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The Middle East Center at The New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy is launching a new podcast series, “Lebanese Logic,” hosted by the center's Resident Senior Fellow Faysal Itani. The series focuses on Lebanon's political dynamics the future of Hezbollah, and important role in the geopolitics of the Middle East. In this inaugural episode, Itani and New Lines Institute Senior Director Nicholas A. Heras forecast Lebanon's politics and foreign policy in the context of the rapidly shifting regional developments in the Middle East.
The Middle East Center at The New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy is proud to initiate a special new podcast series, “Bridging the Gap: Conversations on Israel and Palestine.” This series is led by Rachel Nelson, the Analyst in the Middle East Center, and will provide nuanced, detailed, and on-the-ground perspectives on the situation in Israel and Palestine. In this episode, Rachel sits down with Destiny Magnett, the Programs and Outreach Manager at Churches for Middle East Peace, to discuss Christian Zionism, its current manifestations, and the work that Destiny and CMEP do to foster and advocate for peace in Israel and Palestine.
In this edition of The New Lines Institute Middle East Center's Post-Assad Podcast series, Middle East Center co-director Nicholas A. Heras sits down with Voice of America (VOA) reporter Sirwan Kajjo to assess how the emerging regime in Damascus will engage with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in Northeast Syria. Sirwan, a well-known Syrian-American intellectual and journalist, works for the Extremism Watch Desk at VOA where he focuses on Islamic militancy, extremism, and conflict in the Middle East and beyond that region. Heras and Kajjo also discuss how the emerging government in Damascus will lead the process of creating a post-Assad order and whether that order can successfully incorporate all the country's different communities.
POINT COUNTERPOINT - Episode 3 An exchange on political affairs impacting Lebanon and the Middle East, with a unique vantage point from Beirut. Co-hosted by Michael Young (senior editor at Carnegie's Middle East Center and editor of Diwan) and Bashshar Haydar (professor of philosophy at AUB) - both Beirut-based analysts sharing their nuanced perspectives while honing in on disagreements. Episode 3 covers three topics: (1) Nawaf Salam's cabinet formation process, a perception dilemma that has left his allies frustrated and Amal Movement's continued insistence on the Ministry of Finance; (2) the presidency so far, Joseph Aoun's mandate and the security reality dictated by the Israelis with international support that has allowed for the enforcement of 1701; and (3) the upcoming twenty year commemoration of Rafic Hariri's assassination, and how 'Sunni' and 'Shia' politics will play out with a diminished Iranian sphere of influence. Michael Young's article discussed during this episode: "Hezbollah Tries Making a Comeback": https://carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/diwan/2025/01/hezbollah-tries-making-a-comeback?lang=en Bashshar Haydar's articles referred to can be accessed via his new column in Nidaa al Watan: https://www.nidaalwatan.com/author/1883-بشار-حيدر Stay tuned for more episodes. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:38 Cabinet formation process 15:48 Presidency, security & ceasefire 42:14 Twenty year Rafic Hariri commemoration
In this edition of The New Lines Institute Middle East Center's Post-Assad Podcast series, Middle East Center co-director Nicholas A. Heras sits down with Sasha Ghosh-Siminoff to analyze how humanitarian and economic rehabilitation efforts can support peacebuilding in Syria. Sasha is a Nonresident Fellow with the Middle East Center at The New Lines Institute who has a granular and nuanced perspective on Syria that comes from his oversight over targeted civil society capacity building and humanitarian assistance programs throughout Syria. He is also currently the Middle East and North Africa Program Director for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and a Security Fellow at the Truman National Security Project. Heras and Ghosh-Siminoff also assess what should be the priorities for international organizations looking to support the rehabilitation of Syria.
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Eugene Rogan, a professor of modern Middle Eastern history at the University of Oxford and the director of the Middle East Center at St. Anthony's College, Oxford. Rogan discusses his book, The Damascus Events: The 1860 Massacre and the Making of the Modern Middle East." The conversation touches on the historical context of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, highlighting its decline and the reforms it undertook to modernize and compete with European powers. These reforms, however, led to social unrest and violence, including the 1860 massacre in Damascus. Rogan explains that the Ottoman Empire was generally tolerant of different faiths, but the massacre was an exception caused in part by the volatile changes and the imposition of reforms without the consent of the people. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media: Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review Twitter - @diversebookshay Email: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com
The Middle East Center at The New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy is proud to initiate a special new podcast series “Bridging the Gap: Conversations on Israel and Palestine.” This series is led by Rachel Nelson, the Analyst in the Middle East Center, and will provide nuanced, detailed, and on-the-ground perspectives on the situation in Israel and Palestine. In this inaugural episode, Middle East Center co-director Nicholas A. Heras sits down with Rachel Nelson to learn more about her extensive experience in the West Bank and to gain her analysis on the metastasizing conflict there. Heras and Nelson also explore why the tensions between the expanding Israeli settler community and the local Palestinian population in the West Bank could devolve into a larger war that would end the prospects for the Two State Solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
In this edition of The New Lines Institute Middle East Center's Post-Assad Podcast series, Middle East Center co-director Nicholas A. Heras sits down with Dr. Sultan Alamer to assess how the new governing authorities in Damascus can reimagine Syrian nationalism after Assad and build an inclusive state for all Syrians. Dr. Alamer is a Resident Senior Fellow with the Middle East Center at The New Lines Institute, and a senior member of the editorial committee of Alpheratz, an Arabic language magazine. He is also a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University's Center of Middle East Studies, an executive committee member of the Arab Political Science Network, and a Bucerius Fellow at the Zeit-Stiftung Ebling und Gerd Bucerius. Heras and Dr. Alamer analyze the potential scenarios where the successful Syrian revolution could result in new mass movements for political reform, or even revolution, in other states in the wider Middle East.
In this edition of The New Lines Institute Middle East Center's Post-Assad Podcast series, Middle East Center co-director Nicholas A. Heras sits down with Dr. Kamran Bokhari to develop a strategic forecast for Syria in the upcoming year. Dr. Bokhari is a Senior Director at the Institute who is a specialist on Eurasian politics with a particular focus on the Middle East with over three decades experience in the intelligence analysis community providing strategic assessments on global events. A distinguished professor at the Institute's M.A. in Strategy and Policy program, Dr. Bokhari also teaches a course on Central Asia at Georgetown University's Security Studies Program. Heras and Dr. Bokhari investigate the key dynamics that will shape post-Assad Syria in 2025, and present especially important context on events in Syria that are not being widely discussed that will be essential to understanding the trajectory of the country.
In this edition of The New Lines Institute Middle East Center's Post-Assad Podcast series, Middle East Center co-director Nicholas A. Heras sits down with Nidal Betare to assess the potential for a Syrian-led, inclusive process of democracy-building in post-Assad Syria. Betare is a Palestinian-American who was born and raised in Syria, and a well-known expert on civil society and the Syrian political opposition. They engage on a wide-ranging discussion on how Syrian civil society can lead its country to engage in a process of reconciliation across Syria's diverse communities after a decade and a half of war, and a half-century of the rule of a brutal authoritarian regime. Betare and Heras also tackle the subject of what the vibrant and active Syrian-American community can do to help rebuild the country and make it more prosperous than ever before.
