On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman

By Al-Monitor

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Episodes: 176

Description

Al-Monitor Senior Correspondent Amberin Zaman interviews newsmakers, journalists, and thought leaders from the US and Middle East about the latest news and trends in the region. Amberin travels the region for Al-Monitor, specializing in news and analysis in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and the Caucasus and writes the weekly Turkey Briefing newsletter. Prior to Al-Monitor, she covered Turkey, the Kurds, and conflicts in the region for The Washington Post, The Daily Telegraph, The Los Angeles Times and the Voice of America, and was The Economist's Turkey correspondent from 1999 to 2016.


Episode Date
Sister of Israeli-Russian scholar Elizabeth Tsurkov, who is being held by Iran-backed Shiite militia, calls for US military sanctions on Iraq
Apr 25, 2024
Iran established deterrence against Israel proving through its actions it could do more harm, says academic Hassan Ahmadian
Apr 17, 2024
What path lies ahead for Turkey after Erdogan's stunning local election defeat? Commentator Kadri Gursel explains
Apr 03, 2024
How the West began losing the Mideast to Iran, Russia & China since start of Syria conflict, French academic Fabrice Balanche explains
Mar 21, 2024
Will Turkey's Erdogan seize back Istanbul and fully secure his regime in March 31 elections?
Mar 14, 2024
Why are Britain’s Jews facing the largest wave of anti-semitic violence in modern times?
Mar 07, 2024
American doctor Seema Jilani faces backlash for her eyewitness accounts of horrors unfolding in Gaza
Feb 20, 2024
Sweden did not take Turkey's terrorism concerns seriously enough says former Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde
Feb 15, 2024
Does Turkey really support ISIS and, if so, why did ISIS just attack it again? Expert Aaron Zelin explains
Feb 05, 2024
Does Iran control Shiite militias that are attacking US forces in Iraq and Syria? Two leading experts weigh in
Jan 29, 2024
German federal prosecutors petitioned to launch war crimes case against Turkish-backed Sunni factions abusing Kurds in Syria
Jan 25, 2024
Kuwaiti academic says Red Sea escalation with Yemen's Houthis won't end without US pressure on Israel to end Gaza war
Jan 18, 2024
Israel does not want a war with Iran, says Haaretz English editor-in-chief
Jan 03, 2024
Turkey won't be at the table when Gaza conflict ends, says Turkey analyst Alan Makovsky
Dec 14, 2023
Former CENTCOM commander Gen. Joseph Votel warns Gaza conflict may expand because Iran lacks full control of its militia proxies
Nov 13, 2023
Iran continues strategic miscalculations even after Hamas' attack on Israel, says analyst Hamidreza Azizi
Nov 07, 2023
The Israel-Hamas War: Live Q&A with Ali Hashem, Joyce Karam, and Daoud Kuttab
Nov 03, 2023
As Turkey celebrates 100th anniversary as a republic, Erdogan's one-man pro-Islamist regime is firmly entrenched, says Turkish scholar Selim Koru
Oct 26, 2023
The Israel-Hamas War: Live Q&A webinar with Ben Caspit & Nadia Bilbassy-Charters
Oct 20, 2023
Palestinian American historian Rashid Khalidi says Israel, US will face new wave of hostility in Middle East as Gaza war escalates
Oct 18, 2023
Israel's envoy to Bahrain says Iran behind Hamas attack, target is Abraham Accords
Oct 18, 2023
Sister of kidnapped Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov says US and Iraq can secure her release from Shiite militants
Oct 11, 2023
Will Armenia’s land border with Iran be Azerbaijan’s next target after Nagorno-Karabakh, asks analyst Benjamin Poghosyan
Sep 21, 2023
Iraqi Kurdish scholar Mohammed Salih says violence targeting Kurds in Kirkuk revives ghosts of Saddam regime
Sep 07, 2023
Saudi Arabia responsible for mass killings of Ethiopian migrants on Yemeni border, says Human Rights Watch researcher Nadia Hardman
Aug 24, 2023
After 39 years of armed conflict with Turkey, outlawed PKK militants may be weakened but not defeated, says author Frederike Geerdink
Aug 15, 2023
'My father shares a prison cell with inmates who make sandwiches with their own flesh,' says British-Tunisian activist Kaouther Ferjani
Aug 10, 2023
