Babel: Translating the Middle East

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hafsa Halawa of the Middle East Institute and author of a new paper entitled "Gulf Investment in Egypt, A Balance of Mutual Need." They talk about Egypt’s economic crisis, the recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan, Egypt's military's economic involvement, and the changing face of Gulf financial support. Later, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef, as they examine United States - Egypt policy and what an Egypt crisis means for the entire region.  Hafsa Halawa, "Gulf Investment in Egypt: A Balance of Mutual Need," Carnegie, May 8, 2023. Babel, "COP 27 Preview: Electrifying the Middle East with Ali al-Saffar," CSIS, November 1, 2022. Transcript, "Hafsa Halawa: Egypt's Economic Turmoil," CSIS, May 16, 2023.

Suffering from electricity and water shortages, communities in Libya resort to power plays and acts of intimidation to access basic services. The podcast explores the impact on water access and electricity grid after armed individuals disrupted the great manmade river control center.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Prof. Killian Clarke of Georgetown's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service about his forthcoming book tentatively entitled The Return of Tyranny: How Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed. They talk about the counterrevolution in Egypt, the complex relationship between the military, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the public, and lessons learned from counterrevolutions around the world. Later, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Lubna Yousef, debating similarities between Egypt and Tunisia, and how the region views U.S. influence post 2011. Killian Clarke, “Revolutionary Violence and Counterrevolution,” American Political Science Review, December 19, 2022.  Killian Clarke, "This Is How to Stop the Coup in Sudan," The New York Times. 29 October 2021. Jon Alterman, "Egypt's Economic Challenge," The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, April 2023. Transcript, "Egypt's Counterrevolution and the Return to Tyranny," CSIS, May 2, 2023.

GCC countries are beginning to tackle their obesity problem, but structural and cultural challenges to improving fitness abound. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Ayham Kamel of the Eurasia Group. They talk about the current diplomatic landscape in the Gulf, how Gulf leaders perceive their security interests, their views on the U.S. staying in power in the region, and how they are responding to the U.S. retrenchment from the Middle East. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Danny Sharp, discussing how Gulf countries are finding opportunities in a reduced U.S. presence and how they are pursuing their own interests. Transcript, "The Gulf's Regional Diplomacy," CSIS, April 18, 2023.

What started as a job advertisement for a sandwich maker in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) quickly landed one firm in hot water last December. As the UAE pushes for companies in the private sector to hire more Emiratis, they're finding that there are some jobs that Emiratis may not want. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group. They talk about the Saudi-Iranian agreement to resume diplomatic ties, how it fits into Iran’s wider foreign policy strategy around the region, and the prospects for a broader détente between Iran and its Arab neighbors in the Gulf. Vaez suggests that a regional nuclear agreement between Iran and Arab states in the Gulf might be a more viable path forward than an agreement between Iran and the West. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper, discussing what this all means for U.S. policy toward Iran and in the rest of the region.  Ali Vaez, “The Long Twilight of the Islamic Republic,” Foreign Affairs, February 2, 2023.  Jon Alterman, "Saudi Arabia Steps Out," CSIS, March 23, 2023. Jon Alterman, "Why Did China Help Saudi Arabia and Iran Resume Diplomatic Ties?" CSIS, March 10, 2023. Transcript, "Iran's Regional Policy," CSIS, April 4, 2023.

Imported entertainment options have flourished under MBS, helping erode the Saudi state’s ability to shape public culture. But now, Saudi state-owned firms are using the growing popularity of anime to shape their own narrative, at home and abroad. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

In a special episode of Babel to mark the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war, Jon sits down with two Iraqi guests to talk about the aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion. Dr. Marsin Alshamary is a research fellow with the Middle East Initiative at Harvard's Belfer Center, and Hamzeh Hadad is an adjunct fellow with the Center for New American Security. Alshamary and Hadad talk about how the war in Iraq has shaped both Iraqi politics and their own lives, their experiences as members of the diaspora who travel extensively to Iraq, the lingering effects of the Saddam Hussein era, and the future of Iraqi politics. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef, discussing the different ways in which diaspora communities interact with both their home countries and their host countries.  Marsin Alshamary and Hamzeh Hadad, “The Collective Neglect of Southern Iraq: Missed Opportunities for Development and Good Governance,” International Peacekeeping, February 16, 2023.   Hamzeh Hadad, “Climate of opportunity: Iraq’s new government as regional conciliator,” European Council on Foreign Relations, November 4, 2022.   Marsin Alshamary, “Authoritarian Nostalgia Among Iraqi Youth,” War on the Rocks, July 25, 2018.   Transcript, "Iraq 20 Years Later," CSIS, March 21, 2023.

In Lebanon, neighboring communities are looking to connect and build off one another's initiatives, but a dysfunctional environment makes capitalizing on that opportunity a challenge for international donors and Lebanese communities alike. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.This Mezze episode was adapted from a vignette in the Middle East Program's latest report, Powering Recovery: Reform, Reconstruction, and Renewables in Conflict-Affected States in the Middle East, written by Will Todman.