The New Arab Voice

This week, on The New Arab Voice we’re exploring what’s happening at Egypt’s COP27 and what this means for climate justice in the Middle East and North Africa. With the world’s attention on Sharm el-Sheikh, the episode unpicks the main points of discussion among delegates and activists; namely, climate financing and civic participation. It looks at the solutions presented to help developing nations tackle climate change and whether these solutions can be effective given systematic restrictions on civic spaces. We speak to a whole range of climate campaigners, including Dan Hodd, a violin-playing activist who decided to travel to COP27 without flying (aroundwithoutwings); Zeina Hajj, Head of Global Campaigning at 350.org (@zeinaalhajj), and Ahmed El Droubi, the Regional Campaigns Manager for Greenpeace MENA (@Greenpeace). We also reached out to researchers and activists who decided to boycott the conference. Achref Chibani, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy and a regular contributor to the Arab Centre Washington DC (@ChibaniAchref), told us why COP27 can’t be legitimately viewed as an “African COP”. Finally, Richard Pearshouse from Human Rights Watch (@RPearshouse) is on the podcast discussing whether this event - given the widespread attention given to Egypt’s poor human rights record - could be a turning point when it comes to understanding the importance of civic society in a just green transition. This podcast is written and produced by Rosie McCabe with help from Lyse Mauvais and 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 examining the fallout from the latest Israeli elections and the settler violence that blighted Palestinian communities in the West Bank over October. Israelis went to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new parliament, following the collapse of the Naftali Bennett government. Once the votes had been cast and countered, the country emerged to find that Benjamin Netanyahu had managed to pull himself back from political obscurity and secure another electoral win. His next term in office is set to be propped by far-right Israelis from the Religious Zionist Party. Netanyahu's choice of coalition partner has prompted fears that political violence and even ethnic cleansing could become genuine realities of his government. This political violence has already been witnessed during a particularly bloody month for the West Bank. Gang of Israeli settlers have embarked on a campaign of violence and destruction. This destructive wave has occurred under the watchful eye, and in many instances, with the support and help, of the Israeli army.This week, we examine what the rise of the far-right means for Israel, what illegal settlers are doing in the West Bank, and what Netanyahu's next term in office might hold.We speak with Issa Amro (@Issaamro), a  Palestinian activist based in Hebron, and the founder of the grassroots  group Youth Against Settlements. Also on this week's episode is Haggai Matar (@Ha_Matar), an Israeli journalist and the executive director of +972 Magazine (@972mag).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.

The New Arab Voice is back!For our fifth season, we're starting with a look at the recent upheaval witnessed in US-Saudi relations. Saudi Arabia sparked the ire of the US earlier in October, when it was announced that OPEC+ would be cutting oil production by 2 million barrels a day. Such a move is sure to keep prices at the pumps high, and threaten the electoral chances of Democratic candidates at the upcoming midterm elections. In Washington there is also concern that the decision signals a Saudi shift towards Russia, and that any increase in the price of oil, could aid the invading nation with their war in Ukraine. Why have OPEC+ opted to cut productions? What does Saudi Arabia have to gain? Why is the US so angered by the production cut? Can Saudi Arabia really survive without US support?On this week's episode, we speak with Imad K. Harb (@harb3imad), the Director of Research and Analysis at Arab Center Washington DC (@ArabCenterWDC), and Joanne Held Cummings (@PoJoCummings), Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst) and a retired Foreign Service Officer from the US Department of State.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.

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini has sparked mass protests across Iran. In at least 86 towns and cities, people - from different classes, backgrounds, and genders - have taken to the streets. Demands for accountability after Mahsa’s brutal death, which occurred while she was in the custody of the so-called morality police, have morphed into a wider challenge to the Iranian state. Despite the use of disproportionate force and live ammunition by authorities, the protesters are not backing down - risking their lives for the hope of a better future. This week on The New Arab Voice looks at Mahsa's brutal killing and why this has struck a chord with thousands of Iranians. Is this Iran’s tipping point? Can the Islamic Republic ever go back to the way it was? This episode features Sussan Tahmasebi (@sussantweets), director of FEMENA, an organisation which supports women’s organisations in the MENA region; Sanam Naraghi Anderlini MBE (@sanambna), Founder and CEO of International Civil Action Network ICAN and Hadi Ghaemi (@hadighaemi), executive director of the Centre for Human Rights in Iran. This podcast is written and produced by Rosie McCabe with help from  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.

Last week, the Palestinian group Hamas announced  that they would reconcile with the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.The announcement marks a change in the policy of the Palestinian group, who in 2012 offered support to the Syrian rebels that were seeking to throw Assad from office. Since then, Assad has re-established, with Russian and Iranian help, some sort of control over Syria, and secured his future. To reach this point, approximately half a million Syrian died, and tens of thousands were thrown in the regime prisons. The recent announcement by Hamas, followed similar moves by Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called on the Syrian opposition to normalise with the Assad regime, sparking anger and consternation among Syrian groups in the north of the country. This week on The New Arab Voice we asking why are the likes of Hamas and Turkey moving back to Syria and what does this mean for the revolution and those that continue to struggle for a life free from cruel and barbaric control.We're also looking at a different form of normalisation: the travel bloggers have secured Syrian regime sponsored  visas, and have produced videos that are normalising the idea of a Syria ruled over by the brutal Assad regime. On this episode, we speak with Joseph Daher (@JosephDaher19), academic and researcher at the European University Institute (@EUI_EU) and the author of Syria After the Uprisings: The Political Economy of State Resilience; and with Ayman Abdel Nour (@aabnour) the founder of the Syrian Christians’ Initiative for Rights and Dialogue.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.

