Middle East Monitor Conversations

MEMO speaks with Assistant Professor of History at University of Virginia Chris Gratien to discuss his new book 'The Unsettled Plain: An Environmental History of the Late Ottoman Frontier', which explores the social and environmental transformation of the Adana region of Southern Turkey during the 19th and 20th centuries.  Gratien teaches classes on global environmental history and the M...

MEMO speaks to journalist and author Ramzy Baroud on Palestine after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Baroud is the Editor of the Palestine Chronicle and author of five books; his latest is "Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak out".  Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) and also at the...

MEMO speaks with French legal jurist and researcher Rayan Freschi to discuss state-sponsored persecution of Muslims in France, the global rise of Islamophobia and how to combat this menace. Freschi is the author of a new report by CAGE on the persecution of Muslims in France.

MEMO speaks with Dr Suja Sawafta to discuss orientalism and selective solidarity in light of the Ukraine refugee crisis. Sawafta is an Assistant Professor of Arabic Studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Miami. She is currently working on her first book project which examines the impact of exile, intellectual commitment, and political dissent in the work...

MEMO speaks to Dr Rob Faure Walker to discuss the crackdown on free speech on Palestine in UK schools and understanding why the country's anti-extremism programme is flawed and racist. Faure Walker is a lecturer at UCL and author of ' The Emergence of ‘Extremism’ Exposing the Violent Discourse and Language of ‘Radicalization’' . He also runs PREVENT digest, an independent not-for-pr...

MEMO speaks to Mariam Barghouti, a Palestinian writer and researcher based in Ramallah, discussing the relevance of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the global order. Barghouti worked as a journalist and reporter with a focus on the Levant, and published various sociopolitical commentaries from Palestine. She has undertaken monitoring and evaluation missions of humanitarian and development...

MEMO speaks to Professor of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Osaka Jogakuin University Saul Takahashi, when we will discuss the rise of nationalism and its threat to human rights. A former UN civil servant, Takahashi lived in Palestine for five years as deputy head of the Office of the UN Human Rights Agency. He has authored several books, including 'I found myself in Palestine'.

MEMO speaks to Iraqi-American comedian and award-winning writer Reem Edan, discussing her career of doing comedy in America and the Arab world and how her background influenced the topics of her performances. Reem is known for her unique brand of 'Muslim-ennial' humour. She has performed at venues and colleges worldwide and opened for comics including Arsenio Hall and Jay Leno. She was p...

MEMO speaks with Professor and Director of foreign policy research Murat Yesiltas where we  discuss Turkiye's manoeuvres in the region and further afield and how this will improve its global standing. Author of 'Non-State Military Actors in the Middle East: Geopolitics, Strategy and Ideology', Yesiltas completed his BA and MA at the Department of International Relations of Sakarya U...

MEMO speaks with Austrian political scientist Dr Farid Hafez to discuss the latest European Islamophobia Report, of which he is a co-editor. Dr Hafez is a visiting professor of International Studies at Williams College and a non-resident senior researcher at Georgetown University's Bridge Initiative at the School of Foreign Service. Hafez published widely on Islamophobia. In 2010, he founded...