The New Arab Voice

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast we look at US President Donald Trump's recent trip to the Gulf. During this trip he secured billions of dollars worth of deals and investments. There were the usual defence contracts, but also, advance technologies also played a huge role in the deals. As well as business deals, Trump also sought to make political progress on a number of issues facing the region. Trump continued to push his desire for a new Iran nuclear deal, and he also announced the lifting of all sanctions on Syria. Another notable point from his trip, is what Trump didn't do; namely, he didn't visit Israel. Why did Trump choose the Gulf for his first foreign trip? What deals did he make? What political gains was he able to make? Why didn't he visit Benjamin Netanyahu? What's the state of the relationship between Netanyahu and Trump? Are the two leaders diverging and is there anything Netanyahu can do about it?Joining us this week, we speak with Paul Salem (@paul_salem), a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst), and Charles W. Dunne (@CharlesWDunne), a Nonresident Senior Fellow at Arab Center Washington DC (@ArabCenterWDC).All five episodes of our special series Sanaa's Odyssey are out now, you can listen to them via The New Arab, or search for 'Sanaa's Odyssey', wherever you get your podcasts.This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean to stand with Palestine in a world on fire?In this special live episode, recorded at Reference Point in London, Benjamin Ashraf of The New Arab chairs a powerful conversation with historian Ilan Pappé, scholar Katherine Natanel, and legal academic Nadine El-Enany. Together, they explore the urgent connections between the movement for justice in Palestine and global liberation struggles.As Ghassan Kanafani once wrote, Palestine is “a cause for every revolutionary.” Nineteen months into a "livestreamed" genocide, with millions mobilising worldwide, that truth has never felt more immediate.The discussion draws on the new book Palestine in a World on Fire (Haymarket, 2024)—a collection of interviews with leading thinkers and activists including Angela Y. Davis, Paul Gilroy, Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky, and others—offering reflections on how to sustain and deepen international solidarity.Tune in as we return to and expand these conversations in the context of the current moment.You can purchase a copy of Palestine in a World on Fire from the Haymarket Books website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The New Arab Voice is back!This week we look at the recent sectarian violence that engulfed the Syrian coast and targeted the country's Alawite community and the violence that hit in the south, which targeted the country's Druze community. We examine the causes of the violence, the response by the state, where the state's response went wrong, and what it means for the future of this new Syria. Joining us to guide us through the violence on the coast, we speak with Dr. Rahaf Aldoughli (@r_aldoughli), a Lecturer in Middle East and North African studies at Lancaster University (@LancasterUni), and Senior Editor for the Middle East Section at Cogent Social Sciences.And to explain what happened in the south, we speak with Dr. Nanar Hawach (@NanarHawach), Senior Analyst for Syria at International Crisis Groups (@CrisisGroup).All five episodes of our special series Sanaa's Odyssey are out now, you can listen to them via The New Arab, or search for 'Sanaa's Odyssey', wherever you get your podcasts.This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is episode five of Sanaa's Odyssey, a special series from The New Arab. For the final episode of Sanaa's Odyssey, we travelled to Cairo, to meet with Sanaa in person. When we spoke, a ceasefire had been agreed between Israel and Hamas, although, there was little hope that it would hold. In her Cairo apartment, we spoke with Sanaa about how she feels about the war now that she has escaped, the tragedies that she has experienced, how she feels about Hamas, prospects for peace, and what she wants from the future. Sanaa's Odyssey is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.You can follow The New Arab's podcast on X, and email us podcast@newarab.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is episode 4 of our new podcast, Sanaa's Odyssey.You can subscribe to Sanaa's Odyssey on all podcast platforms.By April 2024, Sanaa and her family decided that it was time to get out of Gaza.They had experienced seven months of the brutal conflict, been forced from their homes, and lost countless friends and family members.At the time, the only way out of Gaza was through the Rafah border crossing. And while deciding to leave was one thing, the actually task of crossing, was a whole different matter.In episode four of Sanaa's Odyssey, we follow Sanaa and her family as they navigate the murky business of migration and difficult decisions they had to make when it came time to cross.Sanaa's Odyssey is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.You can follow The New Arab's podcast on X, and email us podcast@newarab.