The Confused Podcast Series

In this final episode of Confused About Syria, Noor Mousa and Rachel Sider reflect on key lessons from Iraq’s post-2003 experience and what they mean for Syria’s ongoing transition. The discussion highlights both similarities and critical differences between the two contexts - particularly around fragility, governance, and recovery challenges. Core takeaways include the need to avoid repeating int...

Content Note: This episode discusses identity-based violence, killings, and hate speech. Episode Summary In Episode 4, Noor and Rachel reflect on all that Syria has experienced in the weeks, months, and year-plus since the fall of the Assad government on December 8, 2024. The conversation reckons with two simultaneous truths for many Syrians in public life and online: the sense of possibility and...

In this episode, Noor Mousa and Rachel Sider discuss the events surrounding December 8, 2024 in Syria and the internal and external pressures that triggered the collapse of the Assad government. They examine Syrians’ diverse reactions, the psychological toll of war on civilians and aid workers, and the damage wrought by rumors and misinformation. The conversation underscores the need for trust, in...

In Episode 2, we trace how Syria’s 2011 uprising moved from broadly inclusive, peaceful protests rooted in demands for dignity, economic opportunity, and basic freedoms into a prolonged and devastating civil conflict.  The conversation also looks at displacement across the region including in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq and how host country policies and approaches shaped refugee experiences....

Before headlines, before labels, and before 2011, there was a country steeped in culture, memory, and humanity. In this first episode of Confused About Syria , we leave behind the all-too-common conflict framing to talk about Syria as a place of beauty and diversity – its people, landscapes, identities, and daily life – and consider why understanding this is crucial to making sense of everything t...

In this final episode of Confused About Yemen , Noor Mousa and Rachel Sider look ahead: what kind of future is being imagined for Yemen, and by whom? Is it one country, two, or a more messy reality that doesn’t fit any of the imposed formulas? From stalled peace talks to quiet deals between armed actors, Noor and Rachel unpack how questions of power, legitimacy, and international involvement shape...

Women in Yemen have long held communities together amidst conflict, displacement, economic collapse, and inter-generational trauma. Yet, their stories are often sidelined or simplified in global narratives. In this episode of Confused About Yemen , hosts Noor Mousa and Rachel Sider explore the layered, intimate realities of womanhood in Yemen today. Drawing on lived experience, fieldwork, and conv...

Yemen is often in the news for its conflict, but for centuries it was known as Arabia Felix – the "Happy Land." In this season premiere of Confused About Yemen, hosts Noor Mousa and Rachel Sider take you behind the headlines to share an aid worker’s perspective on life in this complex country. From growing up hearing stories of Yemen’s greenery and poetry to navigating the realities of a protracte...