Babel: Translating the Middle East

Latest Episodes:

COP 27 Preview: Electrifying the Middle East with Ali al-Saffar Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Ali al-Saffar, the Middle East and North Africa program manager at the International Energy Agency (IEA). They talk about the state of electric grids in the Middle East; renewable electricity and the energy transition; and why some Middle Eastern countries have too little electricity, why some have too much, and why that matters. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about subsidies and reform in the region.

Jon Alterman, "The Middle East's Coming Centrality," CSIS, September 20, 2022.
Ali al-Saffar and Brent Wanner, "How producers in the Middle East and North Africa can free up more natural gas for exports," IEA, May 25, 2022.
Ali al-Saffar and Matthew Van der Beeuren, "The case for energy transitions in major oil- and gas-producing countries," IEA, November 18, 2020.
Transcript, "COP 27 Preview: Electrifying the Middle East," CSIS, November 1, 2022.

A Mezze: Meat Market Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

Many countries have large trade deficits with oil producers in the Middle East, but Brazil is deep in surplus: it isn’t hungry for oil imports, but the region's consumers are hungry for its meat. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Mahsa Alimardani: Protest, Social Media, and Censorship in Iran Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Mahsa Alimardani, a scholar at the University of Oxford and a senior researcher with Article19. They talk about the recent protests in Iran and how both protestors and the regime have used social media, the cat and mouse game of online access and censorship in Iran, and what Western social media companies can be doing to better moderate their platforms. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about the intersection of protest movements and social media around the Middle East.

Mahsa Alimardani, Kendra Albert, and Afsaneh Rigot, "Big Tech Should Support the Iranian People, Not the Regime," The New York Times, September 30, 2022.
Mahsa Alimardani, "How Instagram is Failing Protestors in Iran," Slate, June 2, 2022.
Jon Alterman and Jason Rezaian, "What We Get Wrong About Iran," CSIS, February 1, 2022.
Jon Alterman and Karim Sadjadpour, "Iran's Future," CSIS, July 13, 2021.
Transcript, "Protest, Social Media, and Censorship in Iran," CSIS, October 18, 2022.

A Mezze: Honey, I Froze the Kids Oct 11, 2022

Show notes

Israel's generous subsidies for in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) have earned it the highest per capita rate of IVF procedures in the world, but that generosity may soon literally overflow with a decades-long buildup of frozen embryos.

Sami Atallah: Lebanon's Freefall Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Sami Atallah, the founding director of The Policy Initiative in Beirut. They talk about Lebanon's three year old financial crisis, its struggle with political accountability, and where change might come from. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Caleb Harper about how donors and the international community are thinking about Lebanon.

Sami Atallah et al., “When elections don’t matter? How new parliamentarians can improve the politics of power-sharing arrangements,” Middle East Institute, July 19, 2022.
Sami Atallah, “Lebanon’s Parliamentary Elections: How Did the Opposition Win?” Jadaliyya, May 24, 2022.
Will Todman and Caleb Harper, "Lebanon's Growing Humanitarian Crisis," CSIS, December 16, 2021.
Will Todman, "Lebanon's New Government," CSIS, September 10, 2021.
Transcript, "Lebanon's Freefall," CSIS, October 4, 2022.

A Mezze: Volunteer Trash Collectors Sep 27, 2022

Show notes

Tunisia’s revolution in 2011 improved many things, but the odors of Tunis was not one of them. This Mezze was adapted from the Middle East Program's report, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East."

Marc Owen Jones: Real News, Fake News, and No News Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Marc Owen Jones, an assistant professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar. He is the author of the recently released book, Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East. They talk about governments' longstanding efforts to shape the news environment in Middle Eastern states, and how the rise of social media creates new opportunities and threats for governments and citizens alike. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper about what this all means for the United States and the region.

Marc Owen Jones, "How digital authoritarianism has permeated the Middle East," Middle East Eye, August 11, 2022.
Marc Owen Jones, Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East(Hurst Publishers: 2022).
Marc Owen Jones, "Social media fueled the Arab Spring, then helped dictators squash it," The New Arab, January 12, 2021.
Transcript, "Real News, Fake News, and No News," CSIS, September 20, 2022.

A Mezze: It Takes a Village to Protect a River Sep 13, 2022

Show notes

To protect water resources in Lebanon, it takes more than just government action. This Mezze is adapted from a short vignette in our Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Olivia Lazard: Climate in the Middle East Sep 06, 2022

Show notes

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Olivia Lazard, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe focusing on the geopolitics of climate and the transitions ushered by climate change. They talk about the political and social impacts of climate change in the Middle East, what states in the region are already doing to mitigate the effects of climate change, and the bigger, transformative policy changes that are still needed. Then, Jon breaks down how international actors and governments in the region are thinking about these kinds of changes with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper.

Olivia Lazard et al., “Let’s Place Sustainability and Climate Change at the Heart of International Policy,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, July 8, 2022.
Olivia Lazard et al., “The Middle East’s Climate Change Wake-Up,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, February 17, 2022.
Jon Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Will Todman, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East," CSIS, May 18, 2021.
Transcript, "Climate in the Middle East," CSIS, September 6, 2022.

A Mezze: Deus ex Trafica Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

In Saudi Arabia, religious leaders warn that there's a new sin to add to the list: flashing your emergency lights to warn other drivers of upcoming speed cameras. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

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