Turkey's ratification of Sweden's NATO membership not enough to secure Congressional approval for F-16s, says Hellenic American Leadership Council chief Endy Zemenides
Jul 26, 2023
Does Turkey's decision to let Sweden join NATO spell new positive era with Washington? Not really, says Turkey analyst Nicholas Danforth
Jul 13, 2023
Free Turkish Press editor Yavuz Baydar says Erdogan will win local elections, crush Kurds and strut on world stage
Jun 29, 2023
Iranian academic Arash Azizi says slain Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani looms as large in death as in life
Jun 15, 2023
Turkey scholar Howard Eissenstat on the dynamics of Erdogan's enduring success
May 30, 2023
Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim says Assad's return to Arab League is welcome, but won't amount to much
May 18, 2023
Pro-Kurdish Green Left Party candidate Ceylan Akca says Turkish security forces are terrorizing Kurdish voters but will fail
May 08, 2023
Former Sudan advisor to US government Cameron Hudson says US sanctions on Sudan's rival generals could have averted conflict
Apr 21, 2023
Iraq expert Bilal Wahab says Turkey wants guarantees from Baghdad before allowing Kurdish oil exports to resume
Apr 12, 2023
Turkey analyst Merve Tahiroglu says Kurds will back opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu to unseat Erdogan in first round
Mar 23, 2023
Kurdish academic Mashuq Kurt says Erdogan's electoral alliance with Turkish Hizbullah offshoot a risky step
Mar 16, 2023
Turkish commentator Cengiz Candar says Turkey's opposition will win elections overwhelmingly with Kurdish backing
Mar 10, 2023
Tunisia expert Monica Marks warns Tunisia's march towards dictatorship could turn bloody
Mar 02, 2023
Iran expert John Raine says Iranian hardliners want a military pact with Russia for the survival of the Islamic regime
Feb 22, 2023
Middle East Institute Turkey director Gonul Tol says one man rule, corruption increased deaths in killer earthquakes
Feb 10, 2023
Crisis Group South Caucasus Analyst Olesya Vartanyan warns renewed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan would impact broader region
Feb 02, 2023
The Economist's Turkey Correspondent Piotr Zalewski says don't give up on Turkey's battered democracy quite yet
Jan 30, 2023
UK's Syria envoy warns normalizing relations with Assad regime will undermine efforts for justice and accountability
Jan 13, 2023
Syrian commentator Ibrahim Hamidi says Kurds have surpassed Jihadis as Assad regime's greatest enemy
Jan 05, 2023
Investigative journalist Guillaume Perrier says 'you cannot tell Kurds Turkey was not involved in Paris murders'
Dec 29, 2022
French academic Fabrice Balanche says Turkish offensive against Syrian Kurds "a matter of time"
Dec 13, 2022
American aid volunteer David Eubank says Syrian Kurds feel even more betrayed by US in wake of Turkey's most recent attacks
Nov 28, 2022
Swedish academic Paul Levin says Sweden's decision to cut off Syria's Kurds is a pyrrhic win for Turkey
Nov 07, 2022
Kurdish gains in Iraq and Syria drive Turkish attacks, says researcher Meghan Bodette
Oct 24, 2022
Kurdish struggle critical linchpin of Iran protests, says BBC Persian correspondent Jiyar Gol
Oct 12, 2022
UAE, Gulf approaches to cryptocurrency, metaverse are testament to future planning, says Salim Essaid
Oct 04, 2022
Murder of Mahsa Amini sparks opposition interest, regime wrath for Iran's Kurdish movement says Kurdish expert Asso Hassan Zadeh
Sep 27, 2022
Russia's Vladimir Putin wants fellow strongman Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan to remain in power says Russia expert Mark Galeotti
Sep 15, 2022
Saudi Arabia's LIV Golf may change the sport forever, says Adam Lucente
Sep 08, 2022
Iranian expert Hamidreza Azizi warns failure to revive nuclear deal could trigger escalation against Israel via Syria
Aug 30, 2022
Return to nuclear deal would provide venue for direct US-Iran diplomacy, says Ali Hashem
Aug 23, 2022
Iran’s past nuclear activities at ‘heart of the matter’ of nuclear talks, says Mark Fitzpatrick
Aug 16, 2022
Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim says Russia allows Turkish drone strikes but no ground offensive against Syria's Kurds
Aug 08, 2022