In this inaugural edition of The New Lines Institute Middle East Center's Post-Assad Podcast series, Middle East Center co-director Nicholas A. Heras sits down with the Center's Resident Senior Fellow Murad Batal Al Shishani and the Institute's Priority Sustainable Counterterrorism Portfolio head and Senior Analyst Tammy Palacios to discuss the prospects for stability in post-Assad Syria. These two institutional experts on global Salafist-Jihadist movements and the Syrian conflict assess the likelihood that former Al Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir Al Sham will be able to turn its shocking military victory over the former Assad regime into a sustainable and inclusive governance system in Syria.
Eva Nowotny in conversation with Henri J. Barkey and Ellen Laipson THE US AFTER THE ELECTIONS Henri J. Barkey and Ellen Laipson explore in conversation with Eva Nowotny the future of the United States in the aftermath of the elections. This event brings together leading experts in international relations and U.S. policy to explore the implications of the electoral outcomes on American domestic and foreign policy. Despite the uncertainties, this election is sure to shape the future trajectory of the U.S. on the global stage. Henri J. Barkey is the Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen chair in international relations at Lehigh University Pennsylvania and Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Previously he was the director of the Middle East Center at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars. Ellen Laipson is the Director of the Master's in International Security degree program and the Center for Security Policy Studies in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. She joined Mason University after a distinguished 25-year career in government and as president and CEO of the Stimson Center (2002-15). Eva Nowotny, Ambassador ret., Vice president of the Board of Bruno Kreisky Forum
GOOD EVENING: The show begin in Ukraine, listening to the hawkish voices in the news from Washington... 1944 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR FIRST HOUR 9:00-9:15 1/2: UKRAINE: TRUMP, ZELENSKY, PUTIN. Anatol Lieven, Quincy Institute 9:15-9:30 2/2: UKRAINE: TRUMP, ZELENSKY, PUTIN. Anatol Lieven, Quincy Institute 9:30-9:45 #OHIO: #SCALAREPORT: Chris Riegel CEO, SCALA.COM @STRATACACHE. Deep bench of Buckeyes in Columbus and Washington 9:45-10:00 #AMERICAS: "Latino." Mary Anastasia O'Grady, WSJ SECOND HOUR 10:00-10:15 ISRAEL: EXHAUSTED: Seth Frantzman, Senior Correspondent, The Jerusalem Post; Executive Director, Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis 10:15-10:30 IRAN: IAEA TO TEHRAN. Orde Kittrie, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies 10:30-10:45 #HOUTHI: NO SOLUTION. Noam Raydan, Washington Institute for Near East Policy 10:45-11:00 ANTISEMITISM EUROPE AND AMERICA. Malcolm Hoenlein @CONF_OF_PRES @MHOENLEIN1 THIRD HOUR 11:00-11:15 #UKRAINE: FOUR PRESIDENTS. Colonel Jeff McCausland, USA (Retired) @MCCAUSLJ @CBSNEWS @DICKINSONCOL 11:15-11:30 ISRAEL: Iran nuke threat. Colonel Jeff McCausland, USA (Retired) 11:30-11:45 1/2: Iran & What is to be done to end the regime? Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD 11:45-12:00 2/2: Iran & What is to be done to end the regime? Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD FOURTH HOUR 12:00-12:15 HOTEL MARS: Hank Alewine, NASA. David Livingston 12:15-12:30 HOTEL MARS: Hank Alewine, NASA. David Livingston, SpaceShow.com 12:30-12:45 MRMARKET: MUSK. Veronique de Rugy 12:45-1:00 #EU: TRADE. Antonia Colibasanu, @GPFUTURES
ISRAEl: EXHAUSTED:: Seth Frantzman is a Middle East analyst, journalist, and author specializing in defense, regional geopolitics, and security issues. He is a senior correspondent for The Jerusalem Post and the Executive Director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis. 1900
POINT COUNTERPOINT - Episode 2 An exchange on political affairs impacting Lebanon and the Middle East, with a unique vantage point from Beirut. Co-hosted by Bashshar Haydar (professor of philosophy at AUB) and Michael Young (senior editor at Carnegie's Middle East Center and editor of Diwan) - both Beirut-based analysts sharing their nuanced perspectives while honing in on disagreements.. Episode 2 covers three topics: (1) Trump's election win and what that means for US policy towards Lebanon; (2) the example of 1982 and drawing parallels between Western support for Bachir Gemayel's presidency and Joseph Aoun's current status as a potential consensus candidate; and (3) examining preconditions for internal strife and why the likelihood for a return to civil war is low. Michael Young's articles discussed during this episode include: "Trump or Harris? It's pointless to ask who's better for the Middle East" - The National https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comment/2024/11/06/donald-trump-kamala-harris-middle-east-foreign-policy-israel-gaza/ and "Is Hezbollah Moving In?" - Diwan https://carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/diwan/2024/10/coming-to-a-neighborhood-near-you?lang=en Stay tuned for more episodes. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:53 Donald Trump's election win 20:16 The Example of 1982 43:04 The Potential for Civil Strife 1:04:34 Outro
#Hezbollah: Much bigger war. Jonathan Spyer is director of research at the Middle East Forum. A journalist, he co-founded the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis, reports for Jane's Intelligence Review, writes a column for the Jerusalem Post, and is a contributor to the Wall Street Journal and The Australian. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-june-20-2024/ 1899 Beirut
POINT COUNTERPOINT - a new miniseries for The Beirut Banyan podcast. An exchange on political affairs impacting Lebanon and the Middle East, from a unique vantage point in Beirut. Co-hosted by Bashshar Haydar (professor of philosophy at AUB) and Michael Young (senior editor at Carnegie's Middle East Center and editor of Diwan) - Beirut-based analysts sharing their nuanced perspectives while honing in on particular disagreements. Moderated by Ronnie Chatah. Episode 1 hones in on two issues: (1) Western double standards vis-a-vis foreign policy and humanitarian intervention, and (2) the question of criticism during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Stay tuned for more episodes later this summer. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:05 (Part 1) Western double standards 7:06 Liberal democracy 13:14 Nationalism 18:20 Intervention 24:05 Public opinion 30:33 Massacres & double standards 38:18 (Part 2) Question of criticism & Hamas 42:38 Justification vs political objectives 48:48 Accountability 52:28 Hamas calculations 56:55 US engagement
Michael Christopher Low received his PhD from Columbia University in 2015. He is the director of the University of Utah's Middle East Center and his primary research and teaching interests include the Ottoman Empire, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Ocean world, and environmental history. He is the author of Imperial Mecca: Ottoman Arabia and the Indian Ocean Hajj (Columbia University Press, 2020) which in 2021 won the Middle East Studies Association's Albert Hourani Book Award.Connect with Michael
Historically Thinking: Conversations about historical knowledge and how we achieve it
At 2 PM on July 9, 1860, a mob attacked the Christian quarter of Damascus. For over a week, shops, churches, houses, and monasteries were attacked, looted, and burned. Men were killed, women raped and abducted, children taken from their families. Some 5000 Christians were ultimately killed, about half of them refugees who had fled to the city from Mount Lebanon during an earlier outbreak of violence there, the others all native Damascenes—about 15% of the Christian population of Damascus. These eight days of terror became known as “the Damascus events.” In his new book my guest Eugene Rogan describes the external and internal pressures which led to the Damascus events; the immediate precipitation of the events; the eight days of violence; how the violence was ended; and finally how the Christian population was reintegrated into the Damascus community. Eugene Rogan is professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Oxford, where he is also the Director of the Middle East Center at Saint Anthony College, Oxford. Author of numerous books, his most recent is The Damascus Events: The 1860 Massacre and the Making of the Modern Middle East. For Further Investigation We haven't had that many podcasts on the Ottoman Empire: in fact, hitherto we have had precisely one, a conversation with Kaya Şahín in Episode 314 about Suleyman, one of the greatest Ottoman monarchs. We haven't had that many podcasts on the modern Middle East, either. The closest would be one of the most popular podcasts we've done, this conversation with the late Neil Faulkner in Episode 240, which dealt with the British Empire's attempts to cope with revolutionary Islamic movements in late nineteenth century Africa and Arabia.
