:02 Looking back 3:53 Problem-solving 9:04 Buildup to Baabda Declaration 12:24 Pursuing neutrality 15:35 On his own? 17:49 Characterization 21:00 Months leading up to assassination...
Jan 09, 2024•29 min
Reflections on Mohamad Chatah with Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel. Make sure to watch 'TEN YEARS' that includes conversations with family, friends and colleagues that reflect on Mohamad Chatah's life and career, a decade after his assassination: https://youtu.be/_jAM77Vz7bk?si=69WFPNc6MDKIY-yT Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:02 Looking back 3:26 Role within March 14 5:48 Problem-solving 8:24 Aligned positions 11:04 His thought process 13:49 Seeing through the problem 15:57 Any comparison? 20:13 Chara...
Jan 08, 2024•24 min
Reflections on Mohamad Chatah with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. Make sure to watch 'TEN YEARS' that includes conversations with family, friends and colleagues that reflect on Mohamad Chatah's life and career, a decade after his assassination: https://youtu.be/_jAM77Vz7bk?si=69WFPNc6MDKIY-yT Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:09 Looking back 7:12 Friendship 8:55 Shared interpretation 10:55 His role in March 14 14:42 International relations 17:00 Mountain, valley & coast 21:28 Letter to Rouhani ...
Jan 07, 2024•29 min
A conversation with co-founders of Poppin’ Pollen Randy Chartouni & Hoda Rizk, taped live at Aaliya's Books. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/mvWP85c-ZAc About bee-hiving tradition, energy boosting & wider benefits of pollen, bringing health awareness through digital marketing, & the difficulties of managing a startup business & relationship at once. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: h...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 36 min
A conversation with Wissam Kamal - stand-up comedian and filmmaker. Discussing his journey in to stand-up comedy, vulnerability on stage, the power of satire and his upcoming special 'Ashtaf Zoom'. We also talk about state attempts at censorship, battling stage freight, the writing and testing process at hand and encouraging more female comics on stage. Taped live at Aaliya's Books. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through ou...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 55 min
A conversation with Naila Al Hares - sign language interpreter, instructor and founder of Sign With Naila. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/SqYN2kS-jAM Discussing the passion and pursuit behind Naila's sign language instruction, her mission to bridge communication between the hearing impaired and hearing communities and the personal journey that shaped her career and interpreter profession. We also talk about different sign 'languages', lip reading along with several basic exercises shared with ...
Dec 03, 2023•2 hr 9 min
A conversation with Simon Kachar - lecturer in political science at the American University of Beirut, fellow at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs and author of 'Fouad Chehab and the Political Change in a Pluralistic Society'. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/ntj65MQA9tM Discussing the buildup to cross-communal power sharing and the national pact, 1958, the legacy of Fouad Chehab and a wider look at institutional building and foreign policy during the 1960s. W...
Nov 26, 2023•1 hr 56 min
A conversation with Wael Taleb - journalist at L'Orient Today. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/FyJbW5P4z9M Discussing the journalist's role in news reporting and features writing, built-in differences within fact-based coverage and opinion analysis, a wider meaning of 'Palestine' and sometimes separating a political cause from its people, feelings of liberation over time and how to transition from sub-state subjugation to a sovereign state. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via Pay...
Nov 19, 2023•1 hr 28 min
A conversation with Bashshar Haydar - professor of philosophy and the Mohammad Atallah chair of ethics at the American University of Beirut. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/kBFTpM-J3QY Discussing the wider topic of war ethics in philosophy, difficulties of academic/scholarly debate in times of ongoing and harrowing strife & his views on last week’s canceled AUB event, including the fallout that ensued. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeir...
Nov 16, 2023•1 hr 35 min
A conversation with Salam El Zaatari - producer, director & satirist, taped live at Aaliya's Books. Discussing how to properly navigate and eloquently express emotions as they relate to political conflict, the use satire provides in debunking conspiracy, myths and state-propaganda, how misunderstanding of history and false narratives emerge from lack of political agency, a reflection of audience engagement from mainstream television to alternative podcasts, and whether or not religion plays ...
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr 42 min
A conversation with Mohamad Faour, Assistant Professor in Finance at The American University of Beirut, taped live at Aaliya's Books. Discussing the ongoing Hamas-Israel war, the de-development of Lebanon's economy, best-case and worst-case economic scenarios given geopolitical constraints, October 17 in retrospect, windows of opportunity and using social media to express principles without shame. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or dona...
Oct 28, 2023•1 hr 39 min
A conversation with Fadi BouKaram, edited from an Instagram Live we shared. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/kJzw2OpuR-M Discussing the channeling of emotions during times of immense crisis, a look at Ireland and that country's own unique perceptions, offering benefit of the doubt when exploring multiple narratives and persuasions, reducing conflict to its basics and honing a certain patience abroad, and preserving ones principles while listening without judgement. Apologies for the audio qualit...
Oct 25, 2023•46 min
Episode 373: 'All She Lost' with Dalal Mawad, taped live at Aaliya's Books. A conversation with award-winning journalist and author Dalal Mawad. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/BGjBJdTCNa4 Discussing the ongoing Hamas-Israel war, regional implications for Lebanon, the role of journalists during trying times and crisis, narrative vs truth, and her recently published 'All She Lost' covering the post-port blast aftermath and the story of women's strength and survival in Lebanon. Help support The B...
Oct 21, 2023•2 hr 7 min
On Gisele Khoury's passing & October 17's anniversary
Oct 16, 2023•6 min
Episode 372: 'A Shining Star' with Matteo El Khodr, taped live at Aaliya's Books. A conversation with actor and countertenor Matteo El Khodr. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/4t_bYwpVVG4 Covering the role of artists in defending free expression, persevering as a performer despite all types of difficulties in Lebanon, and a unique voice that merges art with activism. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: h...
Oct 14, 2023•1 hr 30 min
Episode 371: 'Twilight Cities' with Katherine Pangonis, taped live at Aaliya's Books. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/4KAoSvi9BeA A conversation with author Katherine Pangonis on her recently published 'Twilight Cities' with a focus on Tyre and Carthage and topics that transcend antiquity with modern history. The discussion covers Phoenician city-states and former trade routes, 'capitals' once known for their economic and military glory, and links to a celebrated and shared heritage across the ...
Oct 06, 2023•1 hr 35 min