Tunisian people’s choice is clear with referendum vote, says Ambassador Hanene Tajouri Bessassi, responding to US criticism
Aug 03, 2022
Former Ukrainian diplomat: Yevgeniya Gaber says Erdogan needs to go to Kyiv to win hearts and minds
Aug 01, 2022
Elizabeth and Andrew’s final take on Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia
Jul 21, 2022
Saudi Arabia’s return as swing oil producer should be deliverable for Biden visit, says Martin Indyk
Jul 11, 2022
Turkish geopolitical analyst Yoruk Isik says Erosion of rule of law in Turkey eases illegal trade in stolen Ukrainian wheat
Jul 05, 2022
Iran uneasy with trend in Israel-Gulf security cooperation, says Dina Esfandiary
Jun 30, 2022
'Right moment’ for steps toward Israel-Saudi normalization, says Daniel Shapiro
Jun 23, 2022
Saudi Arabia banking oil windfall to keep focus on fiscal discipline, diversification, says Stephen Kalin
Jun 17, 2022
US Energy policy requires a Saudi hotline, says Hadley Gamble
Jun 10, 2022
HRW Turkey director Sinclair-Webb says sexist rhetoric from the top undermines efforts to combat violence against women
Jun 03, 2022
Al-Monitor columnist Elizabeth Hagedorn discusses US policy toward Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Biden’s upcoming travel to the Middle East
May 26, 2022
Kurdish researcher Giran Ozcan: Understanding the Kurdish people and their aspirations will benefit the United States’ own interests
May 17, 2022
Sinjar now a strategic dispute for Iraq involving regional parties, says Mirza Dinnayi
May 12, 2022
Palestinian violence reflects absence of a political horizon, says Daoud Kuttab
May 05, 2022
‘We can’t walk away from Saudi Arabia,’ says Steve Clemons
Apr 28, 2022
Human Rights Defender Sarah Leah Whitson says Turkey’s cynical U turn on Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi is no surprise
Apr 21, 2022
Impossible for Turkey to sustain sanctions on Russia, says Kadri Gursel
Apr 13, 2022
Russian conduct in Ukraine could spur calls for accountability in Syria, says Elizabeth Hagedorn
Apr 08, 2022
Abdulaziz Sager on US-Saudi relations, the JCPOA, and the impact of the Ukraine war on regional security
Apr 01, 2022
Syria expert Aron Lund: Syria’s Assad should be nervous about Russian setbacks in Ukraine
Mar 22, 2022
Iran nuclear deal opens possibilities for Gulf regional security, says Mark Fitzpatrick
Mar 17, 2022
Russian position emboldens Iran in nuclear talks, says Dimitri Simes
Mar 10, 2022
A US, NATO No Fly Zone in Ukraine means war with Russia, says RAND’s Sam Charap
Mar 03, 2022
Iraqi Kurdis LGBT rights activist Zhiar Ali says local authorities do nothing to discourage killings
Feb 24, 2022
Intra-Sudanese dialogue, role of military, key benchmarks for transition, says UN Sudan Envoy Volker Perthes
Feb 15, 2022
Gulf climate initiatives a sign of ‘real change,’ says Amy Myers Jaffe
Feb 07, 2022
Ukraine analyst lliya Kusa: Ukrainians see in Turkey and Erdogan what they want for themselves
Feb 01, 2022
Houthis should be part of Yemeni political solution, says Oman Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi
Jan 26, 2022
We are witnessing a modern-day exodus of Christians from the Middle East, says Janine di Giovanni
Jan 17, 2022
Iran’s economy won’t collapse, but future at risk from sanctions, says Bijan Khajehpour
Jan 12, 2022
Analyst Hiwa Osman: The United States must fix the escalating crisis between Iraq and Syria’s Kurds
Jan 03, 2022
Maghreb Analyst Jalel Harchaoui: Turkey could find itself fighting Libyans in Tripoli in the wake of cancelled elections
Dec 28, 2021
Iran nuclear talks should be linked to Yemen peace process, says Sanam Vakil
Dec 20, 2021
French President Macron pitches stability, business in Gulf, says Gilles Kepel
Dec 13, 2021
Nicholas Danforth: Erdogan’s hands are not tied by his political allies, still has power to reverse Turkey’s downward spiral
Dec 08, 2021
Russia expert Michael Kofman explains why Moscow backs the Iran nuclear deal and why Iran-Russia tensions in Syria are overstated
Nov 30, 2021
Don’t rule out eventual Erdogan-Assad reconciliation over shared fear of Kurds, says Amberin Zaman
Nov 24, 2021
Trump Administration’s Former Syria Envoy JIM JEFFREY says Turkey unlike to invade northeastern Syria in the immediate future