Today's guest is Ray Takeyh, senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former senior advisor on Iran at the State Department. In this episode, we discuss the mindset of the Iranian regime and what the US' understanding of it may be, the so-called ‘axis of resistance' and Iran's use of proxies in various regional conflicts, and how that regional involvement is impacting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the current war in Gaza. Full bio Ray Takeyh is Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). His area of specialization are Iran, U.S. foreign policy, and modern Middle East. Takeyh is, most recently, the author of The Last Shah: America, Iran and the Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty. He is the coauthor of The Pragmatic Superpower: Winning the Cold War in the Middle East and Revolution & Aftermath: Forging a New Strategy toward Iran. He is author of three previous books, Guardians of the Revolution: Iran and the World in the Age of the Ayatollahs, Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic, and The Origins of the Eisenhower Doctrine: The US, Britain and Nasser's Egypt, 1952-1957. He has written more than three hundred articles and opinion pieces in many news outlets including Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Foreign Affairs. Takeyh has testified more than twenty times in various Congressional committees. Prior to joining CFR he has served as a senior advisor on Iran at the State Department, fellow at the Yale University, Washington Institute of Near East Policy and Middle East Center at University of California, Berkeley. Takeyh has a doctorate in modern history from Oxford University.
University of Washington Jackson School of International Studies
On the Ground in Israel Now is a public talk that was held on Jan. 16, 2024, featuring Joel Migdal, Professor Emeritus, UW Jackson School of International Studies in a pre-recorded conversation with Reşat Kasaba, Professor, UW Jackson School of International Studies. It was followed by remarks and Q&A with Alan Dowty, UW Stroum Center for Jewish Studies. This is a recording of the event, which was held at 5:00 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2024 in the HUB South Ballroom at the University of Washington. It was the inaugural lecture of the War in the Middle East, a series of talks and discussions on the aftermath of Oct. 7, the war in Gaza and responses worldwide. The lecture series, which runs from Jan. 16-Feb. 27, 2024, is free and open to the public. Sponsors: Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies; Division of Social Sciences in the College of Arts & Sciences; Stroum Center for Jewish Studies; and the Middle East Center at the University of Washington in partnership with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation
Jonathan Spyer, director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis, said Iran's self-declared immunity as it orchastrates its regional proxies could be changing. In light of the assassination of an Iranian general in Syria and comments today by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that Israel has retaliated widely, he told reporter Arieh O'Sullivan that the current situation is no longer a war with just Hamas in Gaza, but rather a wider multi-front conflict. (photo: Mohammed Zaatari/AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Eva Nowotny in conversation with Henri J. Barkey and Ellen Laipson THE US AND A NEW MIDDLE EAST Until Hamas‘ attack, Biden's administration had largely relegated the region on the back burner, as it focused first on a pivot to Asia then on responding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Now, Biden has to confront an explosion of violence in the region, challenging also his political support at home as well as the unity with and among US allies abroad. Henri J. Barkey is Senior Fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen chair in international relations at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania. Previously he was the director of the Middle East Center at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars. Ellen Laipson is the Director of the Master's in International Security degree program and the Center for Security Policy Studies in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. She joined Mason University after a distinguished 25-year career in government and as president and CEO of the Stimson Center (2002-15). Eva Nowotny, Ambassador ret., Member of the Board of Bruno Kreisky Forum
With a history that spans over 300 years, how and when did the U.S.-Iran relationship shift from amicable to adversarial? This week, host Elisa is joined by John Ghazvinian, Executive Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania and author of America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present. John delves into the intricate tapestry of Iran and America's interconnected past, spanning centuries of shifting alliances, and explores the transformation from once fervent allies to staunch adversaries on the global stage. John Ghazvinian is the Executive Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania: https://mec.sas.upenn.edu/people/john-ghazvinian References: Ghazvinian, John. America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present. Vintage Books, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/59417/america-and-iran-by-john-ghazvinian/ 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/infcircs/1970/infcirc140.pdf
Today's guest is Dov Waxman, a professor of political science and the director of the Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at UCLA. This special episode was recorded in two parts; the second part was recorded in late September, just a week and a half before Hamas' attack on Israel, and the first part was recorded in October, two weeks after the outbreak of war and just before Israel's ground invasion of Gaza began. In this episode, Alon and Dov begin with an analysis of Hamas' attack on Israel, the divide among Palestinian leadership between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, and what steps all parties, including the international community, can take from here to ultimately usher in a sustainable peace plan. In the second part of the episode, Alon and Dov discuss Alon's proposal for an Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian confederation, addressing issues such as Israeli settlements in the West Bank, security arrangements, Jerusalem, the right of return, and the demographics of the region, particularly the interspersed populations of Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel proper; and what role the international community can play in bringing about a sustainable peace for the region. Full bio Dov Waxman is the director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. He is a Professor of Political Science and The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair of Israel Studies at UCLA. An award-winning teacher, he previously was professor of political science, international affairs, and Israel studies, and the Stotsky Professor of Jewish Historical and Cultural Studies at Northeastern University. He also co-directed the university's Middle East Center. In addition, he taught at the City University of New York and Bowdoin College. He has also been a visiting fellow at Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Oxford University. Professor Waxman received his Ph.D. and M.A. from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and his B.A. degree from Oxford University. Professor Waxman's research focuses on the conflict over Israel-Palestine, Israeli politics and foreign policy, U.S.-Israel relations, American Jewry's relationship with Israel, Jewish politics, and anti-Semitism. He is the author of dozens of scholarly articles and four books: The Pursuit of Peace and The Crisis of Israeli Identity: Defending / Defining the Nation (Palgrave, 2006), Israel's Palestinians: The Conflict Within (Cambridge University Press, 2011), Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict over Israel (Princeton University Press, 2016), and most recently, The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, 2019). He has also been published in the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the Atlantic Monthly, Salon, Foreign Policy, The Forward, and Ha'aretz, and he is a frequent commentator on television and radio.
