Babel: Translating the Middle East

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Jihad Azour, the director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They talk about the Middle East's economic outlook, the impacts of COVID and the Ukraine war on local economies, and the political consequences of economic reforms. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp, discussing popular attitudes to IMF-supported reforms and the potential consequences of greater Gulf state investment in the region.Transcript, "The Middle East's Economic Outlook," CSIS, January 10, 2023.

As regional conflicts blaze, Lebanese and Israeli drug markets are feeling the heat: over the past two years, hashish prices have fallen 50 percent in Lebanon, while in Israel, prices are rising. 

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Khalid Albaih, a Sudanese cultural producer, artist, and political cartoonist. They talk about how Albaih got his start as a political cartoonist, how he went viral during the Arab Spring and what he was trying to do, and why he's rethinking his role on the internet today. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about the vast amount of information available online today and the "information bubbles" that many of us find ourselves trapped in.  "The Future is Unwritten: Khalid AlBaih, Khartoon!" UN75: Artists for Tomorrow. Khalid Albaih, "Arab Spring Cartoon: Citizen Journalism from Syria to Sudan," Al Jazeera, March 26, 2021. Transcript, "The Information Bubble," CSIS, December 27, 2022.

Libya's electricity grid has been struggling for years, but the government thinks it has found a new culprit: illegal bitcoin mining farms it says are popping up across the country.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with C. Raja Mohan, a senior fellow at the Asia Policy Institute who has been writing about Indian foreign policy for decades. They talk about India's strategy in the Middle East and how it's changed under Prime Minister Modi, how Indian policymakers think about the region, and potential areas for cooperation between India and its regional partners. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about how the region sees India and what a more active India in the Middle East would mean for the United States.  “Lessons on navigating the evolving geopolitics in the Middle East,” The Indian Express, July 19, 2022. C Raja Mohan, “India in the Middle East: From Rigid Ideology to Flexible Pragmatism,” Reichman University, March 24, 2022.  C Raja Mohan, “New India Finds an Old Role in a Changing Middle East,” Foreign Policy, October 29, 2021.  Transcript, "India's Middle East Strategy," CSIS, December 13, 2022.

In the Jordan Valley, influential tribal members and landowners have steady access to water, while individual consumers and small farmers struggle. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program, adapted from a vignette in our report, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East."

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Tamar Hermann, a senior fellow with the Israel Democracy Institute who has been analyzing Israeli polling data for decades. They talk about the rightward shift of young Jewish Israelis, changing attitudes toward Arab citizens of Israel, and the rising politics of grievances there. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp about the link between public opinion and decision-making around the region.  Tamar Hermann, "Only Half of Israelis Intend to Repeat Their 2021 Vote," Israel Democracy Institute, August 31, 2022. Tamar Hermann, "Majority Think Low Chances Next Election will End Gridlock," Israel Democracy Institute, July 5, 2022. Tamar Hermann et al., "The Israeli Democracy Index 2021," Israel Democracy Institute, 2022. Transcript, "Israel's Rightward Shift" CSIS, November 28, 2022.

Increasingly, a range of dialects have appeared on television and in movies. Arab children’s television, however, has proven surprisingly immune to the trend. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program. 

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Helen Lackner, the author of the new book, Yemen: Poverty and Conflict, who has spent five decades covering Yemen. ​​​​​​​ They talk about how conflict has been endemic in Yemen for hundreds of years, how the current conflict fits into that history, and what a post-conflict Yemen could look like. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Caleb Harper about U.S. goals in Yemen and other conflict-affected countries in the Middle East.  Helen Lackner, Yemen: Poverty and Conflict (Oxfordshire: Routledge, 2022). Jon Alterman and Peter Salisbury, "Yemen's Civil War," Babel, July 27, 2021. Transcript, "Yemen in Conflict," CSIS, November 15, 2022.

Amid a worsening economic crisis, Lebanon is facing yet another shortage: a lack of foreign workers to work as maids and nannies in Lebanese homes. Despite a high unemployment rate among Syrians living in Lebanon, they aren't likely to be part of the solution. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.