Nov 18, 2021
Noor Sweid on innovation in the MENA region: ‘It’s not that we’re trying to think outside the box; there is no box’
Nov 09, 2021
Israeli leaders worry that Iran does not fear America, says Ben Caspit
Nov 05, 2021
World not trusting Israel’s ‘flimsy’ terrorist claims against Palestinian NGO’s, says Daoud Kuttab
Oct 26, 2021
US Turkish relations unlikely to get better under Erdogan says veteran Turkey analyst Alan Makovsky
Oct 21, 2021
Khamenei may still prefer a nuclear deal over a nuclear weapon, says Ken Pollack
Oct 13, 2021
Iran unlikely to consider crossing nuclear weapons threshold unless attacked, says Ali Vaez
Oct 07, 2021
US intervention in Syria is different to Afghanistan says security expert Aaron Stein
Sep 30, 2021
Vivian Salama previews the Biden Administration’s Middle East priorities at the UN General Assembly
Sep 20, 2021
Europe, West threatened by Atmospheric Jihadism and the entrepreneurs of wrath, says Gilles Kepel
Sep 15, 2021
Iraqis fear worse chaos amid waning US presence, says Bilal Wahab
Sep 08, 2021
Armenia expert Richard Giragosian: Peace between Armenia, Turkey more likely than before
Aug 30, 2021
US 'diplomatic muscle' can boost Libyan transition, says former UN Envoy Stephanie Williams
Aug 23, 2021
Iran has been getting closer to the Taliban for some time, says Shelly Kittleson
Aug 18, 2021
Tunisia expert Monica Marks says Tunisia’s Democratic future hangs in the balance following what was unquestionably a coup
Aug 09, 2021
Saudis see agreement with US on 90% of issues in region, says Stephen Kalin
Aug 02, 2021
Nile Dam talks may be ‘in a lot of trouble,’ says Samuel Ramani
Jul 28, 2021
Ali Hashem on what to expect from Ebrahim Raisi and the rise of the Hezbollahis in Iran
Jul 19, 2021
South Asia security expert Ayesha Siddiqa says Turkey is a natural fit for Afghanistan
Jul 13, 2021
The Gulf moment in the Middle East is here to stay, says Abdulkhaleq Abdulla
Jul 05, 2021
Turkish academic Tugba Tanyeri: Erdogan’s conversion of Haghia Sophia part of drive to put a Sunni Muslim stamp on Turkey’s urban landscape
Jun 30, 2021
Biden-Putin summit exceeded expectations, says Fyodor Lukyanov, but US-Russia antagonistic relationship remains
Jun 18, 2021
Were the Divas of Egypt’s Roaring 20’s also pioneers of Egyptian Feminism? A conversation with Raphael Cormack
Jun 14, 2021
Children in Gaza most affected by war, says Hana Salah
Jun 10, 2021
US-Turkish relations difficult, but manageable, says ECFR senior fellow Asli Aydintasbas
Jun 02, 2021
Despite Gaza devastation, Hamas may have gained politically from war, says Shibley Telhami
May 24, 2021
Latest Israel-Hamas war won’t resolve underlying problems, says Jon Alterman
May 18, 2021
Ebtesam Al-Ketbi discusses the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis, the Abraham Accords, the Iran talks, UAE diplomacy in the Horn of Africa, and more
May 11, 2021
Gaza preparing for escalation between Israel and Hamas over Jerusalem, says Hana Salah
May 05, 2021
Middle East scholar Arzu Yilmaz says limits of Turkish military activity in Iraq are mostly set by Iran
Apr 28, 2021
Ambassador Murat Mercan expects more US-Turkish cooperation, despite differences
Apr 16, 2021
Sudan hoping for shift in Ethiopian position on Nile Dam talks, says Nureldin Satti, Sudan’s Ambassador to the United States
Apr 14, 2021
Is Turkey's authoritarian president losing his grip? Wishful thinking, says Ankara-based journalist Raziye Akkoc
Apr 06, 2021
On China-Iran ties: follow the money, not the MOU’s, says Afshin Molavi
Mar 30, 2021
Renad Mansour of Chatham House breaks down Iraq’s power networks and the PMU’s
Mar 24, 2021
Healing child soldiers of the Islamic State remains huge challenge for Iraq, says Sherri Kraham Talabany
Mar 16, 2021
Post-conflict stabilization in Yemen should be locally-driven and have regional buy-in, says Denise Natali
Mar 09, 2021
Time for a rethink — and a shift away from ‘threatism ’— for US strategy in the Middle East, says RAND team
Mar 02, 2021
‘Tech That’: Sam Blatteis, former head of Google Gulf Government Relations, takes us inside the Middle East Digital Boom
Feb 23, 2021