Bob Seidenschwarz and Will Todman from the Middle East Center for Strategic and International Studies spoke about the current situation in Israel.
Palestinian incitement against Israel has been long established as the main obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. But this incitement - in Palestinian media, school textbooks and mosques, is only part of the equation. Palestinian incitement has also manifested in the continued rejectionism of the Palestinian leadership, which is sending an unmistakable message to the Palestinians, that Israel is an illegitimate state which should be opposed. In light of decades of this Palestinian incitement and rejectionism, is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Or has the Palestinian leadership poisoned an entire generation to oppose Israel, all but rendering any future peace all but impossible? To help provide much-needed context, we are joined this week by Jonathan Spyer. He is an analyst, author and journalist specializing in the region. He is the director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis (MECRA), a Research Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Strategy and Security and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum. Welcome to The Honest Report podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehonestreport/message
Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow USS Thornton 1920 #Iran: Dr. Jonathan Spyer- Jonathan Spyer, director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis (MECRA), a Research Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Strategy and Security and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/28/lebanon-iran-hezbollah-amirabdollahian-israel/fbc4e53a-e5db-11ed-9696-8e874fd710b8_story.html https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iranian-president-lands-damascus-first-visit-since-syrian-conflict-began-2011-2023-05-03/ https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-739165 https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-741546 https://www.barrons.com/news/iran-s-raisi-on-syria-visit-urges-anti-israel-unity-b35aae24
Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Kurdistan: #Iraq: #Iran: #Syria: Jonathan Spyer director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis (MECRA), a Research Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Strategy and Security and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum. Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 https://jonathanspyer.com/ https://www.axios.com/2022/12/07/cia-warned-turkey-strikes-syria-kurds-us-troops https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/21/iran-attacks-positions-in-northern-iraq-targeting-kurdish-groupso
Hostages (HBO) is a four-part docuseries on the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. The series covers the international crisis that erupted on November 4, 1979 — seven months after the overthrow of the Shah and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran — when a band of Iranian student activists stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran in what was initially intended to be a symbolic two-day protest against American imperialism. However, the situation quickly escalated, leading the occupiers to take 52 members of the embassy staff hostage in a geopolitical showdown that would ultimately stretch to 444 days. John Ghazvinian, noted authority on the history of U.S. and Iran relations, and the author of America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present. He provides more background on the history of the two countries and the historical significance of the hostage crisis. He is the Executive Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Marc Pana shares his family's own story of leaving Iran during the revolution, and activist Elnaz Sarbar discusses how recent protests on behalf of women in Iran could be the beginning of another revolution. Reality Life with Kate CaseyPatreon: http://www.patreon.com/katecaseyCameo: https://cameo.com/katecaseyTwitter: https://twitter.com/katecaseyInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/katecaseycaTik Tok: http://www.tiktok.com/itskatecaseyClubhouse: @katecasey Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/113157919338245Amazon.com: www.amazon.com/shop/katecasey Make sure you're taking advantage of the opportunity to earn something back for all those Pampers you're going through. Download the Pampers Club app and start turning diapers into rewards. Earn $5 PampersCash with your first three product scans. Download Pampers Club app today and get access to exclusive Pampers coupons and more!”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Tuesday, 12 April 2022, 1 – 2pm An 'in conversation' event featuring Trinity Long Room Hub Visiting Research Fellow Professor Rashid Khalidi (Columbia University), hosted by Professor Eve Patten, Director Trinity Long Room Hub. About Rashid Khalidi Rashid Khalidi is the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, where he has served as chair of the History Department and Director of the Middle East Institute, and was a co-founder of the Center for Palestine Studies. He has taught at the Lebanese University, the American University of Beirut, Georgetown University and the University of Chicago, where he directed the Middle East Center and the Center for International Studies. He received a B.A. in History from Yale University in 1970 and a D. Phil. in Modern History from Oxford University in 1974. Khalidi is co-editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies, and was President of the Middle East Studies Association, and an advisor to the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid and Washington Arab-Israeli peace negotiations from October 1991 until June 1993. He has received fellowships and grants from the Ford Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the American Research Center in Egypt, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation, and was recipient of a Fulbright research award. He has written over a hundred scholarly articles and book chapters on Middle Eastern history and politics, and has published opinion pieces across an international media. As a visiting research fellow at the Trinity Long Room Hub , Professor Khalidi has been exploring the parallels between Ireland and Palestine and their colonial histories. In this fellow in focus discussion, he reviews his career as a scholar and public intellectual and discusses the progress of his current research.
“America & Iran Before 1979” - Part 14 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. Today, we know America and Iran to be publicly declared enemies that engage in verbal saber-rattling, threats, sanctions, and a tenuous on-and-off again nuclear deal. But what about the years before the rise of the Islamic Republic? If we look at the totality of the relationship between the United States and Iran before 1979, what might we find? Historian and Executive Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. John Ghazvinian, author of the new book, “America and Iran: A History from 1720 to the Present,” joins Jian Ghomeshi from Philadelphia to detail that the answer seems to be the story of two nations who engaged in decades of mutual respect, admiration and overt cooperation all the way from the 18th Century through to, say, very warm relations between the last Shah of Iran and President Richard Nixon.
Photo: The 138–126 BCE travels of Zhang Qian to the West, including Persia; from the Mogao Caves, 618–712 CE mural.. CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor CBS Audio Network @Batchelorshow The New Axis Powers for the New Cold War. Jonathan Spyer, MECRA. @jonathan_spyer Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 Jonathan Spyer is a Middle East analyst, author and journalist specializing in the Levant and Iraq. He is the director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis (MECRA), a Research Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Strategy and Security and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum. https://jonathanspyer.com/2021/09/26/iran-china-alliance/ https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/iranian-membership-shanghai-cooperation-organization-motivations-and-implications https://www.axios.com/russia-trilateral-talks-us-israel-syria-ccaac91f-d746-4fd8-8cbe-34fd396846cd.html https://www.jpost.com/opinion/is-syria-returning-to-the-arab-fold-opinion-680287
SOCIAL CHANGE AND THE GLOBAL MIDDLE EAST Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN. There are some countries which, by dint of geography or incompatible national interests, seem destined for perpetual conflict and antagonism. This is not true, however, in the case of Iran and the United States, insists Iranian-American journalist and historian JOHN GHAZVINIAN. His book, America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present, outlines the series of bad choices – often made for short-term goals without clear regard for long-term consequences – that have formed the basis for a politics of mutual grievance. In his discussion with political scientist Matthew Berkman, Ghazvinian argues that there are strong reasons for the two nations to cooperate, as Ronald Reagan recognized, but that hardliners on both sides, as well as regional interests, are able to exploit a troubled history to maintain a disastrous status quo. John Ghazvinian is also the Executive Director of The Middle East Center at Penn, The Mitchell Center's partner in this year's “Social Change and the Global Middle East” series of panels.
