Babel: Translating the Middle East

Latest Episodes:

Hana Al Omair: The Saudi Film Industry Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hana Al Omair, an award-winning Saudi writer and director, and chairwoman of the new Saudi Cinema Association. During the conversation, Al Omair analyzes massive shifts underway in the Saudi film industry and emerging trends in Saudi cinema. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Danny Sharp, discussing where the Saudi film industry might go and why Hollywood blockbusters remain so popular in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the region.

A Mezze: Bride of the Beqqa Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

"The Bride of the Beqaa" captures the imagination of many Lebanese. The mountain city of Zahle overlooking the Beqaa plateau is famed for its beauty, pleasant climate, and quality arak. But for many years, Zahle was also famous for having 24/7 electricity without relying on neighborhood generators. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Jason Rezaian: The Rise of Hostage Taking Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman welcomes Jason Rezaian back to the podcast. Jason is a former hostage and alongside Jon, he is the co-executive director of the CSIS Commission on Hostage Taking and Wrongful Detention. They speak about the growing phenomenon of hostile governments and groups imprisoning Americans to gain leverage against the United States, why it’s becoming more common, and what the United States can do both to respond when an American is detained and to deter wrongful detention and hostage taking altogether. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp, speaking about the case of Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student who was kidnapped in Iraq in March by groups close to the Iranian government.

Jason Rezaian, “Now the real work to end hostage-taking and wrongful detentions begins,” Washington Post Global Opinions, August 30, 2022.
Jason Rezaian and Danny Sharp, “Just Call Them Hostages,” CSIS, July 20, 2023.
Transcript, “Jason Rezaian: The Rise of Hostage Taking,” CSIS, July 25, 2023.

A Mezze: Saudis Take to the Streets Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Through new urban planning projects, Saudi Arabia is encouraging its citizens to join a quiet revolution of walking. While many Saudi cities have improved their mobility index, the government still faces many challenges. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Shirin Hakim: Iran’s Environmental Challenges Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Shirin Hakim, head of the Environment, Climate Security, and Public Health unit at the Center for Middle East and Global Order. They talk about Iran’s worsening environmental issues, the Iranian government’s decades-long mismanagement and overexploitation of its natural resources, and how Western sanctions play into the Iranian regime’s environmental strategy. Dr. Hakim closes the interview with thoughts on how U.S. policymakers should weigh environmental protection with broader foreign policy priorities. Later in the episode, Jon sits down with Will Todman and Danny Sharp to break down Will’s latest report “The Unique Promise of Environmental Cooperation in the Gulf,” which argues that diplomacy on environmental issues could be one pathway to reducing tensions and breaking through on some of the trickier security issues in the Gulf.

Shirin Hakim and Karen Makuch, “Springtime in Iran signals the renewal of an environmental movement,” Atlantic Council, April 21, 2023.
Shirin Hakim and Karen Makuch, “Conflicts of Interest: The Environmental Costs of Modern War and Sanctions,” RUSI, May 11, 2022.
Will Todman, Lubna Yousef, and Mennah Abdelwahab, “The Unique Promise of Environmental Cooperation in the Gulf” CSIS, July 11, 2023.
Transcript, “Shirin Hakim: Iran's Environmental Challenges” CSIS, July 11, 2023.

A Mezze: The Kurdistan Region of Iraq Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

As power outages become more frequent in Iraq, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is working to attract private investors in its renewable energy sector to access the full potential of the sun. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Will Todman, "Powering Recovery: Reform, Reconstruction, and Renewables in Conflict-Affected States in the Arab World," CSIS, March 3, 2023.

Dalia Hatuqa: Palestinian Politics Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dalia Hatuqa, a Ramallah-based journalist who has published widely in leading outlets around the world. They talk about the state of politics in the West Bank and Gaza; how the West and Arab states are engaging with the issue of Palestinian self-determination; and Palestinians’ rising frustration with their government, the Israeli government, and the international community. Later in the episode, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Danny Sharp, exploring the internal and external barriers to change in Palestinian politics.

Dalia Hatuqa, “The New Palestinian Resistance:Young militants are ditching old-style factionalism to fight Israel’s occupation,” Foreign Policy, March 29, 2023.
Dalia Hatuqa, “Abbas is Destroying Democracy to Ensure His Successor Supports Israel,” Foreign Policy, March 24, 2022.
Dalia Hatuqa, “Abu Mazen Stacks the Deck,” New Lines Magazine, March 19, 2021.
Jon Alterman, “A U.S. Pivot Away from the Middle East: Fact or Fiction?” CSIS, May 23, 2023.
Jon Alterman, “Will Israeli-Palestinian Violence Spin Out of Control?” CSIS, February 28, 2023.
Transcript, “Dalia Hatuqa: Palestinian Politics,” CSIS, June 27, 2023.

Analysis: LGBTQ+ Advocacy in the Middle East Backfires Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

In a new episode of Babel, we talk to Will Todman about how even well-intentioned Western LGBTQ+ advocacy in the Middle East can have negative consequences for local LGBTQ+ communities.

Will Todman, "LGBTQ+ Advocacy in the Middle East Backfires," CSIS, December 16, 2022.

Christoph Reuter: Syria’s War Economy. Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Christoph Reuter of Der Spiegel magazine, an award winning journalist and conflict reporter. They talk about Captagon, criminal networks, and Syria's war economy. Later, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Lubna Yousef, and they explore the intersection between criminal networks and war zones.

Transcript, "Christoph Reuter: Syria's War Economy," CSIS, June 13, 2023.
Jon Alterman and Natasha Hall, "Accountability in Syria," CSIS, August 9, 2022.
Jörg Diehl, Mohannad al-Najjar, and Christoph Reuter, “Syria’s Drug Smuggling: The Assad Regime Would Not Survive Loss of Captagon Revenues,” Der Spiegel, June 21, 2022.
Will Todman and Natasha Hall, "Russia Waged a Cheap War in Syria. Here's What Those Tactics Might Look Like in Ukraine," CSIS, March 11, 2022.

A Mezze: Iran's "Cloudy" Accusations Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

In mid-2022, Iranian authorities accused Israel and the United Arab Emirates of stealing their rain. But Iran’s increasingly dire water shortages make it harder to blame others for the Iranian government’s poor water management. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

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