MEI Senior Fellow Brian Katulis engages friends, colleagues, and policy experts in casual conversations on the most important happenings in the Middle East.
Mid-year review: Key regional developments in 2020
MEI’s Paul Salem and Randa Slim join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the main trends and developments across the region over the first half of 2020, and what to watch for in the months ahead.
حلقة 3: الشباب والمجتمع المدني العراقي — مع رشا العقيدي وحيدر الشاكري
ما هو دور المجتمع المدني العراقي اليوم؟ ما هي تحدياته وفرصه؟ أين وصلت مطالب احتجاجات أو ثورة تشرين؟ كيف يمكن أن توفّق المجموعات العراقية بين حاجتها للتمويل الدولي و استجابتها لمطالب محلية؟ كيف يتعاطى الشباب والمجتمع المدني العراقي مع الانقسام الطائفي؟ هل هناك فرق في الأولويات بحسب المناطق كبغداد والموصل؟
Alex Vatanka, Nazila Fathi, and Amin Mohseni join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the social, economic, and political challenges facing Iran, ranging from the COVID-19 and economic crises to the new Parliament and next year’s presidential election.
حلقة 2: الميليشيات العراقية المدعومة من إيران — مع رندى سليم
ضيفة الحلقة الدكتورة رندى سليم، وتناقش القوة الحقيقية للميليشيات المدعومة من إيران في العراق، إذا ما كانت الولايات المتحدة قادرة على المساعدة في تقليص نفوذ هذه الميليشيات، وهل يوجد مواقف مختلفة من دعم هذه الميليشيات داخل النظام الإيراني، ومقارنة الوضع في لبنان مع الوضع في العراق، وموقف حزب الله.
حلقة 1: الاتجاهات الكبرى في المنطقة وفي السياسة الخارجية الأمريكية — مع بول سالم
ضيف هذه الحلقة الدكتور بول سالم، رئيس معهد الشرق الأوسط في واشنطن. نناقش الاتجاهات والسمات الأساسية لما تمر به دول الشرق الأوسط ومجتمعاتها، وما تعنيه التقلّبات والاضطرابات التي نشهدها. وكذلك نناقش ثوابت السياسة الخارجية الأمريكية، وما يمكن أن يتغير بين إدارة وأخرى في السنوات القادمة.
Hafsa Halawa, Burcu Karakas, and Lina AbiRafeh join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the ways in which the coronavirus pandemic affects women and girls in the MENA region. While the virus has affected everyone, its gendered impact has been outsized and the fallout will likely exacerbate a host of existing issues affecting everything from health and education to politics and the economy.
Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa
MEI Non-Resident Scholar Imad Mansour and William Thompson, Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Indiana University, join host Alistair Taylor to talk about their new book, “Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa” (Georgetown University Press), and discuss the network of rivalries, conflict dynamics, and conflict de-escalation in the MENA region.
Sam Dagher, Danny Makki and Karam Shaar join guest host Charles Lister to discuss the recent deterioration of Syria’s economy and what it means for the country, the Assad regime, and the rest of the region moving forward. As aggressive new US economic sanctions targeting the regime are set to go into effect in a few days, 85% of Syrians are in poverty and the country faces a wheat supply crisis.
Steven Kenney and Ross Harrison join host Alistair Taylor to discuss their recent policy paper, “Conflict in the Middle East and COVID-19 — A View from 2025.” The COVID-19 crisis is disrupting the status quo on nearly everything, including regional conflict. How will that disruption worsen — or possibly improve — the trendlines of regional conflicts as we head toward 2025?
MEI’s Gonul Tol and Jonathan Winer join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the state of the conflict in Libya, where the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) forces supported by Turkey have made significant gains in recent weeks over Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) forces, which are backed by Russia, the UAE, Egypt, and France.
Mirette Mabrouk and Dr. Sherif Kamel join host Alistair Taylor to discuss Egypt’s economy and the role of entrepreneurship. Like countries across the Middle East and North Africa, Egypt has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and the economic fallout is likely to be severe.
Hafsa Halawa, Shahla Al-Kli, and Yesar Al-Maleki join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the challenges facing Iraq’s new prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, from COVID-19 and the fall of oil prices, to long-standing issues in governance and foreign relations.
Iulia Joja and Bob Hamilton join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on economic migration, with a focus on migration trends in the Western Black Sea and South Caucasus.
Protest movements in Algeria, Iraq, and Lebanon during COVID-19
Vish Sakthivel, Hafsa Halawa, and Nour El-Achi join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on protest movements in Algeria, Iraq, and Lebanon. While each case is unique, all three movements are pushing for sweeping reforms of the corrupt political system, a change in the ruling elite, and improved state services.
Supporting refugee communities during the pandemic
Basma El Husseiny (Action for Hope) and Samar El Yassir (Anera) join guest host Lyne Sneige to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on refugee communities and the NGOs that work with them.