…So Much Trouble in the World… It isn't just one of the greatest Bob Marley songs, it's the truth. We live in a wild place during a crazy time. But, it helps to remember that ‘We Didn't Start the Fire'…things have by and large been ‘burning since the world's been turning.' Only now, we have the added benefit of social media, a decentralized media landscape, echo chambers, clickbait, hardcore polarization, the 8-second attention span, Q, Wokeism, endless conflicts abound (especially in the Middle East) and it just seems like the thing's starting to spin out of control – so much so that it's kind of hard to make sense of it all. This week's guest, Seth Frantzman, gets up each and every day and tries to do just that – to make sense of the chaos and explain it to the world with proper context, nuance, and care – all with the perfect modicum of outrage, sensibility, and perspective. Seth J. Frantzman is a Middle East affairs analyst based in Jerusalem. He is the author of After ISIS: America, Israel and the Struggle for the Middle East and 'Drone Wars: Pioneers, Artificial Intelligence, Killing Machines and the Battle for the Future, and executive director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis. He runs the Israel Gulf Report, which follows developments between Israel and the Gulf countries, and has reported extensively from and conducted research in Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, and the UAE. A former lecturer at Al-Quds University on US foreign policy, he has a Ph.D. from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he writes on Middle East Affairs for The Jerusalem Post and contributes to Defense News and other publications and media. Our time with Seth on the show was just as interesting and thought-provoking as his articles. Together, we jumped right into some amazing topics such as modern warfare (Seth's newest book, Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machines, Artificial Intelligence, and the Battle for the Future comes out next week!), contextualizing Israel's predicament in Gaza, the prevalence of atrocities and Western European resistance to the Nazis, western thought supremacy, the arrogance of some western approaches to Israel and the Palestinians and positive attributes of western culture such as human rights, freedom, and democracy, the cause celebre of turning Israel into a pariah state, progressive politics and false narratives of Israel as a white supremacist, settler-colonialist enterprise, the media's deliberate omission of Hamas from its coverage of the conflict, the peace industry = war industry, the frequent disingenuity of the Israeli right's approach to Palestinian national aspirations, Mansour Abbas and Raam, whetherIsrael's adversaries (Iran & Turkey) will test the new Israeli government, and much much more. Links: https://www.amazon.com/Drone-Wars-Pioneers-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/1642936758/ref=sr_1_2?crid=7NWK7W5S62FL&dchild=1&keywords=seth+frantzman&qid=1623415621&sprefix=seth+frantzman%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C285&sr=8-2 (Pre-order) Seth's newest book, Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machines, Artificial Intelligence, and the Battle for the Future, on Amazon. Visit Seth's official https://sethfrantzman.com/ (website) Seth Frantzman at the https://www.jpost.com/author/seth-j-frantzman (Jerusalem Post) Seth Frantzman at https://www.defensenews.com/author/seth-j-frantzman/ (Defense News) Seth Frantzman at https://foreignpolicy.com/author/seth-j-frantzman/ (Foreign Policy) Seth's https://www.facebook.com/SethFrantzman/ (Facebook page) Drone Wars, Seth's forthcoming book's https://www.facebook.com/DroneWarsBook (Facebook page) Seth's https://twitter.com/sfrantzman?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor (Twitter page) As always, make sure to subscribe to Jewanced on https://open.spotify.com/show/6984NiP7H1ULW9lJeVt8Ie?si=6LouGFFLTsq7N2bKJhLXRw (Spotify), https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jewanced/id1522195382 (Apple...
Nearly one hundred days into Joe Biden's presidency, the new administration is rethinking American foreign policy on a number of fronts—including relations with Iran. On this episode, assistant editor Regina Munch speaks with John Ghazvinian, Executive Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present. Ghazvinian explains that while most Americans are used to thinking of Iran as an adversary, that hasn't always been the case. A deeper knowledge of the rich history between the two countries would go a long way toward improving diplomatic relations today. For further reading: - The Paradox of Deterrence, Bernard G. Prusak - A Better Way, The Editors - Christian Iran, Christopher Thornton
In the US, it is often taken as fact that Iran has a nuclear weapons program, despite little evidence indicating that this is true, and mountains of evidence to the contrary. This myth has had devastating consequences for the Iranian people due to US sanctions that are justified through the nuclear weapons allegation. Dr. John Ghazvinian rejoined the show to speak about this topic along with some other misunderstandings that have hindered the Iran-US relationship. Dr. Ghazvinian is the executive director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the author of Untapped, the Scramble for Africa's Oil and most recently, America and Iran: A History from 1720 to the Present Discussed in this Episode: The Iran-Iraq War-the devastating effects on Iran and the US' involvement The intricacies of the Iranian political system Iranian Presidents Ahmadinejad and Khatami, misunderstandings and missed opportunities for peace Iran's phantom nuclear weapons- and the mountains of evidence that disprove this allegation Our Work: Read our "In the Context of Empire" blog with corresponding and expanded posts to this content! Social Media: Twitter- @JonTheContrary and @Mattylongruns
Assal, Sina, and Mana sat down with Professor John Ghazvinian, director of the University of Pennsylvania's Middle East Center, to discuss his new book: America and Iran: A History 1720 to the Present. Ghazvinian's study presents a history that is often overlooked, which goes beyond the historical grievances of the U.S. and Iran. You can follow John on Twitter @JohnGhazvinian and get your copy of America and Iran here.
This week on Empire Has No Clothes, Kelley, Dan, and I discussed neoconservative Robert Kagan's new essay embracing endless war. We also talked with John Ghazvinian of the Middle East Center about the future of American policy in Iran.
Jon and Matt were joined by Dr. John Ghazvinian to speak about the complicated history of the Iran and the United States. While many listeners are likely familiar with the more recent decades of this relationship, in which the US has been engaged in aggression against Iran since 1953, the relationship is actually far older, more complicated, and offers some hope for the future. Dr. Ghazvinian is the executive director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the author of Untapped, the Scramble for Africa's Oil and most recently, America and Iran: A History from 1720 to the Present Discussed in this Episode: - John's background and and origins of his interest in this subject - Colonial America's fascination with Iran - Iran and Islam - Foreign influence in Iran - The US was viewed.. as an anti-imperialist power! - The consistent Western interference to thwart democracy in Iran - Mohammad Mossadegh and the tragic events of 1953 - The rise and fall of the Pahlavi dynasty - How the US helped to create the environment wherein the 1979 Islamic Revolution occurred - The barbarity of sanctions and suggestions for how to talk about alleged human rights abuses of the Iranian government - The future of Iran and the United States, Dr. Ghazvinian's concerns and hopes for the relationship Our Work: Read our "In the Context of Empire" blog with corresponding and expanded posts to this content! Matt's related article concerning the recent history of Iran and the United States Social Media: Twitter- @JonTheContrary and @Mattylongruns.
