Middle East Monitor Conversations

Having served as the US envoy to a number of key Middle Eastern nations, Ford watched events in the region change the area's dynamic over the past two decades and how local leaders were reacting to the Arab Spring and the West's response to it.The United States's role in the Middle East has shifted over the last 20 years from invading Iraq to a more hands off approach post the Arab Spring. While the 2003 Iraq War chipped away at American credibility, the Syrian war forced Washington to reassess its role as the 'global policeman', meanwhile Algeria has become North and West Africa's most important player. How does all of this look from Washington? MEMO in Conversation is joined by former US Ambassador Robert Ford whose diplomatic career took him to Iraq, Algeria and Syria. Ford is a fellow at Yale University’s Jackson School for Global Affairs where, since 2016, he has taught about U. foreign policy, and he has been a fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington since 2014.A career diplomat until 2014, Ford was the US Ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014, directly advising the top levels of the American government about responses to the expanding civil war there. Prior to his work on Syria he was the senior political adviser at the American Embassy in Baghdad 2004-2006 and then Deputy Ambassador at the US Embassy in Baghdad 2008-2010 where he helped the transition from American occupation government to Iraqi sovereign rule and wider Iraqi responsibility for governance. In between assignments in Iraq, he was the US Ambassador in Algeria 2006-2008 where he expanded bilateral cooperation in the fields of education and rule of law. Ford also served in Bahrain, Cameroon, Egypt, Turkiye and Washington. Before joining the diplomatic service, he was a teacher with the Peace Corps in Morocco 1980-1982. He received the John F Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2013 and in 2014 the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award, the State Department’s highest honour.Ford speaks English, Arabic and French and appears regularly in US, European and Arabic media. He has published articles in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic and Foreign Affairs magazine among others and has given guest lectures at Harvard, Princeton, MIT, UCLA, Tufts, Johns Hopkins and other schools in the US and Canada.

Two weeks into Israel's relentless campaign of bombing the Gaza Strip have left Eman Basher no longer able to convince her son that the lights and sounds in the sky are just fireworks and there is no reason for him to be scared. As Israel's military assault on the besieged Gaza Strip continues, leaving in its wake thousands of deaths and millions of displaced Palestinians, MEMO in conversation speak to Eman Basher. Eman is an evacuee from Beit Hanoun who is seeking shelter in southern Gaza. A teacher and a mother, Eman speaks to us about the harrowing situation she and many Gazans find themselves in. Her son has asthma which is worsening due to the smoky air filled with sulphur that's engulfed Gaza as a result of the senseless Israeli bombing. She talks about no longer being able to getting away with telling her son the sounds and lights are just fireworks and how she cannot tell her children that the bombs raining down around them could kill them any time and that he needs to be brave and be a fighter.She rejects all claims made by Israeli officials in the media that buildings are being used as shelters for the resistance's fighters or equipment in Gaza, highlighting that it is exactly this rhetoric that has meant there is nowhere to seek safety and shelter in Gaza as Israel continues to bomb schools, hospitals and cemeteries and target roads that those being told to leave their homes are forced to use to escape. 

As Israel continues bombing the besieged Gaza Strip, killing an average of one child every 15 minutes, medical teams are struggling to cope. Supplies of vital medicines have now completely depleted and no water, fuel or other essentials have entered the Strip for almost 10 days, but medical crews continue to operate in an effort to reduce the death toll.Please note this conversation was recorded before the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital bombingWith Gaza under Israeli bombardment, MEMO speaks to one of the world's foremost experts on the besieged enclave, Dr Mads Gilbert.Mads Gilbert, is a Norwegian physician, humanitarian, activist and politician and a Professor of emergency medicine at the University of Tromsø.Gilbert has a broad range of experience from international humanitarian work. Since the 1970s, he has been actively involved with solidarity work concerning Palestinians, and he has served as a doctor for several periods in the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon. He has volunteered at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza during Israel's previous bombing campaigns and saw first hand the difficulties of providing health care not only while under siege, but also while bombs are raining down around you. He has since been banned from returning to Gaza by Israel as a result of his ongoing humanitarian work. His efforts have been central to leading the city of Tromsø, since 2001 a twin town of Gaza, and one which claims to be the city that has sent more health workers to the Palestinian territories than any other in the world.He has several books on Gaza, including, Eyes on Gaza, which has been translated into several languages. Gilbert has been lauded as a "hero" in Norwegian media for his work in Gaza.

