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This week on Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts Yasmine Farouk, Ali Vaez and Michael Wahid Hanna about U.S. President Donald Trump's forthcoming trip to the Gulf and how much the Iran nuclear talks, the Gaza war and other regional crises will feature on the agenda.In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Michael Wahid Hanna, Crisis Group's U.S. Program Director, Yasmine Farouk, Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Director, and Ali Vaez, Iran Project Director, to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's forthcoming visit to the Gulf. They unpack Washington's priorities for the trip, the role regional peace and security might play in Trump's discussions with Gulf Arab leaders, and what Riyadh and other capitals hope to get from his visit. They assess the state of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, the incentives on both sides to reach a deal, and obstacles to diplomacy. They also examine other issues that might feature in Trump's discussions in the Gulf, including Israel's new war plans and the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, sanctions relief for Syria and the war in Sudan.Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more, check out our Gulf and Arabian Peninsula regional page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Crisis Group experts Max Rodenbeck, Mairav Zonszein, Amjad Iraqi and Michael Wahid Hanna to discuss the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire, the likely effect on Palestinians in Gaza and the goals of both Israel's renewed military campaign and the U.S. strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. Richard first talks to Max, Mairav and Amjad about Israel's return to war, including its retreat from a three-phase ceasefire deal it struck with Hamas in January. They examine Israeli views of the war, including the growing public anger at the government's handling of the hostage crisis and the resumption of the war. They also explore Hamas's strength in Gaza, the humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave and the possible futures of governance in the strip. Richard then speaks to Michael, Crisis Group's U.S. Program Director, about the Trump administration's emerging Middle East policy, as the U.S. backs Israel's campaign in Gaza, strikes the Houthis in Yemen and steps up pressure on Iran, even as the president signals he wants to enter nuclear talks with Tehran. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of Hold Your Fire! Richard is joined by Crisis Group experts Olga Oliker, Michael Wahid Hanna, Renata Segura, Ali Wyne and Amanda Hsiao to talk about Donald Trump's return to the White House and what it means for the world, whether the wars in Europe and the Middle East or crises and flashpoints elsewhere. He first talks with Olga about Trump's pledge to end the Ukraine war. Does that means subjugating Kyiv to Russian influence? What does a more transactional Washington portend for NATO and European security? Richard and Michael then look at how a Trump presidency might approach Israel's war in Gaza and Lebanon, its confrontation with Iran and Middle East politics more broadly. Renata lays out what to make of Trump's stated plans for mass deportations and his next administration's Latin America policy. Richard then speaks with Ali and Amanda about China policy under the next Trump administration, the prospect of tariffs on Chinese exports and flashpoints around Taiwan and in the South China Sea. Click here to listen on Apple Podcast or Spotify. For more, check out our commentary Toward a Plan B for Peace in Ukraine, our recent report The Next U.S. Administration and China Policy, and our United States program page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Israel has killed much of Hezbollah's leadership. Now it says it's carrying out a ground operation inside Lebanon. The military says the offensive will be limited and localised. But air raids in the past week have killed hundreds of civilians. How can Israel root out Hezbollah? In this episode: Michael Wahid Hanna, US Program Director, International Crisis Group. Ilan Baruch, Chairperson, Policy Working Group. Andreas Krieg, Associate Professor, School of Security Studies, King's College London. Host: Mohammed Jamjoom Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes!
The Middle East has faced growing instability, violence, and the risk of a wider war ever since October 7. Most attention is understandably focused on Israel, where 1,200 people were killed in a single day, and Gaza, where the death toll is steadily climbing past 11,000, the majority children and women. But the wider region is experiencing a level of violence that is cause for alarm: near-daily clashes between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel; steady attacks on the U.S. military in Iraq and Syria; and increasingly bold military initiatives by Yemen's Houthi rebel forces. How has the Gaza war changed the wider Middle East? What new dynamics are shaping conflicts and diplomacy among the regional powers and in the region's many simmering conflicts? How will America's bear hug of Israel affect other American interests in the Middle East? Century International fellows Aron Lund, Sam Heller, and Thanassis Cambanis are joined by Michael Wahid Hanna from International Crisis Group to step back from the day-to-day developments of the Gaza war and assess the changing regional context. Read: Commentary: “It's Time for a Ceasefire in Gaza—and Then a New Push for Peace,” by Thanassis Cambanis, Dahlia Scheindlin, and Sam Heller Commentary: “America Needs to Prevent a Regional War in the Middle East,” by Sam Heller and Thanassis Cambanis Participants: Sam Heller, fellow, Century International Aron Lund, fellow, Century International Michael Wahid Hanna, director, U.S. program, International Crisis Group Thanassis Cambanis, director, Century International
Today marks one month since the Palestinian militant organization Hamas launched a brutal terrorist attack on Southern Israel. Before October 7th, the Biden administration's foreign policy had largely centered on Europe and Asia. Issues of Palestinian self-determination and self rule appeared to be something the administration (and Israel) were eager to avoid. Now, in the wake of Hamas' attacks, Palestine's political future and the United States' long term strategy for the Middle East have become increasingly unclear. In this episode of None Of The Above, the Eurasia Group Foundation's Mark Hannah sits down with political analyst and public opinion expert Dahlia Scheindlin, and US Program director of the International Crisis Group, Michael Wahid Hanna to discuss the immediate causes of the war, and evaluate Israeli and US strategic objectives. Effective policy, they argue, will require clear-eyed consideration of the longstanding conflicts at the root of today's violence.
