The Lede

In the new age of counter-insurgency, civil conflict and proxy wars, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stands out as a rare modern example of so-called ‘“conventional’” warfare fought between the armed forces of two nation-states. In this podcast, New Lines Magazine's Lydia Wilson talks to Mary Kaldor, author of the pioneering 1999 book ‘“New and Old Wars,”’, to discuss what Russia’s goals are, why the...

The war in Afghanistan may be over, but a humanitarian crisis threatens to be even deadlier than the 20 years of fighting. In a follow-up to our podcast episode from September, New Lines Magazine's Faisal Al Yafai talks to Fazelminallah Qazizai, Pashtana Durrani and Emran Feroz to explore how the country’s situation has changed over six months of Taliban rule. They discuss how U.S. sanctions have...

Few topics evoke as much passion as food; recipes have become political battlegrounds. In this podcast, New Lines Magazine's editor and hummus-opinion-haver Kareem Shaheen is joined by Dr. Suna Çağaptay of Bahçeşehir University and contributing editor Riada Asimovic Akyol to talk about what food means to them. They discuss what we mean when we call food “authentic,” the problem with pesto hummus a...

For this special crossover episode with the podcast “The Fire These Times,” its host, Elia Ayoub, joins New Lines Magazine's Faisal Al Yafai and Lydia Wilson to talk about Lebanon’s civil war, which ended in the 1990s but was never truly resolved. They discuss how the absence of public memorialization has intensified sectarian divides, why there can be no peace without accountability and what Syri...

More than a year into Ethiopia’s brutal civil war, the country stands on the brink. The conflict has seen widespread violence against civilians and left millions at urgent risk of starvation. But a recent lull in the fighting has been hailed as an “opportunity for peace.” In this episode, New Lines Magazine's Faisal Al Yafai asks what comes next. He talks to journalist Zecharias Zelalem, VICE News...

Not only is the Middle East one of the world’s most urbanized regions, but it’s also where the story of the city began. In this podcast, New Lines Magazine's Lydia Wilson is joined by Yasser Elsheshtawy, adjunct professor of architecture at Columbia University, and Mona Fawaz, professor of urban studies and planning at the American University of Beirut, to talk about cities in the modern Middle Ea...

In her latest book, The Vanishing, celebrated war reporter Janine di Giovanni reports from some of the Middle East’s most ancient Christian communities — communities she argues may be at risk of disappearing. In this podcast, she joins New Lines Magazine's Lydia Wilson to talk about a career reporting conflict, what drew her to the subject of the book, the complex reasons why Christians are leavin...

Veteran foreign correspondent Luke Harding has reported from all over the world, but there’s one subject he keeps returning to: Russia. His latest book, “Shadow State,” offers a glimpse into the country’s ruthless intelligence services. In this podcast, he speaks to New Lines Magazine's Faisal Al Yafai about how he uncovered their activities, from social media trolling campaigns to mercenary black...

Kamran Bokhari is a foreign policy specialist and director of analytical development at the New Lines Institute. In this episode, he joins host Rasha Elass to talk about his essay in New Lines Magazine on Deobandism, a major fundamentalist Islamic movement with influence across South Asia and beyond. They discuss how it emerged from one of the Sunni tradition’s most liberal schools of jurisprudenc...

REBROADCAST: In a special podcast on the fall of Kabul and its aftermath, New Lines Magazine's Faisal Al Yafai speaks to three reporters who were on the ground in Afghanistan before, during and after the takeover by the Taliban. Emran Feroz, Fazelminallah Qazizai and Shelly Kittleson discuss reporting from around the country, firsthand testimony of what it felt like to see the Taliban walk unoppos...

In this festive special, New Lines Magazine's Ola Salem is joined by colleagues Riada Asimovic Akyol and Kareem Shaheen for a wide-ranging conversation about all things Christmas. They discuss what the holiday means for Muslims, share Christmas traditions—and try their luck playing Ola’s Christmas quiz.

James Barnett is a Fulbright scholar and a researcher at the Center for Democracy and Development in Nigeria. In this podcast he joins New Lines Magazine's Rasha Elass to talk about how he became interested in the underreported crisis of Nigeria’s bandits, how he managed to convince the warlords to talk to him, and what it was like to sit down with such dangerous men.

