The New Arab Voice

Turkish citizen will be voting in a highly anticipated and consequential election on 14 May. The two frontrunners for the office of president, are incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the main opposition candidate Kemel Kilicdaroglu.They have both been holding rallies, attempting to reach as many voters as possible. Opposition candidate Kemel Kilicdaroglu did cause a stir at a campaign event, when he questioned the private nature of Turkey's drone manufacturers, and asked whether there should be more state control. With a backlash brewing, he quickly changed direction, pledging full support to the industry. The incident did raise some questions. What's so special about Turkey's drones? How do the private manufacturers and the state work together? How does the state us the drones? And what impact will the upcoming election have on the domestic drone industry?Joining us to discuss Turkey's drones is Soner Cagaptay (@SonerCagaptay), a senior fellow and the director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute (@WashInstitute). This podcast is written by Ali Abbas Ahmadi and produced by Hugo Goodridge.Theme music by Omar al-Fil. Other music by Blue Dot Sessions.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email hugo.goodridge@newarab.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The past few weeks in Sudan have been exceptionally violent. Two feuding generals, in charge of the biggest armed groups in the country, have launched their own personal war in Sudan. Nearly 500 people have died, and thousands have been forced to flee. The culprits are Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s armed forces, and Mohamad Hamdan Dagalo - popularly known as Hemedti - who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Both Burhan and Hemedti rose under the rule of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir, when they were commanders during counter insurgency operations in Darfur in the early 2000s - what many now deem a genocide. Since then, the two leaders worked together, even ruling the country together since 2019. But theirs has only ever been a marriage of convenience. Internal rivalries and political disagreements eventually exploded earlier this month, and the RSF and the army have unleashed a war on Sudan - catching the country's helpless population in the crossfire. This week on The New Arab Voice, we examine the generals behind the violence in Sudan. Who are they? Why are they fighting? And will they ever make peace? For this episode, we sat down with Jihad Mashamoun (@ComradeJihad), an expert and analyst on Sudan; and David Shinn (@AmbShinn), the former US ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.Sign up for the newsletter here.This podcast is written by Ali Abbas Ahmadi and produced by Hugo Goodridge.Theme music by Omar al-Fil. Other music by Blue Dot Sessions.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email hugo.goodridge@newarab.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During his most recent campaign to become Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu promised that he would overhaul the judiciary. When the elections came around, the fourth in five years, his Likud Party, with the help of some far-right allies, were able to command a majority in the Israeli Knesset. Netanyahu quickly started his plans to reform the judiciary, and almost as quickly Israelis took to the street to protest against the planned changes. Week after week, and month after month, the protests intensified and the pressure grew on Netanyahu and his government. Eventually, the pressure became too great, and Netanyahu announced that he would suspend the bill and attempt to seek a consensus. This week on The New Arab Voice, we examine the protest movement that rocked Israel. What prompted the protests? Who was on the streets protesting? What were the demands of the protesters? Why did Netanyahu change course and suspend the reforms? And what is the state of the bill today?For this episode, we sat down with Amjad Iraqi (@aj_iraqi). Amjad Iraqi is a senior editor at the Israeli publication +972 Magazine (@972mag); and also serves as a policy analyst at the think tank Al-Shabaka (@AlShabaka), and was previously an advocacy coordinator at the legal center Adalah.This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.Theme music by Omar al-Fil. Other music by Blue Dot Sessions.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email hugo.goodridge@newarab.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the start of Spring we also saw the start of new diplomatic relationships being born. After years of intense rivalry, and to the surprise of many, Iran and Saudi Arabia announced that they had normalised relations. The two countries hadn't been on speaking turns since the Saudis executed a Shia cleric in 2016, and Iranian protesters had responded by burning down the embassy. With the restorations of relations, a new future awaits the two countries, which is likely to have a big impact on the region. Additionally, the deal was highly notably due to the involvement of China, who brokered the deal, and had the deal signed in their capital. This week on The New Arab Voice, we ask why have they chosen to normalise now? What is each side getting from the deal? And what’s the significance of China brokering the deal?Joining us to discuss Iran and Saudi Arabia, is  Vali Nasr, (@vali_nasr) Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; and Dr. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen (@Dr_Ulrichsen), Fellow for the Middle East at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.Find our newsletter here.This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.Theme music by Omar al-Fil. Other music by Blue Dot Sessions.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email hugo.goodridge@newarab.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three years into President Kais Saied’s rule and Tunisia is on the brink of an economic meltdown and widespread social collapse. Hundreds of thousands of Tunisians are barely surviving as standards of living plummet. Amid this climate of hopelessness, Saied has taken aim at opposition figures and other scapegoats, such as black African migrants. Arrests and attacks are becoming commonplace in the north African country, which slips ever further towards autocracy. This week, The New Arab Voice looks at what has happened in President Kais Saied’s Tunisia and who he has chosen to blame for the country’s ill fate. We speak with Seifeddine Ferjani (@Ferjani9arwi), the son of Said Ferjani, a Tunisian opposition figure currently detained in Tunisia. We include audio from a press conference with Kaouther Ferjani (@TheKaouther), Said’s daughter, and Temple Garden Chambers (@TG_Chambers) who filed an appeal to the UK foreign secretary to sanction top-ranking Tunisian officials, including the president. We also discuss creeping populism and social grievances in Tunisia with Fadil Aliriza (@FadilAliriza) founder and editor-and-chief of Meshkal; as well asTharwa Boulifi (@TharwaBoulifi) a young journalist in Tunisia. This podcast is written and produced by Rosie McCabe. Theme music by Omar al-Fil. Other music by Blue Dot Sessions. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email hugo.goodridge@alaraby.co.uk  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The settler attacks in the Palestinian town of Huwara were as shocking as they were brutal.Homes and businesses were set a blaze in a series of attacks that were described as a pogrom, and were the latest in a long list of Israeli violations of human rights and international law. The attacks in Huwara drew intense condemnation for government around the world, including in the US. The US is a long standing and traditional partner of the Israel and has consistently defended, ignored, or excused away their actions. But as the world becomes ever more away of the apartheid in Israel, this relationship is facing closer scrutiny from the voting public. This week on The New Arab Voice we explore how have relations between the two countries changed? Does Israel still enjoy unwavering support among Jewish Americans? And will the US stick with an increasingly far-right and openly racist government?We're joined by Lara Friedman (@LaraFriedmanDC), the President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace (@FMEP), Iman Abid (@imanabid_), the Director of Advocacy and organizing at the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (@USCPR_), and Robert Lipton (@wiremother), a Jewish American research scientist and poet from California and campaigner for Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive).This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.Theme music by Omar al-Fil. Other music by Blue Dot Sessions.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email hugo.goodridge@newarab.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The New Arab Voice we're joined by journalist Ali Abbas Ahmadi to examine the deadly floods that hit Pakistan six months ago. The rains started to fall in June and would not stop until August, during which time, the might Indus River would flood, spreading devastation ; particularly in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan.The floods killed 1,700 people and left tens of millions of Pakistanis homeless. The flood waters would also wash aways the livelihoods  of millions; laying waste to farms, killing livestock, and destroying stores of grain and seeds.This week, we speak with one of the farmers who lost their land and livelihood, and ask what are the major challenges facing those affected? How has Pakistan dealt with food shortages, and how has the political instability added to the failure to provide support. We speak with Dr Zaffar Mahmood (@DrZaffarMehmoo1), an independent expert on food safety and food security, who has worked as a consultant with the Pakistani government and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. And Marvin Pervez, the regional director of an NGO called Community World Service Asia (@communitywsasia). Him and his team work with people on the ground in Pakistan.Sign up for our newsletter here.This podcast is written by Ali Abbas Ahmadi and produced by Hugo Goodridge.Theme music by Omar al-Fil. Other music by Blue Dot Sessions.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email hugo.goodridge@newarab.