It's been 11 days since Hamas attacked Israel, killing civilians and taking hostages. Israel's retaliation has killed hundreds of Palestinians and created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment Aaron David Miller and Middle East analyst Michael Wahid Hanna explain what role diplomacy will play in the coming days. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh and Amanda Lewellyn with help from Jon Ehrens, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Tien Nguyen and Avishay Artsy, engineered by David Herman and Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
10 years ago anti-government protests in Tunisia sparked a wave of spontaneous uprisings against authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and North Africa. The Arab Spring was met with repression by governments in the region, but ultimately led to the ousting of rulers such as Ben Ali in Tunisia, Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. But the hope that these changes would usher a new era of democracy in the region has been belied. Michael Wahid Hanna (International Crisis Group) helps us understand the turbulent events of 2011 in Egypt, what changes they led to and why prospects for democracy in the country still appear bleak. Democracy in Question? is brought to you by:• The Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna: IWM• The Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy in Geneva: AHCD• The Excellence Chair and Soft Authoritarianism Research Group in Bremen: WOC• The Podcast Company: Earshot StrategiesFollow us on social media!• Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna: @IWM_Vienna• Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy in Geneva: @AHDCentreFollow Michael Wahid Hanna on Twitter: @mwhanna1Subscribe to the show. If you enjoyed what you listened to, you can support us by leaving a review and sharing our podcast in your networks! BIBLIOGRAPHY• Citizenship and its Discontents: The Struggle for Rights, Pluralism and Inclusion in the Middle East. (2019). Co-edited with Thanassis Cambanis.• Hybrid Actors: Armed Groups and State Fragmentation in the Middle East. (2010). Co-authored with Thanassis Cambanis.• Arab Politics beyond the Uprisings: Experiments in an Era of Resurgent Authoritarianism. (2017). Co-authored with Thanassis Cambanis. GLOSSARYWho are Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and Muammar al-Gaddafi?(00:01:15 or p. 2 in the transcript)Ben Ali was a Tunisian politician who was the second President of Tunisia from 1987 until his fall in 2011 after the revolution of Tunisia. This revolution inspired uprisings in neighboring countries that came to be viewed as the Arab Spring. Ben Ali assumed the Presidency in 1987 in a bloodless coup d'état that ousted President Habib Bourguiba. Before his coup against Bourguiba, Ben Ali promised to move Tunisia towards democracy, but instead fixed elections that he won by majorities exceeding 90%, earning the nickname “Mr 99%”. He died 2019 in exile. Learn more.Muammar al-Gaddafi was a highly divisive Libyan revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He governed Libya as Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then as the "Brotherly Leader" of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011. Amid the 2011 Arab Spring, protests against widespread corruption and unemployment broke out in Eastern Libya. The situation descended into civil war, in which NATO intervened militarily on the side of the anti-Gaddafist National Transitional Council. The government was overthrown and Gaddafi retreated to Sirte, only to be captured and killed by NTC militants. Learn more.What is the Tahrir Square?(00:01:15 or p. 2 in the transcript)Tahrir Square in Cairo has been the location and focus for political demonstrations, most notably those that led to the 2011 Egyptian revolution and the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.What is the Muslim Brotherhood and who is Mohamed Morsi?(00:04:30 or p. 5 in the transcript)The Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings spread far beyond Egypt, influencing today various Islamist movements from charitable organizations to political parties—not all using the same name.In 2011 the Arab Spring revolution ousted Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s president since 1981. Elections in June the following year brought the Muslim Brotherhood to power. The Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi became new president. Although in 2012 Mohamed Morsi became Egypt’s first democratically elected president, a year later he was overthrown by the military and held in prison on a series of convictions. In 2016 he was moved to the notorious Tora prison, near Cairo. He has died at the age of 67 after collapsing in court during a retrial of charges of espionage for the Palestinian Hamas organization. Learn more.Who are Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar el-Sadat, and Hosni Mubarak?