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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 |
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Sister of Israeli-Russian scholar Elizabeth Tsurkov, who is being held by Iran-backed Shiite militia, calls for US military sanctions on Iraq
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Apr 25, 2024 |
Iran established deterrence against Israel proving through its actions it could do more harm, says academic Hassan Ahmadian
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Apr 17, 2024 |
What path lies ahead for Turkey after Erdogan's stunning local election defeat? Commentator Kadri Gursel explains
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Apr 03, 2024 |
How the West began losing the Mideast to Iran, Russia & China since start of Syria conflict, French academic Fabrice Balanche explains
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Mar 21, 2024 |
Will Turkey's Erdogan seize back Istanbul and fully secure his regime in March 31 elections?
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Mar 14, 2024 |
Why are Britain’s Jews facing the largest wave of anti-semitic violence in modern times?
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Mar 07, 2024 |
American doctor Seema Jilani faces backlash for her eyewitness accounts of horrors unfolding in Gaza
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Feb 20, 2024 |
Sweden did not take Turkey's terrorism concerns seriously enough says former Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde
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Feb 15, 2024 |
Does Turkey really support ISIS and, if so, why did ISIS just attack it again? Expert Aaron Zelin explains
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Feb 05, 2024 |
Does Iran control Shiite militias that are attacking US forces in Iraq and Syria? Two leading experts weigh in
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Jan 29, 2024 |
German federal prosecutors petitioned to launch war crimes case against Turkish-backed Sunni factions abusing Kurds in Syria
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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
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Jan 18, 2024 |
Israel does not want a war with Iran, says Haaretz English editor-in-chief
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Jan 03, 2024 |
Turkey won't be at the table when Gaza conflict ends, says Turkey analyst Alan Makovsky
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Dec 14, 2023 |
Former CENTCOM commander Gen. Joseph Votel warns Gaza conflict may expand because Iran lacks full control of its militia proxies
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Nov 13, 2023 |
Iran continues strategic miscalculations even after Hamas' attack on Israel, says analyst Hamidreza Azizi
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Nov 07, 2023 |
The Israel-Hamas War: Live Q&A with Ali Hashem, Joyce Karam, and Daoud Kuttab
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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
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Oct 26, 2023 |
The Israel-Hamas War: Live Q&A webinar with Ben Caspit & Nadia Bilbassy-Charters
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Oct 20, 2023 |
Palestinian American historian Rashid Khalidi says Israel, US will face new wave of hostility in Middle East as Gaza war escalates
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Oct 18, 2023 |
Israel's envoy to Bahrain says Iran behind Hamas attack, target is Abraham Accords
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Oct 18, 2023 |
Sister of kidnapped Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov says US and Iraq can secure her release from Shiite militants
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Oct 11, 2023 |
Will Armenia’s land border with Iran be Azerbaijan’s next target after Nagorno-Karabakh, asks analyst Benjamin Poghosyan
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Sep 21, 2023 |
Iraqi Kurdish scholar Mohammed Salih says violence targeting Kurds in Kirkuk revives ghosts of Saddam regime
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Sep 07, 2023 |
Saudi Arabia responsible for mass killings of Ethiopian migrants on Yemeni border, says Human Rights Watch researcher Nadia Hardman
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Aug 24, 2023 |
After 39 years of armed conflict with Turkey, outlawed PKK militants may be weakened but not defeated, says author Frederike Geerdink
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Aug 15, 2023 |
'My father shares a prison cell with inmates who make sandwiches with their own flesh,' says British-Tunisian activist Kaouther Ferjani
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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
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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
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Jul 13, 2023 |
Free Turkish Press editor Yavuz Baydar says Erdogan will win local elections, crush Kurds and strut on world stage
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Jun 29, 2023 |
Iranian academic Arash Azizi says slain Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani looms as large in death as in life
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Jun 15, 2023 |
Turkey scholar Howard Eissenstat on the dynamics of Erdogan's enduring success
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May 30, 2023 |
Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim says Assad's return to Arab League is welcome, but won't amount to much
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May 18, 2023 |
Pro-Kurdish Green Left Party candidate Ceylan Akca says Turkish security forces are terrorizing Kurdish voters but will fail
