On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman

Al-Monitor’s Business Correspondent Salim Essaid discusses Saudi Arabia’s investments in esports; trends in cryptocurrency markets in the Gulf; AI governance in the UAE; the region’s evolution as a hub in global climate policy, and Al-Monitor’s Pro coverage. Saudi esports success depends on local businesses, say industry players - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle E...

Nationwide protests sparked by the brutal killing of a 22 year old Iranian Kurdish woman by Iran's so-called morals police are continuing, marking one of the biggest challenges to the country's clerical regime in recent years. Protestors are demanding an end to 43 years of dictatorial rule. Much of the regime's wrath is being trained on people living in the country's long repressed Kurdish region...

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces the biggest challenge to his nearly two decades of uninterrupted rule as galloping inflation, a wilting national currency and resentment toward Syrian migrants sap his popularity — and one world leader is watching closely: Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Mark Galeotti, a London-based lecturer and writer on transnational crime in Russia and director of th...

Adam Lucente, Al-Monitor correspondent, discusses the background, controversy and prospects for LIV Golf, the professional tour backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Golf commentator who criticized Saudi-backed LIV Golf sued for defamation - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East Saudi Public Investment Fund acquires shares in Amazon, Google, Uber - Al-Monitor: Ind...

Iran is a longtime ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and, alongside Russia, helped stave off his overthrow at the hands of Sunni rebels backed by Turkey. Little is known about Iran's presence in Syria however. Western journalists do not have access to their zones of influence. Yet there is persistent talk of the establishment by Iran of a Shiite Crescent stretching from its borders through...

Ali Hashem, Al-Monitor columnist and journalist for Al Jazeera English, discusses the latest on the Iran nuclear deal, what it means for the region, and how it could open up the prospect of direct US-Iran diplomacy under the JCPOAJoint Commission. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Mark Fitzpatrick, Associate Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and expert on Iran’s nuclear program, discusses whey there may be an Iran nuclear deal sooner rather than later, how close Iran may be to developing a nuclear weapon, and why an Iran nuclear deal would be an obvious benefit for regional security. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californ...

Turkish leaders continue to threaten another military offensive against the Syrian Kurds. But they need either the Kremlin's or Washington's approval to mount any such offensive in the zones that are under Russian and US control. Salih Muslim, the leader of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party that hold power in northeast Syria says Erdogan is unpredictable and might carry out a military oper...

Hanene Tajouri Bessassi, Tunisia’s ambassador to the United States, says that while US criticism of the July 25 vote was considered interference in the country’s domestic politics, Tunis welcomes continued US partnership and international support for democracy, which she described as the ‘unique destiny of the Tunisian people.’ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy...

Amberin Zaman speaks to Yevgeniya Gaber a former Ukrainian diplomat who is currently a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and Carleton University about Turkey's role in the Russia Ukraine conflict ahead of President Erdogan's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Sochi.  Turkey has been seeking to play mediator between the warring countries and scored a diplomatic victory earlier this m...

Elizabeth Hagedorn, Al-Monitor State Department Correspondent, and Andrew review US President Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia, including what was achieved, and not achieved, with regard to Iran, human rights, energy security, and the war in Yemen. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Martin Indyk, Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses US President Joe Biden’s trip this week to Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia, and his recent CFR Special Report, with Steven Cook,   The Case for a New US-Saudi Strategic Compact . Indyk has served as US ambassador to Israel, assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs, special assistant to...

Ukraine is accusing Russia of stealing its grain and shipping it to Turkey via the Black Sea. Ukraine wants Turkey to crack down on the illicit trade but Ankara is wary of upsetting the Kremlin. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Dr. Dina Esfandiary, Senior Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group, discusses the latest round of indirect talks between Iran and the US about the Iran nuclear deal; Iran’s policies in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen; and how Iran is managing its ties with Russia and China following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy a...

Daniel Shapiro, former US Ambassador to Israel and Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council, discusses what to expect from US President Joe Biden’s trip next month to Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia; whether the US and Israel are in sync on the Iran nuclear deal; the prospects for Israel-Saudi normalization and Israel-Palestinian peace talks; and scenarios for Israel’s f...

Stephen Kalin, Wall Street Journal Middle East Correspondent based in Riyadh and Dubai, breaks down the issues around US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia and the region, including Iran, Yemen, Israel normalization, and global energy security….and how Saudi Arabia is managing the windfall from higher oil prices. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priv...

Hadley Gamble, Anchor for CNBC’s Capital Connection from Abu Dhabi, discusses US President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to the Middle East; why Saudi-Israel normalization may be a ‘matter of time’; the fate of the Iran nuclear deal; why Turkey is holding out on Sweden and Finland’s NATO bids; the global food crisis and the consequences of the Ukraine war; and some good news trends in regional markets...

Violence against women in Turkey is an extremely big problem. The government's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention to combat violence against women is making matters a lot worse. The government's claims that existing legislation should be enough doesn't stack up because the laws are not being fully implemented says Human Rights Watch Turkey director Emma Sinclair-Webb. See Privacy Policy at ht...

Elizabeth Hagedorn, Al-Monitor State Department Correspondent, and Andrew give their takes on US Iran Envoy Rob Malley’s testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, why the Iran nuclear deal still has a pulse, the turnaround in US-Saudi relations, and US President Joe Biden’s upcoming travel to the Middle East. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privac...

It’s often said that the Kurds are the world’s largest nation without a state. Yet, in the Middle East they play an outsized role, helping Western powers advance their security goals sometimes at the cost of their relations with their own allies such as Turkey. Giran Ozcan explains why the United States needs to think of the Kurds as a standalone policy issue in its own right. See Privacy Policy a...

Mirza Dinnayi, 2019 Aurora Prize Laureate for Awakening Humanity & Founder of House of Coexistence in Sinjar, explains how and why Sinjar has become a regional dispute involving Turkey, Syria and Iran, as well as Iraq; the culture, history and geography of the Yazidi community; the impact of the ISIS genocidal campaign; why Yazidis seek some autonomy within Iraq; and more!   See...

Al-Monitor columnist Daoud Kuttab discusses the background to the confrontations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and what comes next, whether Hamas is gaining in the West Bank, Palestinian perceptions of the Israeli Arab Raam Party, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Steve Clemons, Founding Editor At Large of Semafor, discusses why the Russia-Ukraine war has not boosted Biden’s ‘Trump-level’ popularity; reasons for American fatigue with global security commitments; the missing ‘realists’ and anti-war Democrats in Congress; why some Middle East elites may perceive an ‘America on crutches;’ the challenges of managing US-Saudi ties; the barriers to a US...

Turkey was at the forefront of an international campaign to name and shame the perpetrators of the 2018 murder in Istanbul of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Ankara has just dropped a case to try 26 Saudi officials who allegedly took their orders from Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohamed bin Salman. The consensus is thatAnkara did so to fix relations with Saudi Arabia and the powerful c...

Al-Monitor columnist Kadri Gursel discusses the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Turkey’s economy and domestic politics; why Turkey is well-positioned as mediator between Kyiv and Moscow; why the purchase of the S-400 was ‘a consequence of distress’ and ‘doomed to fail;’ Turkey’s policies toward Syria and the Kurds; whether Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman can bury the ha...