Dr. John Ghazvinian, executive director of the University of Pennsylvania's Middle East Center, was born in Iran, raised in London and Los Angeles, and earned his doctorate from Oxford University. Dr. Banafsheh Keynoush earned her doctorate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, is a renowned Middle East expert and is a frequent contributor to Middle East Forum events. They will discuss his fascinating new book, which traces the complex relations between America and Iran since the 18th Century, when the Persian Empire greatly admired Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and an America seen, by Iranians, as an ideal to emulate for their own government. They will also discuss how the two countries that once had heartfelt admiration for each other became such committed enemies. Ghazvinian will also lead us "through the 4 seasons of U.S./Iran relations: the spring of mutual fascination; the summer of early interactions, the autumn of close strategic ties, the long dark winter of mutual hatred "and why "it didn't have to turn out this way." SPEAKERS John Ghazvinian Ph.D., Author, America and Iran: A History 1720 to the Present Banafsheh Keynoush Ph.D., Editor, Interregional Dynamics in the Middle East—Moderator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. John Ghazvinian, executive director of the University of Pennsylvania's Middle East Center, was born in Iran, raised in London and Los Angeles, and earned his doctorate from Oxford University. Dr. Banafsheh Keynoush earned her doctorate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, is a renowned Middle East expert and is a frequent contributor to Middle East Forum events. They will discuss his fascinating new book, which traces the complex relations between America and Iran since the 18th Century, when the Persian Empire greatly admired Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and an America seen, by Iranians, as an ideal to emulate for their own government. They will also discuss how the two countries that once had heartfelt admiration for each other became such committed enemies. Ghazvinian will also lead us "through the 4 seasons of U.S./Iran relations: the spring of mutual fascination; the summer of early interactions, the autumn of close strategic ties, the long dark winter of mutual hatred "and why "it didn't have to turn out this way." SPEAKERS John Ghazvinian Ph.D., Author, America and Iran: A History 1720 to the Present Banafsheh Keynoush Ph.D., Editor, Interregional Dynamics in the Middle East—Moderator
In conversation with Ambassador John Limbert, US Deputy Secretary of State for Iran (2009-10); former hostage in the US Embassy in Tehran (1979-81) An author, historian, and former journalist, John Ghazvinian is the Executive Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Untapped: The Scramble for Africa's Oil, a ''riveting account and superb analysis'' (Boston Globe) of the competition between world powers for the emerging market of crude oil from a dozen African countries. The coeditor of American and Muslim Worlds before 1900 and a contributor to periodicals such as Newsweek, The Nation, and the Huffington Post, he has taught Middle East history at a number of colleges and universities. In his new book, Ghazvinian charts the tangled relationship between America and Iran from the Persian Empire of the 18th century to the often icy diplomacy of today. Books may be purchased through the Joseph Fox Bookshop (recorded 2/4/2021)
How did the US and Iran lapse from a once-friendly relationship to that of hostile enemies? Historian John Ghazvinian joined us to discuss the answer, the two-centuries-long entwined histories of Iran and America. With support from his book America and Iran: A History, 1720 to Present, he shared years of archival research to lead us through the four seasons of US-Iran relations: the “spring” of mutual fascination; the “summer” of early interactions; the “autumn” of close strategic ties; and the long, dark “winter” of mutual hatred. He traced the complex story of the relations back to the Persian Empire—the subject of great admiration of Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams—and an America seen by Iranians as an ideal to emulate for their own government. He elucidated where, how, and when it all went wrong—and showed how it didn’t have to turn out this way. John Ghazvinian is a journalist and historian. His writing has appeared in Newsweek, the Sunday Times, The New Statesman, Slate, and The Nation. He is the Executive Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He was born in Iran and raised in London and Los Angeles. Buy the Book: https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/book/9780307271815 Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To make a donation or become a member click here.
America and Iran: From Allies to Adversaries - Dr. John Ghazvinian The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. I'm Paul Vogelzang, and this is episode #511. As part of our Smithsonian Associates Streaming series, our guest today is Dr. John Ghazvinian, and the title of Dr. Ghazvinian's upcoming presentation at the Smithsonian Associates is America and Iran: From Allies to Adversaries. Iran and America's fraught relationship seems to be always in and out of the news. In January 2020, just a year ago, after the drone strike assassination of Qasem Soleimani, headlines declared the two nations on the brink of war. More recently, it was revealed that Iran may be planning, alongside Russia and China, to interfere in the presidential election this November. Historian John Ghazvinian draws on his new book, America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present—for which he had access to Iranian government archives rarely available to Western scholars—to examine a complex relationship that reaches back to the Persian Empire and architects of American independence. Long before the “Great Satan” and “Axis of Evil” speeches, before the 1979 hostage Crisis and Ayatollah Khomeini—the two nations were allies and looked to each other for friendship, inspiration, and opportunity. Ghazvinian covers what he terms the “four seasons” of U.S.–Iran relations: the spring of mutual fascination; the summer of early interactions; the autumn of close strategic ties; and the long, dark winter of mutual hatred. But, are we at war, or will we be with Iran? That, of course, is our guest today, Dr. John Ghazvinian, speaking to us directly from the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where we've caught up with him today. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associate, Dr. John Ghazvinian. My thanks to Dr. John Ghazvinian, who will be presenting at the Smithsonian Associates program via Zoom, January 28, and the title of Dr. Ghazvinian's upcoming presentation at the Smithsonian Associates is America and Iran: From Allies to Adversaries. Please check our website for more details. Thanks to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show, and thanks to you our wonderful Not Old Better Show audience. Please, everyone, practice smart social distancing, be well, and remember, let's Talk About Better. The Not Old Better Show. For more details about Dr. John Ghazvinian's upcoming Smithsonian Associates presentation, please click here: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/america-and-iran-from-allies-to-adversaries
Henri Barkey in conversation with Walter Posch AFTER THE US-ELECTIONS. PERSPECTIVES ON TURKEY, NATO AND THE MIDDLE EAST REGION Henri J. Barkey is an adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, and the Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen Chair in International Relations at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania. At CFR he works on the strategic future of the Kurds in the Middle East. Previously he was the Director of the Middle East Center at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars (2015-2017). Currently he also serves as the chair of the Academic Committee on the Board of Trustees of the American University in Iraq, Sulaimani. He has written extensively on Turkey, the Kurds and other Middle East issues. Walter Posch, Iranist and Islamic Scholar, Institute for Peace Support and Conflict Management, National Defense Academy, Austria
This event was the launch of Marwa Daoudy's latest book 'The Origins of the Syrian Conflict: Climate Change and Human Security'. Does climate change cause conflict? Did it cause the Syrian uprising? Some policymakers and academics have made this claim, but is it true? This study presents a new conceptual framework to evaluate this claim. Contributing to scholarship in the fields of critical security, environmental security, human security, and Arab politics, Marwa Daoudy prioritizes non-Western and marginalized perspectives to make sense of Syria's place in this international debate. Designing an innovative multidisciplinary framework and applying it to the Syrian case, Daoudy uses extensive field research and her own personal background as a Syrian scholar to present primary interviews with Syrian government officials and citizens, as well as the research of domestic Syrian experts, to provide a unique insight into Syria's environmental, economic and social vulnerabilities leading up to the 2011 uprising. Marwa Daoudy is Associate Professor and Seif Ghobash Chair in Arab Studies and International Relations at Georgetown University. Prior to this, Daoudy was a lecturer at Oxford University in the department of Politics and International Relations and a fellow of Oxford’s Middle East Center at St Antony’s College. Her research program in the last decade has generally focused on the intersection of security, politics, law and economics to examine the problems of water and the question of conflict, with a focus on the Middle East. Her main scholarly contributions have focused on three more specific research interests. The first is the relationship between transboundary water resources, power, conflict and cooperation. The second is a critical examination of the climate change-conflict nexus that is applied to developing countries in conflict. The third is the intersection of International Relations theory and Middle East politics in explaining inter-state dynamics in the region after the Arab Spring.
