Babel: Translating the Middle East

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Nicolas Pelham of The Economist and author of a recent article in 1843 magazine entitled "The Mystery of Morocco's Missing King." They talk about the Moroccan monarchy, King Mohammed VI’s unusual friendship with a German kickboxer, and what it means for the future of Morocco. Later, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp, as th...

As Egypt's economic crisis continues, a new proposition of introducing donkey meat to Egypt's cuisine causes public uproar amidst soaring food prices. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hafsa Halawa of the Middle East Institute and author of a new paper entitled "Gulf Investment in Egypt, A Balance of Mutual Need." They talk about Egypt’s economic crisis, the recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan, Egypt's military's economic involvement, and the changing face of Gulf financial support. Later, Jon continues the conversation with...

Suffering from a debilitating electricity and water shortage crisis, some communities in Libya resort to "power plays" and acts of intimidation to ensure their access to basic services. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program. 

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Prof. Killian Clarke of Georgetown's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service about his forthcoming book tentatively entitled The Return of Tyranny: How Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed. They talk about the counterrevolution in Egypt, the complex relationship between the military, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the public, and lessons learned from co...

GCC countries are beginning to tackle their obesity problem, but structural and cultural challenges to improving fitness abound. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Ayham Kamel of the Eurasia Group. They talk about the current diplomatic landscape in the Gulf, how Gulf leaders perceive their security interests, their views on the U.S. staying in power in the region, and how they are responding to the U.S. retrenchment from the Middle East. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Danny Sharp, discu...

What started as a job advertisement for a sandwich maker in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) quickly landed one firm in hot water last December. As the UAE pushes for companies in the private sector to hire more Emiratis, they're finding that there are some jobs that Emiratis may not want. A new Mezze from the Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group. They talk about the Saudi-Iranian agreement to resume diplomatic ties, how it fits into Iran’s wider foreign policy strategy around the region, and the prospects for a broader détente between Iran and its Arab neighbors in the Gulf. Vaez suggests that a regional nuclear agreement between Iran and Arab states i...

Imported entertainment options have flourished under MBS, helping erode the Saudi state’s ability to shape public culture. But now, Saudi state-owned firms are using the growing popularity of anime to shape their own narrative, at home and abroad. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

In a special episode of Babel to mark the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war, Jon sits down with two Iraqi guests to talk about the aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion. Dr. Marsin Alshamary is a research fellow with the Middle East Initiative at Harvard's Belfer Center, and Hamzeh Hadad is an adjunct fellow with the Center for New American Security. Alshamary and Hadad talk about how...

In Lebanon, neighboring communities are looking to connect and build off one another's initiatives, but a dysfunctional environment makes capitalizing on that opportunity a challenge for international donors and Lebanese communities alike. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program. This Mezze episode was adapted from a vignette in the Middle East Program's latest report, Powering Recovery: Ref...

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with the Middle East Program's Will Todman to break down Will's new report, Powering Recovery: Reform, Reconstruction and Renewables in Conflict-Affected States in the Arab World. They talk about how governments and politicians in conflict-affected states can actually benefit from broken electrical systems, what the United States and international donors mis...

Before the pandemic, Chinese tourism to Israel was growing the fastest out of any country. As Chinese tourists begin to return to the market, Israel may continue to be a popular destination.

This week, in a special episode of Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Middle East Program senior fellow Natasha Hall about the aftermath of the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. They talk about the aid response, how governments are instrumentalizing the aid response to advance their own goals, and the challenges in delivering aid to areas of northwest Syria controlled by rebel groups. Natasha d...

Egypt's fish farmers have been struggling for years now. Media reports and industry groups blame due climate change and Cairo's pollution of Egypt's waterways but farmers say the real culprit lies beneath the surface: the Egyptian military has become the largest player in the market, crowding out smaller farmers in the process.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Bilahari Kausikan, a Singaporean diplomat with a 37-year career in Singapore's ministry of foreign affairs, serving most recently as Ambassador-at-Large. In his conversation with Jon, Dr. Kausikan suggests that U.S.-China competition may not be as binary as it may seem, explores the ways in which a complex international system gives regional states greater agenc...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) doesn’t seem like the ideal place for a salmon farm, but aquaculture is becoming an increasingly large part of the UAE's food security strategy. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Hanna Notte, a senior research associate with the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. They talk about Russia's interests in the Middle East and where they stand after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's growing economic and defense relationship with Iran, and how Arab states view Russia's war in Ukraine. Then, Jon continues the conversation with N...

“Every two minutes, an Egyptian couple files for divorce — that's how long it takes to heat up pita bread," joked one host on Egyptian TV last year. In an effort to bring that number down, the Egyptian government is trying to take action before couples tie the knot in the first place.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Jihad Azour, the director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They talk about the Middle East's economic outlook, the impacts of COVID and the Ukraine war on local economies, and the political consequences of economic reforms. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp, discussing p...

As regional conflicts blaze, Lebanese and Israeli drug markets are feeling the heat: over the past two years, hashish prices have fallen 50 percent in Lebanon, while in Israel, prices are rising. 

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Khalid Albaih, a Sudanese cultural producer, artist, and political cartoonist. They talk about how Albaih got his start as a political cartoonist, how he went viral during the Arab Spring and what he was trying to do, and why he's rethinking his role on the internet today. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Lubna Yousef about the vast amou...

Libya's electricity grid has been struggling for years, but the government thinks it has found a new culprit: illegal bitcoin mining farms it says are popping up across the country.

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with C. Raja Mohan, a senior fellow at the Asia Policy Institute who has been writing about Indian foreign policy for decades. They talk about India's strategy in the Middle East and how it's changed under Prime Minister Modi, how Indian policymakers think about the region, and potential areas for cooperation between India and its regional partners. Then, Jon continu...