The Beirut Banyan

We're with Mohamad Bazzi for Episode 142 of The Beirut Banyan. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/HXElWWX-iy0 Mohamad is an award-winning journalist and journalism professor at New York University. We discuss our shared experience living in New York during the Covid-19 pandemic and precautions taken as New York became the epicenter of the virus. We also reflect on growing up in Beirut and our famili...

We're with Josie Ensor for Episode 141 of The Beirut Banyan. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/4YBSHtzvsik Josie is the previous Middle East and current US correspondent for The Telegraph. We discuss her piece "My memories of Syria, where the world collectively lost its humanity" released earlier this year: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2020/02/24/syria-world-collectively-lost-humanity/ And w...

We're with Adham Sahloul and Shadi Hamid for Episode 140 of The Beirut Banyan. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/n_stQt1cAYY Adham is a foreign policy analyst and former advisor to the Pete Buttigieg campaign. Shadi is a senior fellow at Brookings Institution. We discuss their recent piece: "How Foreign Policy Factors for American Muslims in 2020": https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2...

We're with Jwanah Qudsi for Episode 139 of The Beirut Banyan. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/k6nqDg9gWjA Jwanah is the founder of Aleppo Heritage Fund - an NGO dedicated to preserving the old city of Aleppo - and an urban planner / urbanist. We discuss Aleppo’s current reconstruction and the need to preserve the old city’s architectural heritage. Our conversation includes Jwanah’s own story of h...

Watch the following episode on our YouTube channel via the following link: https://youtu.be/paJRa0TvIAg I read one of my father's previous blog posts, "Five Facts and a Conclusion" for Episode 138 of The Beirut Banyan. And I share reflections on The Bristol Hotel's closing, the "Bristol Meeting" in late 2004 and why that political gathering still matters. My father's blogspot page is: http://moham...

Watch the following episode on our YouTube channel via the following link: https://youtu.be/wi0ofe69Bo0 "Remembering Basil Fuleihan" by Mohamad Chatah. Narrated by Ronnie Chatah. And listen back to Episode 10 with Yasma Fuleihan: https://soundcloud.com/thebeirutbanyan/episode-10-yasma-fleihan-bassel-fleihans-legacy Basil Fuleihan, 10 September 1963 – 18 April 2005 Help support The Beirut Banyan by...

Watch the following episode on our YouTube channel via the following link: https://youtu.be/A9hdz33DUQU I read one of my father's previous blog posts, "But Can the Frog Still Jump Out?" for Episode 137 of The Beirut Banyan. And I share some reflections on an irreplaceable friendship. My father's blogspot page is: http://mohamadchatah.blogspot.com Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via...

We're with Alexandra Talty for Episode 136 of The Beirut Banyan. Alexandra and I discuss travel writing and reporting in Lebanon, and the wider field of journalism in the Middle East. Alexandra shares her own passion for storytelling and why she lived in Lebanon for nearly a decade. Alexandra also shares her passion (and family tradition) for surfing, and her own experiences catching waves off the...

We're with Hadi Zeidan for Episode 135 of The Beirut Banyan. Hadi and I discuss aspects of the electronic scene in Beirut, our shared appreciation of analog / synthesizer experimentation - Aphex Twin comes up once or twice - and how Lebanon fits into the backdrop of his music. Purchase Hadi's upcoming release 'Sketches' via his bandcamp profile: https://hadizeidan.bandcamp.com And follow his Faceb...

We catch up with Elia Haber for Episode 134 of The Beirut Banyan. Elia and I reflect on the past three months, and how our shared experiences of euphoria, social cohesion and revolt turned into necessary social distancing, isolation and pause. Elia was the co-host of this podcast during the first three months of demonstrations following the 17 October 2019 uprising in Lebanon. Her episodes are lis...

We're joined by Hussein Ibish for Episode 133 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss COVID-19's impact on US domestic politics, protestor demands in Lebanon and Iraq, and the future of the Arab-Israeli conflict vis-a-vis a likely 'Likud' - 'Kahol Lavan' unity deal and the consequences of Israeli settlement annexation policy. Our discussion picks up from where we left off in Episode 122: Internal and...