Negar Mortazavi speaks with John Ghazvinian, Executive Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania, about the history of US-Iran relations over the past few centuries since 1720, and how the two countries went from mutual admiration and close ties to mutual hatred. *This episode was made possible with support from Heinrich Boll Foundation. Music by 127. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theiranpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theiranpodcast/support
The Middle East is home to more than 35 million Kurds, whose nationalist aspirations have been thwarted for over 100 years. Now, an acclaimed battlefront reporter and analyst, British -Israeli, Jonathan Spyer has received notice from the US State Department that he is under a lifetime ban for entry to the US because of his support for the Kurds. His predicament denying his ability to travel to the US for policy forums, consultations and visits to family is truly Kafkaesque. Why is the US government carrying out the demands of Turkey’s Erdogan, a sworn enemy of Kurds against Spyer? Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon of Israel News Talk Radio – Beyond the Matrix reached out to Jonathan Spyer to answer this question and his assessment of Turkey’s threats to normalization of relations between the Arab middle east and Israel. Jonathan Spyer is a research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies (JISS), a fellow at the Middle East Forum and a freelance security analyst and correspondent at IHS Janes. Spyer is the Executive Director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis (MECRA). He is the author of Days of the Fall: A Reporter's Journey in the Syria and Iraq Wars (Routledge, 2017) - an account of his field reporting in Syria and Iraq, and The Transforming Fire: the Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict, (Continuum, 2010). Spyer's work is published in many journals, including the Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Foreign Policy and the Wall Street Journal. He consults and advises for a wide variety of bodies in the governmental, NGO and private sectors. The following are some takeaways from this Israel News Talk Radio- Beyond the Matrix with Jonathan Spyer. On why Erdogan’s Turkey might have been behind the ban issued by the US. Spyer cites as leading possible reason that the US State Department may have been influenced by Erdogan to ban his entry as a foreign nation. Spyer’s believes that Erdogan’s animus against him is due to his coverage of Kurdish nationalist interests and aspirations, especially in Syria and the Turkish dictator’s handling of domestic and foreign journalists. Spyer has nothing against the Turkish people having traveled and enjoyed his time there. It is Erdogan who has stolen the liberties of his people. He earnestly believes that the US travel ban will be rectified shortly with the assistance of informal appeals of “friends”. On why Erdogan’s Turkey is a danger to the Region. Spyer considers Erdogan’s Turkey as a major disruption in the Middle East fostering destabilization in the region undermining countries. He considers Erdogan’s threat second only to Iran. This is reflected in Turkish invasion of Western Iraq, the ethnic cleansing of the enclave of Kurdish enclave of Afrin in Western Syria and invasion of northeaster Syria Kurdish heartland establishing a so-called safe Zone. Erdogan is organizing Sunnis in Northwest Lebanon, he has threatened the triple alliance of Israel, Greece, and Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean offshore energy development thwarting building of a pipeline to Europe by arbitrarily declaring an Exclusive Economic Zone from Libya to Turkey. His alliance with Hamas and Gaza and activities in Jerusalem are a threat to Israel. Through the Turkish paramilitary contracting firm of SADAT International Defense Consultancy, Erdogan is spreading his version of Political Islam by recruiting Islamist mercenaries. SADAT is headed by his former military advisor retired Brig. Gen. Turkish General Adnan Tanriverdi. SADAT is akin to ‘green men’ of Russia’s Wagner Group and Iran’s Shiite mercenaries in Syria and Iraq. However, Speyer considers Erdogan at risk of marginalizing Turkey given that his actions have exacerbated relations with Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, and the Gulf Emirates, especially the UAE, through his espousal of the Muslim Brotherhood doctrine. Beyond the Matrix 07OCT2020 - PODCAST
Last Friday, another country in the Persian Gulf announced that it would establish diplomatic relations with Israel, Bahrain. Supported by United States President Donald Trump and coming only a month after the United Arab Emirates announced the same, the three countries are set to meet in Washington D.C to sign declarations of normalization. The day Bahrain announced its intentions was not over before Turkey expressed its disagreement with the decision just as it had with the Emirates’. Seth J. Frantzman, the Executive Director at the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis (MECRA), believes that Turkey’s role in Arab states’ decision to align with Israel is overlooked. Frantzman discusses the region, Erdogan and latests from the region with Ahval's Nicholas Morgan.
This week, Jon talks with Ariane Tabatabai, a Middle East fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund. They discuss the internal political backlash in Iran, tensions between the IRGC and the Rouhani-led government, and the role of the United States. Then, Jon, Will, and McKinley talk about how the coronavirus is affecting Iran’s relationships with its regional neighbors. Jon Alterman, “COVID-19 and Cascading Crises in the Middle East” Center for Strategic and International Studies, March 25, 2020. Jon Alterman, “Add coronavirus to other crises, and the Middle East faces a catastrophe,” The Hill, March 22, 2020. Ariane Tabatabai, No Conquest, No Defeat: Iran’s National Security Strategy, Hurst Publishers, September 2020. Ariane Tabatabai, “Don’t Expect a Thaw in Iran,” Foreign Policy, December 10, 2019.