Who are the Syrian Kurdish women fighters who took down the Islamic State? Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tells the inside story
Feb 17, 2021
Yemen may be best opportunity for regional diplomacy with Iran, says Mohsen Milani
Feb 09, 2021
Ethiopia showing ‘no political will whatsoever’ to reach deal on Nile Dam, says Egyptian Ambassador Motaz Zahran
Feb 03, 2021
Hebah Fisher on why podcasts are becoming the medium of choice for Arab youth
Jan 26, 2021
Can Syria be stitched back together again? Not any time soon says analyst Elizabeth Tsurkov
Jan 20, 2021
‘Things are going to get tougher’ in US-Turkey relations, says Amberin Zaman
Jan 12, 2021
Arab youth turning to podcasts for expression, culture, and connection, says Leila Hamadeh
Jan 05, 2021
Former Pentagon Official Mick Mulroy makes the case for US staying power in Middle East
Dec 29, 2020
Al-Monitor correspondents Hagedorn, Lucente, and Szuba on what to expect from the Biden Administration in the Middle East
Dec 22, 2020
Mahmoud Abbas has ‘frozen’ the Palestinian movement, says Daoud Kuttab
Dec 15, 2020
Israeli scholar Micky Aharonson breaks down Putin’s strategy in Israel, Iran and Syria
Dec 09, 2020
Biden Administration should give early priority to setting clear expectations for Saudi policy
Dec 01, 2020
Turkey may no longer be model partner, but US has interest in finding common ground where it can
Nov 24, 2020
‘Creative diplomacy’ very much an option for US and Iran under Biden Administration
Nov 17, 2020
Bahrain committed to both normalization with Israel and two-state solution, says Bahrain Ambassador to US
Nov 11, 2020
HR McMaster explains why it would be a mistake to return to Iran deal and the perils of disengagement in the Middle East
Nov 03, 2020
‘Foregone conclusion’ that Erdogan is rooting for Trump in US presidential election
Oct 30, 2020
US democracy promotion in the Middle East ‘largely discredited,’ says Steven Cook of Council on Foreign Relations
Oct 21, 2020
How the GCC states balance the US and China, and why the Gulf may prefer Trump over Biden
Oct 14, 2020
Closing US embassy in Baghdad would be ‘incredibly irresponsible,’ says former US Ambassador to Iraq
Oct 07, 2020
GCC rift ‘pained the late Emir the most,’ says Kuwaiti scholar Alanoud Alsharekh
Oct 01, 2020
Van Hollen says Iran is metaphor for failed Trump foreign policies
Sep 23, 2020
For Israeli Arabs, Peace agreements with UAE and Bahrain bring opportunities and mixed feelings
Sep 17, 2020
Putin’s Syria Strategy and the US presidential election
Sep 10, 2020
Update from Iraq with Al-Monitor’s Ali Mamouri
Sep 02, 2020
“The sky’s the limit” for Israel-UAE deal, says Israel’s ambassador to the United States
Aug 26, 2020
CNBC’s Hadley Gamble talks about Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and women journalists covering the Middle East
Aug 12, 2020
Mina Al-Oraibi discusses how the UAE got ahead of COVID-19 pandemic and pulled off the Mars Mission, why she has faith in Iraq’s potential, and more
Aug 05, 2020
Sultan Al-Qassemi discusses social, political and cultural trends in modern and contemporary Arab Art
Jul 29, 2020
US Rep. Elissa Slotkin: US should be ‘clear eyed’ about Russian attempts to ‘thwart, target and engage’ US forces
Jul 22, 2020
Cengiz Candar discusses his new book, Turkey’s Mission Impossible: War and Peace with the Kurds
Jul 15, 2020
US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook discusses Trump Administration’s policy toward Iran
Jul 08, 2020
Israeli and Palestinian UN ambassadors discuss annexation, the Trump Peace Plan and the prospects for direct talks
Jul 01, 2020
Qatar Amb. Meshal Al-Thani talks about COVID-19, Iran, plans for the World Cup, divisions within the GCC, and more
Jun 24, 2020
Amberin Zaman breaks down US-Turkey relations and the Kurdish question in Syria
Jun 17, 2020
Gilles Kepel discusses his new book “Away from Chaos: The Middle East and the Challenge to the West”
Jun 10, 2020
UAE Ambassador Yousef Al-Otaiba talks about COVID-19, the region, and prospects for governance in the post-pandemic future
Jun 02, 2020
Hagel talks about the Middle East, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, and Joe Biden
May 27, 2020
What will be Netanyahu’s Legacy?
May 20, 2020
Trailer
Apr 27, 2020