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week on The New Arab Voice we looked at the aftermath of the recent immense earthquake in Syria. This week, we're over the border in Turkey, which experience some of the worst devastation and the highest number of casualties. Immediately following the earthquake, the state's response was slow. The agency responsible for disasters, AFAD, missed the crucial window when the most number of people can be saved.It quickly became apparent to observers that there was a serious problem, and that these problems were being exposed at the worst possible time. As people questioned the response of AFAD, people also surveyed the devastation  and asked why so many buildings had pancaked; trapping people inside. Soon, stories of buildings that don't meet regulatory codes and payoffs started to emerge. These questions have put a huge amount of pressure on the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was rumoured to be considering a delay for the scheduled parliamentary and presidential elections. This week on The New Arab Voice, we ask whether the state’s response to the earthquake was adequate? Why did so many buildings, that were built in a known high-risk earthquake area, collapse with such ease? And can the country move forward under President Erdogan’s leadership, or is it time for a change. Joining us to talk Turkey is Ömer Özkizilcik (@OmerOzkizilcik), an independent foreign policy and security analyst based in Ankara; and Mustafa Gurbuz (@Mustafa__Gurbuz) a nonresident Fellow at Arab Center Washington (@ArabCenterWDC) and a senior adjunct faculty in the Arab World Studies program in the Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture at American University in Washington, DC.Sign up to our newsletter here. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.Theme music by Omar al-Fil. Other music by Blue Dot Sessions.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email hugo.goodridge@newarab.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a short break The New Arab Voice is back and we're picking up where we left off. The 6 February earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria remains the most pressing humanitarian issue in the region.The death toll rises everyday, and simultaneously the need for aid also increases. This week on The New Arab Voice, we're focusing in on the northwestern region of Syria, which bore the brunt of the damage and deaths in Syria.Before the earthquake hit the region, a catastrophic humanitarian crisis had a firm grip on the north west. Over a decade of war and displacement, the spread of disease, and an ever worsening economic situation had push the more than 4 million people who live the northwestern Syria to the brink. The earthquake pushed them over the edge. For this episode, we're examining the response to the earthquake in Syria, and asking whether enough was done to save as many lives as possible. We look at what the Assad regime did to help the region, and ask how they are exploiting the crisis for their own gains. And we take a critical look at the aid delivery mechanism in northwestern Syria and how they might be improved. Joining us to discuss the north west is Hazem Rihawi (@HRihawi82), the senior programs manager at the American Relief Coalition for Syria (@ARC4Syria), a secular, non-political coalition of Syrian diaspora led humanitarian organisations that provide multi-sector relief inside of Syria. And Natasha Hall (@NatashaHallDC), a senior fellow with the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (@CSISMidEast).Sign up to our weekly newsletter here. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.Theme music by Omar al-Fil. Other music by Blue Dot Sessions.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email hugo.goodridge@alaraby.co.uk  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The New Arab Voice, we're looking back on a week that has changed Turkey and Syria forever. On Monday morning, as people slept in their beds, a massive earthquake erupted in southern Turkey. It was felt as far off as Iraq, but at the epicentre and the surrounding area, the devastation was almost immediate. The New Arab's Levant Correspondent Will Christou (@will_christou) rushed to the scene, where he witnessed widespread destruction, brief moments of joy as survivors where pulled from the rubble, and ultimately tragedy and grief. On this week's episode, we speak with Will about what he's seen, where he's been, and what his experience  has been.Also, we speak with Kristyan Benedict (@KreaseChan), Crisis Response Manager for Amnesty International UK, about the unfolding crisis in Syria, and the desperate situation of the people who were already experiencing a humanitarian crisis before the earthquake. If you want to help relief efforts in Turkey and Syria,  you can find information about donating below.International Red CrossMolham TeamUNICEFYou can subscribe to our newsletter here.This podcast is produced by Hugo Goodridge.Theme music by Omar al-Fil. Other music by Blue Dot Sessions.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email hugo.goodridge@alaraby.co.uk  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.