Norman Ornstein, a Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and Susan Glasser, a Staff Writer at the New Yorker, join Christiane Amanpour to discuss the fallout of Attorney General Bill Bar declining to provide Congress with the unredacted Mueller report. Madawi Al-Rasheed, a Professor at the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics talks about the execution of 37 men in Saudi Arabia for "terrorism." Our Walter Isaacson talks to award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson about his latest work "Boss: The Black Experience in Business."To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
I think most American Jews are probably not aware of the simple fact that when they think of visiting the Western Wall, for example, they think of entering the Old City, they’re actually entering what is officially, according to international law, East Jerusalem. And therefore, according to international law, occupied territory. — Dov Waxman This is the fourth installment of a special miniseries responding to the U.S. President's decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. For this episode, Unsettled producer Ilana Levinson interviewed Dov Waxman, professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Israel Studies at Northeastern University, and author of Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict over Israel (2016). They spoke about fissures in the American Jewish community and why Jerusalem, in particular, elicits such a polarized response. This episode was recorded on December 7, 2017 and edited by Max Freedman. Original music by Nat Rosenzweig. Dov Waxman is Professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Israel Studies, and the Stotsky Professor of Jewish Historical and Cultural Studies atNortheastern University. He is also the co-director of the university’s Middle East Center. His research focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli foreign policy, U.S.-Israel relations, and American Jewry’s relationship with Israel. He has been a visiting fellow at Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Oxford University. He is the author of three books: The Pursuit of Peace and the Crisis of Israeli Identity: Defending / Defining the Nation (2006), Israel’s Palestinians: The Conflict Within (2011), and Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict over Israel (2016).
I think most American Jews are probably not aware of the simple fact that when they think of visiting the Western Wall, for example, they think of entering the Old City, they’re actually entering what is officially, according to international law, East Jerusalem. And therefore, according to international law, occupied territory. — Dov Waxman This is the fourth installment of a special miniseries responding to the U.S. President's decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. For this episode, Unsettled producer Ilana Levinson interviewed Dov Waxman, professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Israel Studies at Northeastern University, and author of Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict over Israel (2016). They spoke about fissures in the American Jewish community and why Jerusalem, in particular, elicits such a polarized response. This episode was recorded on December 7, 2017 and edited by Max Freedman. Original music by Nat Rosenzweig. Dov Waxman is Professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Israel Studies, and the Stotsky Professor of Jewish Historical and Cultural Studies atNortheastern University. He is also the co-director of the university’s Middle East Center. His research focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli foreign policy, U.S.-Israel relations, and American Jewry’s relationship with Israel. He has been a visiting fellow at Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Oxford University. He is the author of three books: The Pursuit of Peace and the Crisis of Israeli Identity: Defending / Defining the Nation (2006), Israel’s Palestinians: The Conflict Within (2011), and Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict over Israel (2016).
Donald Trump has officially recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In a short speech delivered at the White House, Trump directed the state department to start making arrangements to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The situation is commented by Shehab Al Makahleh, prominent Jordanian analyst, president of the Jordan-based Political Studies of the Middle East Center, Founder of the US-based Geostrategic Media Center, IMESClub member.
Shervin Malekzadeh is one of the most thoughtful guys writing about Iran-related issues today. He’s a Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania’s Middle East Center. Prior to that, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor in Political Science at Swarthmore College. He received his PhD in Government from Georgetown University, and his research focuses on the politics of schooling, culture and identity in post-revolutionary Iran. Shervin and I talked about the interplay between state and society in Iran, his fieldwork in Iran during the past three elections, and female lead singers in rock bands.
Asaad al-Saleh is assistant professor of Arabic, comparative literature, and cultural studies in the Department of Languages and Literature and the Middle East Center at the University of Utah. His research focuses on issues related to autobiography and displacement in Arabic literature and political culture in the Arab world. His Book Voices of the Arab Spring: Personal Stories from the Arab Revolutions (Columbia University Press, 2015) is narrated by dozens of activists and everyday individuals, documenting the unprecedented events that led to the collapse of dictatorial regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen.
Asaad al-Saleh is assistant professor of Arabic, comparative literature, and cultural studies in the Department of Languages and Literature and the Middle East Center at the University of Utah. His research focuses on issues related to autobiography and displacement in Arabic literature and political culture in the Arab world. His Book Voices of the Arab Spring: Personal Stories from the Arab Revolutions (Columbia University Press, 2015) is narrated by dozens of activists and everyday individuals, documenting the unprecedented events that led to the collapse of dictatorial regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Asaad al-Saleh is assistant professor of Arabic, comparative literature, and cultural studies in the Department of Languages and Literature and the Middle East Center at the University of Utah. His research focuses on issues related to autobiography and displacement in Arabic literature and political culture in the Arab world. His Book Voices of the Arab Spring: Personal Stories from the Arab Revolutions (Columbia University Press, 2015) is narrated by dozens of activists and everyday individuals, documenting the unprecedented events that led to the collapse of dictatorial regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Asaad al-Saleh is assistant professor of Arabic, comparative literature, and cultural studies in the Department of Languages and Literature and the Middle East Center at the University of Utah. His research focuses on issues related to autobiography and displacement in Arabic literature and political culture in the Arab world. His Book Voices of the Arab Spring: Personal Stories from the Arab Revolutions (Columbia University Press, 2015) is narrated by dozens of activists and everyday individuals, documenting the unprecedented events that led to the collapse of dictatorial regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Asaad al-Saleh is assistant professor of Arabic, comparative literature, and cultural studies in the Department of Languages and Literature and the Middle East Center at the University of Utah. His research focuses on issues related to autobiography and displacement in Arabic literature and political culture in the Arab world. His Book Voices of the Arab Spring: Personal Stories from the Arab Revolutions (Columbia University Press, 2015) is narrated by dozens of activists and everyday individuals, documenting the unprecedented events that led to the collapse of dictatorial regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Asaad al-Saleh is assistant professor of Arabic, comparative literature, and cultural studies in the Department of Languages and Literature and the Middle East Center at the University of Utah. His research focuses on issues related to autobiography and displacement in Arabic literature and political culture in the Arab world. His Book Voices of the Arab Spring: Personal Stories from the Arab Revolutions (Columbia University Press, 2015) is narrated by dozens of activists and everyday individuals, documenting the unprecedented events that led to the collapse of dictatorial regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Asaad al-Saleh is assistant professor of Arabic, comparative literature, and cultural studies in the Department of Languages and Literature and the Middle East Center at the University of Utah. His research focuses on issues related to autobiography and displacement in Arabic literature and political culture in the Arab world. His Book Voices of the Arab Spring: Personal Stories from the Arab Revolutions (Columbia University Press, 2015) is narrated by dozens of activists and everyday individuals, documenting the unprecedented events that led to the collapse of dictatorial regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week’s podcast features a panel discussion and lecture series on Middle Eastern comedy, sponsored by Levantine Cultural Center AND the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania. (The talk took place in the context of “West Meets East: The Inauguration Tour of the Sultans of Satire” on the occasion of President Obama’s first days in office.) The conversation explores the landscape of American Middle Eastern ethnic comedy and its intricate relationship with Islamophobia. It was cosponsored by U Penn Jewish Studies, the South Asia Center, and African Studies. Panel members include Mucahit Bilici (Professor of Sociology at John Jay Colege- CUNY), Jordan Elgrably (Founder of Levantine Cultural Center and the Sultans of Satire: Middle East Comic Relief) and Dr. Rahim Armat (of Kodoom Cultural Events Search Engine). Also featuring the Sultans of Satire with Mike Batayeh, Elham Jazab, and Noel Elgrably, speaking before their shows in Philadelphia and Wahsington DC. The event took place on January 16, 2009 at UPenn.