(00:10:00 or p. 7 in the transcript)Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was an Egyptian politician who served as the second President of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Learn more.Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat was a close confidant of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, under whom he served as Vice President twice and whom he succeeded as president in 1970. He serves as President of Egypt until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers in 1981. Learn more.Hosni Mubarak took power in 1981 after the assassination of Anwar el-Sadat. He was the second Arab leader to be toppled by the 2011 Arab Spring protests. He died in 2020. Click here and here to learn more.As mentioned above, Mohamed Morsi from the Muslim Brotherhood became president next. In 2013 former general, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, seized power in a military coup that ousted the country’s only democratically elected government. Abdel Fatah as-Sisi has been President of Egypt since.What happened in 1967?(00:11:00 or p. 7 in the transcript)The Six-Day War, also called June War or Third Arab-Israeli War or Naksah, is a brief war that took place June 5–10, 1967, and was the third of the Arab-Israeli wars. Click here and here to learn more.Who is Abd al-Fattah as-Sisi?(00:18:00 or p. 11 in the transcript)In 2013 former general, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, seized power in a military coup that ousted the country’s only democratically elected government. Abdel Fatah as-Sisi has been President of Egypt since. Learn more.Who was Habib Bourguiba?(00:18:00 or p. 13 in the transcript)Habib Bourguiba was a Tunisian lawyer, nationalist leader and statesman who led the country from 1956 to 1987 as Prime minister of the Kingdom of Tunisia and then as the first President of Tunisia (1957–87). Prior to his presidency, he led the nation to independence from France. He was ousted by his abovementioned prime minister, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, who was himself overthrown decades later during the Arab Spring uprising in 2011. Learn more.
Tensions between Egypt and Turkey have run high for nearly a decade. Turkey has hosted Egyptian dissidents and opposition parties since the Egyptian coup in 2013; and the two countries support opposite sides in the Libyan War and have very nearly come into direct military conflict. Both are major U.S. partners, at least on paper: Turkey is a formal treaty ally in NATO, and Egypt is a top recipient of U.S. military aid. On this episode of Order from Ashes, we hear from Turkey expert Nicholas Danforth and Egypt expert Michael Wahid Hanna about the recent, tentative thaw in relations between the two countries. Turkey and Egypt’s rivalry, and its unsettling consequences, serve as a reminder that there are many countries with power to drive events, and conflicts, in the Middle East. Participants include: Nicholas Danforth, senior visiting fellow, Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy Michael Wahid Hanna, senior fellow, The Century Foundation Thanassis Cambanis, senior fellow, The Century Foundation
It is too soon to know how far Ankara's attempt is going to go and whether it is a genuine reproachment attempt with Cairo or just another public posturing, said Michael Wahid Hanna, Egypt expert and senior fellow at the Century Foundation based in New York during a podcast with Washington Line
It is too soon to know how far Ankara's attempt is going to go and whether it is a genuine reproachment attempt with Cairo or just another public posturing, said Michael Wahid Hanna, Egypt expert and senior fellow at the Century Foundation based in New York during a podcast with Washington Line
Ten years after a popular uprising overthrew a dictator, Egypt largely appears to be back where it started. Why were Egyptians’ democratic hopes dashed, and can they still be realized? Here to discuss Egypt’s situation and prospects is Michael Hanna. Michael is a senior fellow at the Century Foundation and a non-resident fellow at the Reiss Center on Law and Security.
