Scholars Unravel Middle East
178 scholars (and counting) distill decades of research into an hour conversation, to unravel the misperceptions that divide East and West and clarify our common misconceptions about the Middle East - from its ancient past to its present developments.
I am Adel Aali, your host. This program is a production of History Behind News podcast (now in its 5th season). Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@ScholarsUnravelMiddleEast?sub_confirmation=1
Latest episodes
Nov 8, 2024 • 1h 2min
S1E42: Why Britain's Prime Minister & Germany's Emperor Were Riled Up About An Ancient Middle East Story
The story of the Flood told before the Bible! Gilgamesh caused an uproar in Europe.
Translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh in 1872 riled up Christian Europe - embroiling Prime Minister Gladstone and Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Gilgamesh, which was written in cuneiform, is an ancient story that was told and taught in Mesopotamia for 3,000 years. But it was lost to history for more than 2,000 years until 1854.
It's an ancient tale of gods and kingly adventure that weaves through topics familiar to our modern psyches and sensibilities - leadership, violence, quest for mortality, love, homosexuality, environment and religion. It's a wonder why a movie or a Netflix series hasn't been produced about Gilgamesh!
🚩About my guest:
Dr. Sophus Helle is a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University. He is a prolific author with major works in history on subjects as diverse as Babylonian epics, climate change and medieval philosophy.
He is author of Gilgamesh, a book about an ancient Mesopotamian epic.
🚩Other episodes about anicent Middle East:
▶️Peace & diplomacy in ancient times
▶️Ancient climate change and religion
▶️No religious war in ancient Middle East
▶️How polytheism gave way to monotheism in Middle East
🖱️Support Our Program:
We appreciate your financial support of our program, for any amount you like. And thank you.
Adel Aali
Host, Scholars Unravel Middle East
Host, History Behind News Podcast
🚩Subscribe to our YouTube channel
🎶Music attributions:
1. Opening and closing music of the program:
Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011.
Music available on at https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program.
2. Background music:
The Desert | The Grand Score
https://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.html
The Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
3. Background music:
The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon. Music
promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
Oct 25, 2024 • 36min
S1E41: The Lebanon War - Israel, Syria And Why The War Lasted So Long
How Ariel Sharon defied and deceived Israel's government to expand war in Lebanon - a former IDF Major shares his Lebanon War stories►How did Israel get entangled in Lebanon? ►What was Israel's original plan for the 1982 Lebanon War and how did it change? ►How did Ariel Sharon trick the Israeli government into a military confrontation with the Syrians in Lebanon? ►Dr. Bregman's eyewitness account of the Lebanon War, including a dinner with Lebanon's president. 🚩About my guest: Dr. Ahron Bregman is a senior teaching fellow in the Department of War Studies at King's College London. Dr. Bregman served in the Israeli army for six years, and took part in the 1982 Lebanon War and reached the rank of Major. He left the IDF after the war to work at the Knesset as a parliamentary assistant.He is the author and editor of many books. In this interview, we discuss Cursed Victory: A History of Israel and the Occupied Territories.🖱️Support Our Program: We appreciate your financial support of our program, for any amount you like. And thank you. Adel AaliHost, Scholars Unravel Middle East Host, History Behind News Podcast 🚩Subscribe to our YouTube channelImage attribution: This episode's cover art image is of Defense Minister Ariel Sharon in Lebanon during the Galilee Peace Operation. By IDF Spokesperson's Unit, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=119476457.White border added to image. 🎶Music attributions: 1. Opening and closing music of the program: Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011. Music available on at https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program. 2. Background music: The Desert | The Grand Scorehttps://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.htmlThe Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. 3. Background music: The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon. Musicpromoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
Oct 24, 2024 • 42min
S1E40: Israel and Palestinians - 1967 To Now
Israel’s “Enlightened” occupation was the brainchild of Moshe Dayan. But Likud's 'revolutionary' 1977 election victory changed that. In this interview, we discuss the following: ►Why was Israel's 1967 victory "cursed'? ►What id Mosheh Dayan mean by an "invisibl occupation"? ►How did the Likud Party's 1977 election victory change the Occupation? ►Did Israel draw lessons from past occupations in history? Or did it start the occupation process from a blank slate? ►Why did Israel unilaterally withdraw from Gaza in 2005? ►And how did Israel handle Hamas in its process of leaving Gaza? ►What is Dr. Bregman's prescription for Israel's future relations with Palestinians? 🚩About my guest: Dr. Ahron Bregman is a senior teaching fellow in the Department of War Studies at King's College London with research interests in The Arab Israeli Conflict, The Middle East Peace Process and Security Issues in the Middle East. Dr. Bregman served in the Israeli army for six years, and took part in the 1982 Lebanon War and reached the rank of Major. He left the IDF after the war to work at the Knesset as a parliamentary assistant.He is the author and editor of many books. In this interview, we discuss Cursed Victory: A History of Israel and the Occupied Territories.🖱️Support Our Program: We appreciate your financial support of our program, for any amount you like. And thank you. Adel AaliHost, Scholars Unravel Middle East Host, History Behind News Podcast 🚩Subscribe to our YouTube channel🎶Music attributions: 1. Opening and closing music of the program: Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011. Music available on at https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program. 2. Background music: The Desert | The Grand Scorehttps://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.htmlThe Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. 3. Background music: The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon. Musicpromoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