We're joined by Kareem Shaheen for Episode 132 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss his career in journalism and the coronavirus pandemic we're going through. Kareem reflects on his years as a Middle East reporter for The National and The Guardian, and his focus on the human side of the story. He shares his thoughts on covering the Syrian war and its spillover into Lebanon, and what initially brou...

We're joined by Jasmine El-Gamal for Episode 131 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss the coronavirus pandemic, its impact on recent protests that swept the region and the continued demands for economic reform and political change. Jasmine takes us back to the beginning of her political career as a translator and cultural advisor for the US Army following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. She refle...

We're joined by Anne Barnard for Episode 130 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss the coronavirus pandemic and feelings of claustrophobia, and how contagions today are reminiscent of foreign correspondency from Baghdad in 2003. Anne reflects on reporting from Baghdad following the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, and being 'stuck' in Room 606 at the Al Hamra Hotel. She discusses how...

We're joined by Paul Salem for Episode 129 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss the steps needed to translate protestors' grievances into sustained political power. Paul reflects on a century of shifting political tides that impacted Lebanon and the region. He separates the geopolitical issues from domestic reform and emphasizes that ongoing regional struggles should not prevent action against cor...

We're joined by David Daoud for Episode 128 of The Beirut Banyan, and we dive into the individual level within Lebanese society when it comes to aspirations for economic reform and possibilities for political change. David dissects competing layers of political interests at stake and how that has shaped recent confessional politics. He analyzes the societal hindrances that are, in his view, longst...

We're joined by Faysal Itani for Episode 127 of The Beirut Banyan, and we compare the local, regional and geopolitical factors that differentiate the current protest movement from other recent attempts at demanding accountability and reclaiming sovereignty. Faysal shares his thoughts on the past fifteen years of US engagement with the Lebanese state and how that has shifted due to factors within L...

A brief update on the podcast in a time of coronavirus, social distancing and global shutdown. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan And subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform. Follow us on Instagram: thebeirutbanyan Twitter: beirut_banyan Facebook: The...

We're joined by Bilal Saab for Episode 126 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss the interconnectedness of the moment and the possibilities for political change within Lebanon. Bilal analyzes the 'auditing' process protestors are delivering against the Lebanese state and the initial steps needed for long-term accountability. He also shares his views on long-term US engagement with the Lebanese Army...

We're joined by Aline Sara for Episode 125 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss the role of conversations in language instruction within Lebanon and throughout the region. Aline is the founder of NaTakallam, a language learning program delivered by locals with a focus on refugee support. Check out NaTakallam's website: https://natakallam.com And read about their new Lebanese dialect program by fol...

We're joined by Nour Hodeib & Elsa Saade for Episode 124 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss the diaspora's involvement in the revolt snd the political role of activists from around the world demanding a better future for Lebanon. Nour and Elsa are both students at CUNY. Nour is currently pursuing his PhD in History and Elsa is working towards her Masters in Middle East Studies. Both are talented...

We're joined by Nadim Shehadi & Nadim Houry for Episode 123 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss the diaspora's relationship to Lebanon. Shehadi and Houry compare the Lebanese diaspora to other diaspora experiences and explore the political and communal ties that bond various groupings to Lebanon. We also reflect on a shared Lebanese identity within that diverse population and the new generation's...

We're joined by Hussein Ibish for Episode 122 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss domestic pressure within Lebanon among protestors demanding state reform and accountability, as well as the regional and international dynamics at play. Hussein is a Senior Resident Scholar at The Arab Gulf States Institute and a weekly column contributor to Bloomberg and The National. The piece discussed in this ep...

We're joined by Rania Matar for Episode 121 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss her photography, women in Lebanon and a wider story of shared identity. Rania's work has been widely published and exhibited in museums worldwide, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Carnegie Museum of Art, and National Museum of Women in the Arts. Rania is an associate professor of photography at the Massa...

We're joined by Mohamad Bazzi for Episode 120 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss domestic attempts for political reform in Iraq and Lebanon and the geopolitical constraints facing protestors throughout the region. Mohamad Bazzi is an associate professor of journalism at New York University, where he teaches international reporting. From 2009 to 2013, he served as an adjunct senior fellow for Mid...