As we watch events unfold in Gaza on social media and on our television screens, we are only getting one per cent of the information from the ground, Palestinian student Aseel Safi says. Now with electricity being cut, less information will be getting out, and Palestinians will be unable to find out what is happening either.The Israeli assault on the besieged Gaza Strip enters its sixth day and reports of intense bombings of apartments buildings, schools, hospitals and business continue to roll in. The majority of Gazans have little to no electricity, water supplies have been cut and supplies are not getting through. Entire neighbourhoods have been decimated and the remains of those killed are scattered in the streets, according to eyewitnesses. MEMO in conversation is joined by Gazan-based activist, poet and writer Aseel Safi. Aseel Safi is an English literature student at Al-Aqsa University.

As Israel continues to bomb Gaza indiscriminately and an Israeli army spokesperson saying 'the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy', MEMO speaks to a Palestinian journalist from Gaza about the situation on the ground for her family and loved ones and what they are experiencing.Israel is bombarding the Gaza Strip and within 4 days almost 1,000 Palestinians have been killed, hundreds of thousands displaced and thousands injured. 2.3 million Palestinians live in the besieged enclave, which is no bigger than 365 square kilometres. As a result, the occupied territory is densely populated and Israeli air strikes on the Strip mean high civilian death tolls. So far schools, hospitals, commercial buildings, markets and people's homes have been destroyed by Israeli warplanes and missiles. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the residents of Gaza to leave the enclave, but his government also ordered the Strip to be completely sealed off. Tel Aviv also bombed Gaza's only crossing into Egypt and cut off water and electricity. While the latest Israeli onslaught of Gaza was triggered by an offensive by the Palestinian resistance into Israeli settlements, Israel has routinely bombed and bombarded Gaza since Tel Aviv ordered a siege on it in 2007. MEMO in Conversation is joined by Palestinians journalist Yara Eid. Yara Eid is a 23-year-old war journalist from Gaza who currently resides in London after growing up in the besieged Gaza Strip. A human rights activist, Yara is a Global Youth Ambassador and is a member of Amnesty International's Youth Advisory Board.

Disclaimer Alert-- This conversation on Libya was recorded before the recent floods struck the country and so we do not discuss it in this episode. Some 20 per cent of Libyans have had a family member kidnapped or go missing since the 2011 protests that ousted long term dictator Muammar Gaddafi, with officials who have been implicated in atrocities against their people vying for power, will Libyans ever get justice?In 2011 Libyans took to the streets demanding justice, freedom and dignity, there was hope for a new Libya. The fall of Muammar Gaddafi seemed to present Libyans with a new opportunity. However, militia warfare, political infighting, corruption, violence and economic dysfunction have left the North African country in a fragile state since the Arab Spring. The pursuit of justice still remains a key endeavour for Libyans and holding different factions accountable is essential for the country's political future. Libyan diaspora activists and lawyers aim to help Libyans realise this dream. We are joined by Elham Saudi, co-founder and director of Lawyers for Justice in Libya (LFJL). Elham is an international lawyer specialising in international human rights law and international humanitarian law. She is the co-founder and director of Lawyers for Justice in Libya, a non-governmental organisation working on promoting human rights and rule of law in Libya, including through advocacy, research and seeking accountability for human rights violations and international crimes. Elham is one of the experts who drafted Libya’s first comprehensive law on the protection of women, which is due for consideration by the country’s House of Representatives.