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is episode 3 of our new podcast, Sanaa's Odyssey.You can subscribe to Sanaa's Odyssey on all podcast platforms.As the war in Gaza continues to rage, Sanaa has to continue working as a journalist.Sanaa has been working as a journalist for 19 years, and while she has witnessed many wars in Gaza, the current conflict has been the most difficult to report on. Already forced from her home, she had to struggle to continue to produce stories, while also wondering how she was going to be able to charge her phone, or find a signal to send a story. At the same time, she had to protect herself and her family from Israeli airstrikes, as best as she could, which appeared to be targeting journalists.In episode three of Sanaa's Odyssey, we talk to Sanaa about her career as a journalist, what it means to be a journalist in Gaza, and how this war was different from everything that came before.Sanaa's Odyssey is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.You can follow The New Arab's podcast on X, and email us podcast@newarab.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is episode 2 of Sanaa's Odyssey, a brand new series from The New Arab. You can subscribe to Sanaa's Odyssey on all podcast platforms. On episode two of Sanaa's Odyssey, we follow Palestinian freelance journalist Sanaa Kamal as her and her family try to survive the war in the Gaza.Sanaa was forced from her home in the early days of the war, but this was just the start of her struggles. She needed a new place for to stay, and avoid the constant Israeli bombardments. It was an almost impossible task.Every day was a struggle. It was a struggle to find somewhere safe. It was a struggle to find food to eat. It was a struggle to keep moving and holding any sort of hope. And as she struggled to stay alive, thousands of people, including those who she knew and loved, were being killed.Sanaa's Odyssey is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.You can follow The New Arab's podcast on X, and email us podcast@newarab.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is episode one of Sanaa's Odyssey; a brand new series from The New Arab. You can subscribe to Sanaa's Odyssey on Apple, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts.The war in Gaza began on October 7th 2023.Sanaa Kamal watched it happen from her balcony as she drank her morning coffee. That day would be the start of a nightmare for her and her family.On this episode of Sanaa's Odyssey, Palestinian freelance journalist Sanaa Kamal tells us what it was like in Gaza when the war began. The rockets being fired from Gaza, as part of the Hamas-led attack, when the Israeli bombs started falling, the first time she was forcibly displaced from her home, and the memories and belongings that she left behind.Sanaa's Odyssey is a new five-part series from The New Arab in London, about one women's tale of survival, her work as a journalist in the most dangerous reporting environment in the world, and her desperate attempt to keep her family together, in the face of a brutal Israeli onslaught.Sanaa's Odyssey is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.You can follow The New Arab's podcast on X, and email us podcast@newarab.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Subscribe now to be notified when new episodes are available.Available on Apple, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcast.Sanaa Kamal is a freelance journalist, who was born and raised in Gaza.She has lived through a series of wars in Gaza, but nothing like the war that followed the Hamas-led attacks of October 7th.In this five-part podcast from The New Arab in London, Sanaa tells her story. From the first day of the war, escaping her home, and narrowly avoiding attacks, to finding a way for her and her family survive as the bombs continued to rain down and the food began to run out, to trying to continue her work as a journalist, and report on a tragedy that was tearing her life apart.Producer: Hugo Goodridge.To get in touch with the producers, follow us on social media at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a riveting discussion, Alex Vatanka, a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute and author of "The Battle of the Ayatollahs in Iran," delves into the impact of Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign on Iran. He highlights the regime's economic struggles due to crippling sanctions and the growing disconnect between the government and its citizens. Vatanka also explores the fragile legitimacy of Iran's leadership amidst domestic unrest and the intricate geopolitical dynamics in U.S.-Iran relations, including the ongoing trade of Iranian oil and potential strategies for negotiation.