The challenge to American democracy has called into question some of the country’s deepest assumptions about exceptionalism. Fellows at The Century Foundation have been studying fragile democracy, authoritarianism, and militia rule in the Middle East for decades. We apply some of the lessons learned from studying authoritarian relapse around the world—from the importance of calling a coup attempt by its proper name, to the limits of the “war on terror” model for dealing with violent insurrectionists and white supremacist terrorism in the United States. Participants include: Michael Wahid Hanna, senior fellow, The Century Foundation Thanassis Cambanis, senior fellow, The Century Foundation
Progressives still have to figure out how to translate into policy widely shared concerns with global inequality, authoritarianism, climate change, and reflexive militarism. In this episode, Thanassis Cambanis, Michael Wahid Hanna, and Daniel Benaim discuss the contours of a future progressive foreign policy in the Middle East, what’s missing from the current debates, and the limits of American power. Participants include: Thanassis Cambanis, senior fellow, The Century Foundation Michael Wahid Hanna, senior fellow, The Century Foundation Daniel Benaim, senior fellow, Center for American Progress, and visiting assistant professor, New York University
The death of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi has raised broader questions about the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Why does the Middle East lag behind every other region in the world in security architecture? What is security architecture? The Century Foundation has launched the results of a multi-year research project, supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, that examines the Middle East’s current regional security environment at a time of perhaps unprecedented turmoil and instability. In this podcast, TCF senior fellows Michael Wahid Hanna and Thanassis Cambanis discuss the findings in Order from Ashes: New Foundations for Security in the Middle East, which will be released online beginning January 2018 and in book form in March 2018. We look at (mostly failed) efforts to create security cooperation. Bold ideas like a pan-Arab peacekeeping force or a new peace process might be impossible in the current climate, but there are plenty of piecemeal efforts that could create security architecture that still improves human security in meaningful ways. This research suggests that security and reform cannot be considered in isolation; they are inextricably linked. Any effective conversation about reform and stability ought to address the security threats, fears, and domestic politics that underlie government decisions. Participants include: Thanassis Cambanis, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation Michael Wahid Hanna, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation
In TCF World’s inaugural podcast episode, Century Foundation fellows Thanassis Cambanis, Michael Wahid Hanna, Aron Lund, and Sam Heller try to put to rest some of the mythology and exaggerations that have grown up around the Islamic State (also known as ISIS). After three years of power in a self-declared caliphate, ISIS is on the run from Mosul, its capital in Iraq, and is on the verge of defeat in its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. Nonetheless, many commentators and U.S. policymakers still contend that ISIS is as powerful as ever, and is winning even while appearing to lose. The Century Foundation’s foreign policy team considers drivers of the Islamic State’s resilience and resurgence, its actual strengths and potential, the impact of territorial losses, and the fragile commitment of some governments to exterminate ISIS. This podcast is a remastered and edited version of a conversation originally posted on July 18, 2017. Participants include: Thanassis Cambanis, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation Michael Wahid Hanna, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation Aron Lund, Fellow, The Century Foundation Sam Heller, Fellow, The Century Foundation
The giddy hopes of the Arab uprisings in 2011 have given way to resurgent authoritarian leadership in some states, while others are bleeding to death. These are not auspicious prospects for liberal democracy. But within each country lies a complex set of forces at work that differ from Tunisia to Morocco, or Egypt to Syria. In their collection "Arab Politics beyond the Uprisings: Experiments in an Era of Resurgent Authoritarianism," co-editors Thanassis Cambanis and Michael Wahid Hanna curate 20 articles considering constitutions and corporations, as well as cartoons, youth, women, football, and more. Michael Hanna explains what they learned. This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.
Hudson Institute hosts a panel discussion with top Egypt analysts Samuel Tadros, Michael Wahid Hanna, Amy Hawthorne, and Mokhtar Awad and moderated by Eric Brown.
Hudson Institute hosts a panel discussion with top Egypt analysts Samuel Tadros, Michael Wahid Hanna, Amy Hawthorne, and Mokhtar Awad and moderated by Eric Brown.
The George Washington University's Marc Lynch talks about the fifth anniversary of the Egyptian revolution with Michael Wahid Hanna & Thanassis Cambanis of The Century Foundation.
The George Washington University's Marc Lynch, director of the Project on Middle East Political Science, with Michael Wahid Hanna & Thanassis Cambanis of The Century Foundation. They talk about the upcoming fifth anniversary of the Egyptian revolution on January 25, and the challenges facing Egypt today.
The VICE Podcast Show is a weekly discussion which delves inside the minds of some of the most interesting, creative, and bizarre people within the VICE universe. This week, Reihan Salam speaks with Michael Wahid Hanna, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation and leading expert on affairs in Egypt and the Middle East. Following the ousting of Morsi, Hanna traces the history and mission of Egypt's key players in an attempt to shed some light on the new wave of violence and bloodshed erupting in the streets of Egypt. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
City Talk host Doug Muzzio is joined by Michael Wahid Hanna, Fellow at The Century Foundation focusing on issues of international security and U.S. foreign policy in the broader Middle East. They discuss the current political climate in the Middle East.
Doug is joined by Michael Wahid Hanna, Fellow at The Century Foundation focusing on issues of international security, human rights, and post-conflict justice. They discuss the sweeping changes taking place in the Middle East.
From Egypt, TCF Fellow, Michael Wahid Hanna discusses the historic events on the day of the Mubarak resignation looking toward Egypt's near future and the players that determine the path to democracy. Listen to podcast