The New Arab Voice

This week on The New Arab Voice were examining the ongoing protests in Iran and how they have developed, 77 days on from when they began. Since Iranians took to the streets, following the tragic murder of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran's morality police, protesters have demanded change and an end to the Islamic Republic. Their peaceful protesters have been met with bloody repression. The Iranian regime's security services have repeatedly beaten and opened fire on unarmed Iranians. Over 400 hundred have been reported as killed, but it believed that the true number is higher. During the recent protests, Iran's Kurdish community have borne the worst of the regime's revenge, including a massacre in city of Zahedan, which killed over 90 people.As Iranian have been killed on the streets, the international community has condemned the violence, but so far has failed to formulate a cohesive and comprehension plan to help Iran secure a fair and representative democracy. On this episode of The New Arab Voice, we exploring how the protest movement has changed over the past 77 days, why the country's Kurdish communities are being targeted so heavily, what the international community is doing about the violence, and whether they could be doing more to help. Joining us this week is Dr. Allan Hassaniyan (@AllanHassaniyan), a lecturer in Middle East politics at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter (@UniofExeter), and Dokhi Fassihian (@DokhiFassihian) an expert on issues of human rights and democracy and a member of the Middle East Institute’s Iran Program Advisory Council (@MiddleEastInst).You can 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@alaraby.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The New Arab Voice, we're examining the  takeover of Twitter by tech billionaire Elon Musk, and the implications that it will have on human rights. Elon Musk officially took control of Twitter on 27 October, and immediately started implementing changes. The biggest changes were related to staffing, that saw around half the company's employees sacked or resign.The changes alarmed human rights defenders, who witnessed a spike in hate speech on the platform and raised concerns, that if Musk continued with his stated intentions, then the wildly popular platform might no longer be a safe place for those calling out abuses.On this episode, we explore what Musk's changes mean for the platform, why human rights defenders are worried by Musk's stance on free speech, what international governments can do to prevent abuses, and what the future of the platform looks like. Joining us on this episode, we have Alia Al-Ghussain (@little_a91), a campaigner at Amnesty International (@AmnestyTech) working on big tech and human rights. and Imran Ahmed (@Imi_Ahmed) the founder & CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDHate).This podcast is 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 have a special audio version of an investigation from The New Arab. In March 2022, a group of wild Namibian elephants landed in the UAE. The New Arab's investigation reveals that the sale serves only to simulate an African safari experience in Emirati zoos with no benefit for the animals and Namibian locals.This investigation tracked the elephants, from the initial auction and sale, to their removal, and ultimate transfer to facilitates in the UAE, whose suitability has been questioned.Along the way, the investigation team looked at the people involved in the transfer, the status of the elephants and the habitats from which they came, and how their removal might threaten the existence  of the species. You can read the investigation in full here. This podcast is 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 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.