Since the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011, the regime has oppressed minorities and tried to drive a wedge between communities, the Circassians have not been saved from this.Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad frames himself as the 'protector of minorities' and has depicted all opposition to him as being both sectarian and jihadi. However, many have challenged the official narrative by pointing out the broad based opposition to Assad's rule, the regime's record of oppressing minorities and Damascus' own policies of trying to drive a wedge between communities. August and September 2023 saw large-scale anti-regime demonstrations in Suwayda led-by the religious minority; the Druze. As a result, the regime's record on its treatment of minorities as well as its general misrule has been brought back to the forefront. With this in mind, join us as we speak to Celine Kasem on the situation of another minority group, the Circassians. Originally from the Caucasus, the Circassians community in Syria is large and culturally vibrant. Expelled by the Russian Empire in the 19th century, Syria has been a refuge for Circassians. However, like so many other fellow Syrians, a large number have been displaced, killed or exiled since 2011. What has the situation in Syria been like for Circassians? These are just some of the questions Syrian-Circassian-Canadian activist and Media Executive of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, Kassem, will answer. Kasem is a human rights activist and public speaker and holds a Bachelor's in Political Science.

For the co-author of Tamimi's autobiography, meeting the outspoken Palestinian was an emotional rollercoaster When she was just 16 years old, Palestinian Ahed Tamimi became a household name when footage of her slapping an Israeli soldier went viral. She was later arrested and jailed by occupation forces. She has since detailed her experience and the trauma that followed in her tell all book They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom. MEMO speaks to co-author and Palestinian-American journalist Dena Takruri about meeting the lady she calls 'a once in a generation voice'.Dena Takruri is a senior presenter at AJ+ and one of the channel’s founding members. She hosts 'Direct From with Dena Takruri', which has been honoured with many awards, including the prestigious National Edward R. Murrow Award.Dena has reported internationally from the occupied West Bank, the North Korean border, South Africa and in Europe covering the refugee crisis. Domestically, she’s covered presidential elections, immigration and a wide array of social justice and civil liberties 

Saleh established the Palestine Museum US after noticing there were no Palestinian museums in the Americas but there were over 70 Israeli galleriesIn this week’s conversation we speak with the visionary businessman Faisal Saleh, who is behind the Palestine Museum US, as he embarks on a tour to bring the Nakba and history of Israel’s expulsion and dispossession of Palestinians from their land to the world.  The Palestine Museum opened its doors in Connecticut in 2018 after Saleh decided to focus on creating an institution to tell the story of the Nakba. Saleh’s roots are in  the Palestinian village Salama, five miles east of Jaffa.The exhibition is billed as the boldest presentation of the ethnic cleansing and dispossession of the Palestinian people ever seen in the West.Born in 1951, Saleh is the youngest of 11 children. His mother gave birth to him in the family’s crowded, rented room in El Bireh - a stark contrast to the comfortable home the family had enjoyed in Salama. In Salama, Saleh’s father, Ahmad Saleh, was a well-established landowner and farmer, with flourishing orange groves and banana trees. But in 1948, the Saleh family fled Salama following months of fighting between Zionist forces and village defenders. As a teenager, Saleh grew up against the backdrop of continuing Palestinian resistance to encroaching Israeli domination.He later moved to the US to continue his studies and received a Bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College in 1974, also completing an MBA at the University of Connecticut.

Ever wondered why certain words cross borders and are used the world over? Fadi BouKaram has made it his business to find out whyDid you know the Arabic word for Austria - An-Namsa - comes from Proto-Slavic language and means 'mute' or someone who doesn't speak and this was applied to anyone who could not speak a Slavic language? Why is the loquat fruit in Turkish called yeni dunya or 'new world' while in Arabic it's called akideneh and iskidenya derived from the Turkish word eski dunya or the 'old world'? Why do foreign learners of a language have a hard time understanding certain sounds in the language they are learning? Fadi BouKaram, better known as Cedrusk on Instagram, set out to explore the roots of different languages and the human stories behind them. A former professional photographer turned tax transparency lawyer by day and Instagram language nerd with a loyal following by night, BouKaram has popularised the study of etymology, or the origin of words, which takes him across different languages. Having grown up in Lebanon, lived in the United States and Ireland, different cultures, habits and customs have always interested him. His photography allowed him to explore the world and led him on the path to investigate languages. BouKaram grew up in Lebanon and earned a degree in engineering and business. However, by his thirties, he decided he needed a career change and went into the world of photography. In 2013, he was part of a collective of photographers who set up Observers Collective, a group dedicated to capturing the diverse humanity around them.