Oct 11, 2024 • 1h 9min
History & Effects of U.S. Sanctions On Iran | S1E39
►Are U.S. sanctions on Iran working? ►Are U.S. sanctions against Iran actually working against the United States? ►Have sanctions empowered and emboldened Iran's Revolutionary Guard… to the point that they were ready for war with the United States? ►Did sanctions help Iran's regime crush the Mahsa Amini protests? ►Are sanctions a one-way ratchet - easy to impose, hard to lift? ►Iran's economic decline - due to sanctions or mismanagement? ►If not sanctions, then what? 🚩About my guest: Dr. Vali Nasr is professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. and the co-director of the Rethinking Iran Initiative. He has advised the U.S. President, Secretary of State & senior members of Congress about foreign policy. He is the author and co-author of many books, including the following: The Dispensable Nation - American Foreign Policy in Retreat (which we discussed in this program), and How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare - which we discuss in this interview.🖱️Support Our Program: We appreciate your financial support of our program, for any amount you like. And thank you. Adel AaliHost, Scholars Unravel Middle East Host, History Behind News Podcast 🚩Subscribe to our YouTube channel✅Image credits: ►image titled "Iran's Ruling Class"By Khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=150245544background trimmed►image titled "Iran's Middle Class" By Fars Media Corporation, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70147469🎶Music attributions: 1. Opening and closing music of the program: Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011. Music available on at https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program. 2. Background music: The Desert | The Grand Scorehttps://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.htmlThe Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. 3. Background music: The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon. Musicpromoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
Sep 27, 2024 • 54min
S1E38: Is It Strange That Armenian Feminism Flourished After Armenian Genocide and In Capital of Perpetrator?
►What is Armenian feminism?
►Was there such a thing as Armenian feminism without Armenian nationalism?
►Why did Armenian feminism flourish in Istanbul? And why after the Armenian genocide?
►Were Armenians more educated than their Muslim counterparts?
►Was the Armenian feminist movement similar to its Western counterparts?
►Why does the denial of the Armenian genocide persist in Türkiye?
►How was the past, with all its dark chapters, empowering for Armenian feminists?
🚩About my guest:
Dr. Lerna Ekmekcioglu is a professor of history at MIT and the Director of the Women and Gender Studies Program there.
She has published extensively, including the following:
A Cry for Justice: Five Armenian Feminist Writers from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic, and
Recovering Armenia: The Limits of Belonging in Post-Genocide Turkey .
🚩Dr. Sinan Ciddi:
Is Turkiye still a democracy - given its transformation from Atatürk's Secularism to Erdoğan Islamism? Click to listen.
🖱️Support Our Program:
We appreciate your financial support of our program, for any amount you like. And thank you.
Adel Aali
Host, Unravelling the Middle East
Host, History Behind News Podcast
📽️Subscribe to our YouTube channel
🎶Music attributions:
1. Opening and closing music of the program:
Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011.
Music available on at https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program.
2. Background music:
The Desert | The Grand Score
https://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.html
The Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
3. Background music:
The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon. Music
promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
Sep 26, 2024 • 57min
S1E37: Why Elimination of Armenians Was Not Like the Holocaust! And Why Wilsonian Armenia Did Not Materialize?
►Fear - fabricated and real fear, nd how it caused the Armenian genocide
►Was the Armenian genocide a Holocaust?
►Why didn't the Ottomans kill all Armenians?
►What are the three ways to "eliminate" a people?
►Would the Armenian genocide have happened without WWI?
►Why does the denial of the Armenian genocide persist in Türkiye?
►What is a Greater Armenia? What is the Wilsonian Armenia?
►Is it legal in Türkiye to study the Armenian genocide?
🚩About my guest:
Dr. Lerna Ekmekcioglu is a professor of history at MIT and the Director of the Women and Gender Studies Program there.
She has published extensively, including the following:
A Cry for Justice: Five Armenian Feminist Writers from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic, and
Recovering Armenia: The Limits of Belonging in Post-Genocide Turkey .
🚩Dr. Alan Mikhail:
Sultan Selim I and the transformation of the Ottomans into a global empire and the guardians of Isalm.
📽️Watch my interview with Dr. Mikhail: Part I & Part II.
🎧Listen to my interview with him: Part I & Part II.
🖱️Support Our Program:
We appreciate your financial support of our program, for any amount you like. And thank you.
Adel Aali
Host, Unravelling the Middle East
Host, History Behind News Podcast
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
🎶Music attributions:
1. Opening and closing music of the program:
Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011.
Music available on at https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program.