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May 08, 2023 |
Former Sudan advisor to US government Cameron Hudson says US sanctions on Sudan's rival generals could have averted conflict
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Apr 21, 2023 |
Iraq expert Bilal Wahab says Turkey wants guarantees from Baghdad before allowing Kurdish oil exports to resume
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Apr 12, 2023 |
Turkey analyst Merve Tahiroglu says Kurds will back opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu to unseat Erdogan in first round
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Mar 23, 2023 |
Kurdish academic Mashuq Kurt says Erdogan's electoral alliance with Turkish Hizbullah offshoot a risky step
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Mar 16, 2023 |
Turkish commentator Cengiz Candar says Turkey's opposition will win elections overwhelmingly with Kurdish backing
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Mar 10, 2023 |
Tunisia expert Monica Marks warns Tunisia's march towards dictatorship could turn bloody
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Mar 02, 2023 |
Iran expert John Raine says Iranian hardliners want a military pact with Russia for the survival of the Islamic regime
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Feb 22, 2023 |
Middle East Institute Turkey director Gonul Tol says one man rule, corruption increased deaths in killer earthquakes
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Feb 10, 2023 |
Crisis Group South Caucasus Analyst Olesya Vartanyan warns renewed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan would impact broader region
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Feb 02, 2023 |
The Economist's Turkey Correspondent Piotr Zalewski says don't give up on Turkey's battered democracy quite yet
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Jan 30, 2023 |
UK's Syria envoy warns normalizing relations with Assad regime will undermine efforts for justice and accountability
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Jan 13, 2023 |
Syrian commentator Ibrahim Hamidi says Kurds have surpassed Jihadis as Assad regime's greatest enemy
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Jan 05, 2023 |
Investigative journalist Guillaume Perrier says 'you cannot tell Kurds Turkey was not involved in Paris murders'
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Dec 29, 2022 |
French academic Fabrice Balanche says Turkish offensive against Syrian Kurds "a matter of time"
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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
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Nov 28, 2022 |
Swedish academic Paul Levin says Sweden's decision to cut off Syria's Kurds is a pyrrhic win for Turkey
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Nov 07, 2022 |
Kurdish gains in Iraq and Syria drive Turkish attacks, says researcher Meghan Bodette
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Oct 24, 2022 |
Kurdish struggle critical linchpin of Iran protests, says BBC Persian correspondent Jiyar Gol
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Oct 12, 2022 |
UAE, Gulf approaches to cryptocurrency, metaverse are testament to future planning, says Salim Essaid
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Oct 04, 2022 |
Murder of Mahsa Amini sparks opposition interest, regime wrath for Iran's Kurdish movement says Kurdish expert Asso Hassan Zadeh
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Sep 27, 2022 |
Russia's Vladimir Putin wants fellow strongman Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan to remain in power says Russia expert Mark Galeotti
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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
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Aug 30, 2022 |
Return to nuclear deal would provide venue for direct US-Iran diplomacy, says Ali Hashem
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Aug 23, 2022 |
Iran’s past nuclear activities at ‘heart of the matter’ of nuclear talks, says Mark Fitzpatrick
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Aug 16, 2022 |
Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim says Russia allows Turkish drone strikes but no ground offensive against Syria's Kurds
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Aug 08, 2022 |
Tunisian people’s choice is clear with referendum vote, says Ambassador Hanene Tajouri Bessassi, responding to US criticism
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Aug 03, 2022 |
Former Ukrainian diplomat: Yevgeniya Gaber says Erdogan needs to go to Kyiv to win hearts and minds
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Aug 01, 2022 |
Elizabeth and Andrew’s final take on Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia
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Jul 21, 2022 |
Saudi Arabia’s return as swing oil producer should be deliverable for Biden visit, says Martin Indyk
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Jul 11, 2022 |
Turkish geopolitical analyst Yoruk Isik says Erosion of rule of law in Turkey eases illegal trade in stolen Ukrainian wheat
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Jul 05, 2022 |
Iran uneasy with trend in Israel-Gulf security cooperation, says Dina Esfandiary
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Jun 30, 2022 |
'Right moment’ for steps toward Israel-Saudi normalization, says Daniel Shapiro
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Jun 23, 2022 |
Saudi Arabia banking oil windfall to keep focus on fiscal discipline, diversification, says Stephen Kalin
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Jun 17, 2022 |
US Energy policy requires a Saudi hotline, says Hadley Gamble
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Jun 10, 2022 |