Last week, Google workers took to the streets to protest against their own company. In New York City, San Francisco, Durham, and Seattle they protested against Google, the tech giant's collaboration with Israel, and Project Nimbus. Project Nimbus is part of $1.2 billion contract between Israel, Amazon, and Google, to provide cloud computing services to the Israeli government, and it's feared that with this technology, Israel's intense surveillance and persecution of the Palestinian people will be rapidly increased and expanded. The San Francisco protest last week was led by Ariel Koren. Ariel is a former worker at Google and left the company in August, after publicly speaking out against Project Nimbus. Ariel maintains that she was forced from her job by Google, because of her activism.This week on The New Arab Voice, we speak with Ariel Koren (@ariel_koko) about her experience at Google and her efforts to raise the alarm about Project Nimbus. We also spoke with  Nadim Nashif (@NadimNashif), the founder and director of Palestinian NGO 7amleh (@7amleh) about the digital weapons being used by Israel against Palestinians. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge. Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 4Other 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.

After a long selection process, Liz Truss was chosen by members of the UK Conservative Party to replace Boris Johnson as leader of the party and Prime Minister. The new Prime Minister will have a heavy workload, and a raft of urgent decision that need to be made.Truss will also have to decide how her new government approaches and engages with the Middle East and North Africa.On this week's episode of The New Arab Voice, we explore the UK's relationship and engagement with the Middle East. Has the UK ever had a positive impact in the region? Who are the UK allies? Does the UK need the Middle East to ensure national prosperity? What are the UK's priorities in the region?To help us, we were joined by Christopher Phillips (@cjophillips), Professor of International Relations at Queen Mary University of London (@QMUL), and one of the editors of What Next for Britain in the Middle East?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.

A recent US drone strike, in the heart of the Afghan capital of Kabul, killed the head of Al-Qaeda. Ayman al-Zawahiri had led the group since 2011, following the death of Osama bin Laden, and during that time the jihadist terror organisation underwent a number of significant changes. Some changes were by choice, others were forced upon them. This week on The New Arab Voice, we examine what the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri means for Al-Qaeda, and how significant is it that he killed in Kabul. We explore the ties between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and why they remain connected, and how Western counterterrorism efforts could deal with this relationship. We also give you the lowdown on who might step up to the big seat and lead Al-Qaeda into the future. On this episode, we speak with Javid Ahmed (@ahmadjavid), senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s (@AtlanticCouncil) South Asia Center, and Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister), senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst) and director of Syria (@MEI_Syria) and Counterterrorism (@MEI_CTE) programmes.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.

Six months have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine. The war has significantly disrupted global food chains, cutting off vital supplies of wheat, corn and other goods to communities across the Middle East.Already dealing with currency crises, climate change and Covid-19, MENA communities are now contending with recording breaking price inflation and growing food insecurity. In this increasingly tense political and economic environment, what are the solutions to the looming food catastrophe in the Middle East? How can governments within the region ensure help reaches those needing it most, and what role must the international community play? This week, we speak with Patrick Mardini, CEO of the Lebanese Institute for Market Studies, and Nicole Robinson (@NRobinson1297) from the Heritage Foundation about the Middle East’s dependency on exports from Russia and Ukraine. The World Food Programme’s County Director in Egypt, Praveen Agrawal (@Agrawal_P_K), also features in the episode, discussing the recent UN-brokered deal between Russia, Ukraine and Turkey to unlock grain shipments from the Black Sea. This podcast is written and produced by Rosie McCabe (@RosieMcCabe3) with help from Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). 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.

In the final part of our three-part special on Lebanon, we're examining the stagnant nature of Lebanon. Lebanon's recent history has pushed the country to the limit and left it crippled and uncertain. Today, Lebanese citizens remain unsure about what the future may hold for them. Can the country be rescued from its economic problems? Will a new raft of independent MPs be able to implement political change? Can the judiciary  every be reformed?On the latest episode of The New Arab Voice, we speak with Yasser Farej, the Programme Manager at the Lebanese NGO Learning Through Action, and also Ali al-Mays, a school teacher who also volunteers for Yasser. We also speak with Najat Aoun Saliba (@najat_saliba), one of the 13 reform MPs who were elected this year, and Samer Makarem (@samermakarem),  a Lebanese political activist with the reformist party Mintishreen.You can listen to part one and part two of this special series, wherever you get your podcasts. This podcast is written by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge) and Will Christou (@will_christou). This episode was produced by Hugo Goodridge. Theme music by Omar al-Fil (@elepheel). 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.