2. Background music:
The Desert | The Grand Score
https://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.html
The Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
3. Background music:
The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon. Music
promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
Sep 13, 2024 • 43min
S1E36: Why Is Kurdish Nationalism Unique? Consider This: Realization of A Kurdish Country May Require the Simultaneous Collapse of Three Other Countries!
►What is Kurdish nationalism? ►What is Ottoman nationalism with Kurdish colors? ►Were Kurdish people expose to European ideas of freedom, independence and nationalism? ►What is one major obstacle to Kurdish independence? 🚩About my guest: Dr. Djene Bajalan is a professor at Missouri State University. He is a historian of the Middle East specializing in the rise of nationalism and the evolution of the Kurdish question.He is the author and/or editor of the following: The Young Kurds: The Kurdish movement before the First World War, and Studies in Kurdish History: Empire, Ethnic and Islam. Dr. Schultz and American politicsStudies in Kurdish History: Empire, Ethnic and IslamDr. Schultz and politics of 2024 election: Are Young American Men Ready For Madam President? Trump's Masculine Politics📽️Subscribe to our YouTube channel🖱️Support Our Program: We appreciate your financial support of our program, for any amount you like. And thank you. Adel AaliHost, Unravelling the Middle EastHost, History Behind News Podcast 🎶Music attributions: 1. Opening and closing music of the program: Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011. Music available on at https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program. 2. Background music: The Desert | The Grand Scorehttps://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.htmlThe Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. 3. Background music: The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon. Musicpromoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
Sep 12, 2024 • 48min
S1E35: Have Kurds Ever Had Their Own Country? Do They All Speak the Same Language? Practice the Same Religion?
►Who are the Kurdish people? ►Is Kurdish related to any other Middle Eastern language? ►What religions do Kurdish people practice? ►Did Kurdish people ever have their own polity? 🚩About my guest: Dr. Djene Bajalan is a professor at Missouri State University. He is a historian of the Middle East specializing in the rise of nationalism and the evolution of the Kurdish question.He is the author and/or editor of the following: The Young Kurds: The Kurdish movement before the First World War, and Studies in Kurdish History: Empire, Ethnic and Islam. Dr. Schultz and politics of 2024 election: Are Young American Men Ready For Madam President? Trump's Masculine Politics📽️Subscribe to our YouTube channel🖱️Support Our Program: We appreciate your financial support of our program, for any amount you like. And thank you. Adel AaliHost, Unravelling the Middle EastHost, History Behind News Podcast 🎶Music attributions: 1. Opening and closing music of the program: Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011. Music available on at https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program. 2. Background music: The Desert | The Grand Scorehttps://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.htmlThe Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. 3. Background music: The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon. Musicpromoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
Aug 30, 2024 • 25min
S1E34: Religious tolerance in Middle East? Ancient polytheism is the answer, not monotheism!
►Ancient theology vs. mythology
►How drunken gods created incapicitated people
►Humans were created to toil for gods
►Polytheism set the stage for monotheism
►Unlike monotheism, polytheism was tolerant
🚩About my guest:
Dr. Jillian Schwedler is a professor of political science at the City University of New York’s Hunter College and the Graduate Center, and also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Crown Center at Brandeis University.
She is the author of many books, including the following:
Faith in Moderation: Islamist Parties in Jordan and Yemen
Understanding the Contemporary Middle East, and
Protesting Jordan: Geographies of Power and Dissent.
📽️Subscribe to our YouTube channel
🖱️Support Our Program:
We appreciate your financial support of our program, for any amount you like. And thank you.
Adel Aali
Host, Unravelling the Middle East
Host, History Behind News Podcast
🎶Music attributions:
1. Opening and closing music of the program:
Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011.
Music available on at https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program.
2. Background music:
The Desert | The Grand Score
https://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.html
The Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
3. Background music:
The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon. Music
promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
Aug 29, 2024 • 1h 16min
S1E33: How Middle East empires ushered in monotheism and ended polytheism.
►Before Monotheism, what were the big religions of the ancient Middle East?
►What are the 4 constitutive elements of religion?
►In polytheism, there is no individual choice or belief. Regardless, polytheism is tolerant.
►Does the term 'religion' make sense in the context of Ancient Middle East?
►Does the term God make sense in the context of Ancient Middle East?
►Monotheism is very much tide to the rise of empires - particularly the first major empire: the Persians!
►How did polytheism die out? What happened to all the gods?
🚩About my guest:
Dr. Beate Pongratz-Leisten is a professor of Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the Institute For the Study of the Ancient World at New York University - NYU.
📽️Subscribe to our YouTube channel
🖱️Support Our Program:
We appreciate your financial support of our program, for any amount you like. And thank you.
Adel Aali
Host, Unravelling the Middle East
Host, History Behind News Podcast
🎶Music attributions:
1. Opening and closing music of the program:
Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011.
Music available on at https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program.
2. Background music:
The Desert | The Grand Score
https://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.html
The Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
3. Background music:
The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon. Music
promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.