HRW Turkey director Sinclair-Webb says sexist rhetoric from the top undermines efforts to combat violence against women
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Jun 03, 2022 |
Al-Monitor columnist Elizabeth Hagedorn discusses US policy toward Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Biden’s upcoming travel to the Middle East
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May 26, 2022 |
Kurdish researcher Giran Ozcan: Understanding the Kurdish people and their aspirations will benefit the United States’ own interests
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May 17, 2022 |
Sinjar now a strategic dispute for Iraq involving regional parties, says Mirza Dinnayi
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May 12, 2022 |
Palestinian violence reflects absence of a political horizon, says Daoud Kuttab
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May 05, 2022 |
‘We can’t walk away from Saudi Arabia,’ says Steve Clemons
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Apr 28, 2022 |
Human Rights Defender Sarah Leah Whitson says Turkey’s cynical U turn on Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi is no surprise
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Apr 21, 2022 |
Impossible for Turkey to sustain sanctions on Russia, says Kadri Gursel
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Apr 13, 2022 |
Russian conduct in Ukraine could spur calls for accountability in Syria, says Elizabeth Hagedorn
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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
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Mar 22, 2022 |
Iran nuclear deal opens possibilities for Gulf regional security, says Mark Fitzpatrick
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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
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Mar 03, 2022 |
Iraqi Kurdis LGBT rights activist Zhiar Ali says local authorities do nothing to discourage killings
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Feb 24, 2022 |
Intra-Sudanese dialogue, role of military, key benchmarks for transition, says UN Sudan Envoy Volker Perthes
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Feb 15, 2022 |
Gulf climate initiatives a sign of ‘real change,’ says Amy Myers Jaffe
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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
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Jan 03, 2022 |
Maghreb Analyst Jalel Harchaoui: Turkey could find itself fighting Libyans in Tripoli in the wake of cancelled elections
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Dec 28, 2021 |
Iran nuclear talks should be linked to Yemen peace process, says Sanam Vakil
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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
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Dec 08, 2021 |
Russia expert Michael Kofman explains why Moscow backs the Iran nuclear deal and why Iran-Russia tensions in Syria are overstated
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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
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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
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Sep 20, 2021 |
Europe, West threatened by Atmospheric Jihadism and the entrepreneurs of wrath, says Gilles Kepel
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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
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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
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May 11, 2021 |
Gaza preparing for escalation between Israel and Hamas over Jerusalem, says Hana Salah
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May 05, 2021 |
Middle East scholar Arzu Yilmaz says limits of Turkish military activity in Iraq are mostly set by Iran
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Apr 28, 2021 |
Ambassador Murat Mercan expects more US-Turkish cooperation, despite differences
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Apr 16, 2021 |
Sudan hoping for shift in Ethiopian position on Nile Dam talks, says Nureldin Satti, Sudan’s Ambassador to the United States
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Apr 14, 2021 |
Is Turkey's authoritarian president losing his grip? Wishful thinking, says Ankara-based journalist Raziye Akkoc
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Apr 06, 2021 |
On China-Iran ties: follow the money, not the MOU’s, says Afshin Molavi
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Mar 30, 2021 |
Renad Mansour of Chatham House breaks down Iraq’s power networks and the PMU’s
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Mar 24, 2021 |
Healing child soldiers of the Islamic State remains huge challenge for Iraq, says Sherri Kraham Talabany
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Mar 16, 2021 |
Post-conflict stabilization in Yemen should be locally-driven and have regional buy-in, says Denise Natali
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Mar 09, 2021 |
Time for a rethink — and a shift away from ‘threatism ’— for US strategy in the Middle East, says RAND team
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Mar 02, 2021 |
‘Tech That’: Sam Blatteis, former head of Google Gulf Government Relations, takes us inside the Middle East Digital Boom
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Feb 23, 2021 |
Who are the Syrian Kurdish women fighters who took down the Islamic State? Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tells the inside story
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Feb 17, 2021 |
Yemen may be best opportunity for regional diplomacy with Iran, says Mohsen Milani
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Feb 09, 2021 |