Earlier this year, the Syrian journalist Asser Khattab stopped writing about Syria. A week ago, in a viral essay New Lines Magazine, he finally explained why - and sparked a much-needed conversation in the media about how international outlets treat the local reporters who make their coverage possible. In our latest podcast, Asser Khattab and New Lines Magazine’s Kareem Shaheen continue that vital...

Rising authoritarianism, social atomization and looming climate change — the world feels like it is falling apart. In this wide-ranging podcast, the acclaimed Turkish novelist and journalist Ece Temelkuran speaks to New Lines Magazine’s Faisal Al Yafai about her book, “Together: 10 Choices for a Better Now,” and the urgent issues that compelled her to write it. They talk about what it felt like to...

Award-winning investigative journalist Tam Hussein’s latest article for New Lines explores the mythologization of Afghanistan by Islamists in Europe and America. In this episode, he talks to New Lines Magazine’s Lydia Wilson about how his experiences growing up in London informed his essay, how pro-jihadist propaganda spread before the internet, and why the far-right admire the Taliban.

Art and archaeology have always been used to tell stories about the present. In this new podcast, author and journalist Olivia Snaije and contributing editor Lydia Wilson talk to New Lines Magazine’s Faisal Al Yafai about how the Middle East’s ancient heritage continues to shape modern politics. They discuss why Lebanon’s heritage took on new importance after the Beirut port blast last year, why I...

Days after a drone was used in an assassination attempt on Iraq’s prime minister, military tech journalist Kelsey D. Atherton spoke to New Lines Magazine’s Faisal Al Yafai about their use in the wars of the past, present and future. They discuss how drones changed modern warfare, how emerging technologies will affect future conflicts — and why we worry about the wrong thing when we talk about kill...

In this special episode on the Oct. 25 military takeover in Sudan, Sudanese American journalist Isma’il Kushkush and Khartoum-based activist Dallia Abdelmoniem talk New Lines Magazine’s Faisal Al Yafai through the chaotic events of the past two weeks — and the two years leading up to them. They explain why the coup has deep roots in Sudan’s troubled political past, what it feels like to be back ou...

Jonathan Powell is CEO of the conflict resolution charity Inter Mediate and has made a career talking to some of the world’s most dangerous people. He was U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair’s chief of staff, chief negotiator in the Northern Ireland peace process, and the author of “Talking to Terrorists: How to End Armed Conflicts.” In a frank, thoughtful and occasionally tense conversation with New L...

Nina Jankowicz is a fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. and the author of “How to Lose the Information War.” Natalia Antonova is a journalist, an expert in online security and the former editor of the investigations website Bellingcat. In this extensive podcast with New Lines Magazine's  Faisal Al Yafai, they discuss how Russia has weaponized disinformation, from the Middle East to Ame...

In this podcast, Farkhondeh Akbari and Andrew Watkins join New Lines Magazine for a conversation on Afghanistan. They share their sentiments about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, assessments on decades of American intervention and recent withdrawal, and reflect on the past, present and future.

David Kaye served as the U.N. special rapporteur for freedom of opinion and expression. In this podcast with New Lines Magazine's Kareem Shaheen, he discusses justice and accountability for crimes in the Middle East; why justice is so essential for neighbors to keep living together; and why the phrase, “the walls have ears” is so common in the Middle East.

In a special podcast on the fall of Kabul and its aftermath, New Lines Magazine's Faisal Al Yafai speaks to three reporters who were on the ground in Afghanistan before, during and after the takeover by the Taliban. Emran Feroz, Fazelminallah Qazizai and Shelly Kittleson discuss reporting from around the country, firsthand testimony of what it felt like to see the Taliban walk unopposed into a cit...

Isam Uraiqat created AlHudood, a satirical news site often compared to The Onion, to highlight some of the absurdities of the modern Middle East. In this podcast with New Lines Magazine's Faisal Al Yafai, Isam goes through some of his favorite — and most controversial — headlines; talks about censorship in the Middle East and whether there are any topics he would not poke fun at; and discusses the...

Luna Safwan is an independent journalist based in Beirut and the host of the “Beyond Politics” podcast. Anthony Elghossain is a lawyer and contributing editor at New Lines Magazine, also based in Beirut. In this podcast with New Lines Magazine's Faisal Al Yafai, as the first anniversary of the deadly explosion in Beirut’s port approaches, they discuss what it felt like a year ago before and after...