Ethiopia showing ‘no political will whatsoever’ to reach deal on Nile Dam, says Egyptian Ambassador Motaz Zahran
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Feb 03, 2021 |
Hebah Fisher on why podcasts are becoming the medium of choice for Arab youth
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Jan 26, 2021 |
Can Syria be stitched back together again? Not any time soon says analyst Elizabeth Tsurkov
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Jan 20, 2021 |
‘Things are going to get tougher’ in US-Turkey relations, says Amberin Zaman
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Jan 12, 2021 |
Arab youth turning to podcasts for expression, culture, and connection, says Leila Hamadeh
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Jan 05, 2021 |
Former Pentagon Official Mick Mulroy makes the case for US staying power in Middle East
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Dec 29, 2020 |
Al-Monitor correspondents Hagedorn, Lucente, and Szuba on what to expect from the Biden Administration in the Middle East
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Dec 22, 2020 |
Mahmoud Abbas has ‘frozen’ the Palestinian movement, says Daoud Kuttab
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Dec 15, 2020 |
Israeli scholar Micky Aharonson breaks down Putin’s strategy in Israel, Iran and Syria
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Dec 09, 2020 |
Biden Administration should give early priority to setting clear expectations for Saudi policy
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Dec 01, 2020 |
Turkey may no longer be model partner, but US has interest in finding common ground where it can
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Nov 24, 2020 |
‘Creative diplomacy’ very much an option for US and Iran under Biden Administration
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Nov 17, 2020 |
Bahrain committed to both normalization with Israel and two-state solution, says Bahrain Ambassador to US
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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
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Nov 03, 2020 |
‘Foregone conclusion’ that Erdogan is rooting for Trump in US presidential election
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Oct 30, 2020 |
US democracy promotion in the Middle East ‘largely discredited,’ says Steven Cook of Council on Foreign Relations
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Oct 21, 2020 |
How the GCC states balance the US and China, and why the Gulf may prefer Trump over Biden
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Oct 14, 2020 |
Closing US embassy in Baghdad would be ‘incredibly irresponsible,’ says former US Ambassador to Iraq
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Oct 07, 2020 |
GCC rift ‘pained the late Emir the most,’ says Kuwaiti scholar Alanoud Alsharekh
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Oct 01, 2020 |
Van Hollen says Iran is metaphor for failed Trump foreign policies
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Sep 23, 2020 |
For Israeli Arabs, Peace agreements with UAE and Bahrain bring opportunities and mixed feelings
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Sep 17, 2020 |
Putin’s Syria Strategy and the US presidential election
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Sep 10, 2020 |
Update from Iraq with Al-Monitor’s Ali Mamouri
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Sep 02, 2020 |
“The sky’s the limit” for Israel-UAE deal, says Israel’s ambassador to the United States
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Aug 26, 2020 |
CNBC’s Hadley Gamble talks about Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and women journalists covering the Middle East
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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
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Aug 05, 2020 |
Sultan Al-Qassemi discusses social, political and cultural trends in modern and contemporary Arab Art
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Jul 29, 2020 |
US Rep. Elissa Slotkin: US should be ‘clear eyed’ about Russian attempts to ‘thwart, target and engage’ US forces
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Jul 22, 2020 |
Cengiz Candar discusses his new book, Turkey’s Mission Impossible: War and Peace with the Kurds
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Jul 15, 2020 |
US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook discusses Trump Administration’s policy toward Iran
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Jul 08, 2020 |
Israeli and Palestinian UN ambassadors discuss annexation, the Trump Peace Plan and the prospects for direct talks
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Jul 01, 2020 |
Qatar Amb. Meshal Al-Thani talks about COVID-19, Iran, plans for the World Cup, divisions within the GCC, and more
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Jun 24, 2020 |
Amberin Zaman breaks down US-Turkey relations and the Kurdish question in Syria
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Jun 17, 2020 |
Gilles Kepel discusses his new book “Away from Chaos: The Middle East and the Challenge to the West”
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Jun 10, 2020 |
UAE Ambassador Yousef Al-Otaiba talks about COVID-19, the region, and prospects for governance in the post-pandemic future
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Jun 02, 2020 |
Hagel talks about the Middle East, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, and Joe Biden
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May 27, 2020 |
What will be Netanyahu’s Legacy?
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May 20, 2020 |
Trailer
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Apr 27, 2020 |