The Middle East Breakdown With Dan and Hayvi

In this episode, we sit down with Lebanese MP and prominent Sunni leader, Fouad Makhzoumi. In a candid and insightful conversation, Makhzoumi breaks down the political complexities of Lebanon, explaining why he chose not to compete for the Prime Minister position to avoid dividing the forces opposing Hezbollah. We dive into: His vision for a sovereign, independent Lebanon. The historical significa...

The breakthrough in Lebanon-Israel negotiations signals a rare window for peace in a deeply unstable region, but Hezbollah's opposition exposes a dangerous undercurrent. With the U.S., Lebanon, Iran, and Israel all navigating a complex web of interests, the potential for escalation remains high. Why is this moment different? And what’s the true power behind the scenes that could either derail...

Middle East Breakdown with Dan FefermanOur latest episode features special guest Emily Neilson, a Middle East analyst and researcher. In this conversation, we take a deep dive into the structure, history, and influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, examining how the movement operates across different countries and regions throughout the Middle East and North Africa. We explore its organizational meth...

Uncover the hidden dynamics shaping the Iran negotiations and the future of regional security. In this episode, our experts go beyond the headlines to reveal the strategic calculus driving Washington’s approach and Tehran’s true intentions. As talks stall, we analyze the broader implications for Middle Eastern stability from fluctuating oil markets to the web of regional proxies and shifting globa...

In this episode of The Middle East Breakdown, hosts Dan Feferman and Hayvi Bouzo sit down with Gregg Roman, Executive Director of the Middle East Forum, for one of the most clear-eyed assessments of the US-Iran war, the fragile ceasefire, and what comes next. Recorded on April 10th, five weeks into the biggest direct military confrontation between the US, Israel, and the Islamic Republic of Iran,...

In this episode of The Middle East Breakdown, hosts Dan Feferman and Hayvi Bouzo mark Israel's 78th Independence Day with one of the most wide-ranging conversations in the show's history, tracing the full arc of the Jewish story from the Holocaust to the refounding of the modern state, the shifting regional landscape around Israel today, and the deepening disconnect between how the Arab wo...

In this episode of The Middle East Breakdown, host Dan Feferman examines one of the most consequential diplomatic openings in the modern Middle East: the first publicly announced, state-level talks between Lebanon and Israel in decades, held in Washington under Secretary of State Marco Rubio. With a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran still holding, and Hezbollah pushing to link t...

In this episode of The Middle East Breakdown, hosts Dan Feferman and Hayvi Bouzo sit down with senior Middle East and national security analyst Ahmed Quraishi, reporting live from a locked-down Islamabad as US-Iran negotiations are hours away from beginning. Recorded on April 10th, with the 12-day ceasefire just days old and the Islamabad talks yet to start, the conversation asks the questions the...

In this episode of The Middle East Breakdown, hosts Dan Feferman and Hayvi Bouzo sit down with Gregg Roman, Executive Director of the Middle East Forum, for one of the most clear-eyed assessments of the US-Iran war, the fragile ceasefire, and what comes next. Recorded on April 10th, five weeks into the biggest direct military confrontation between the US, Israel, and the Islamic Republic of Iran,...

In this episode of The Middle East Breakdown, hosts Dan Feferman and Hayvi Bouzo explore the complex and often overlooked struggle of the Kurdish community inside Iran, examining their place within the country's broader ethnic mosaic and what the current regional conflict means for their future. Joining the discussion are Suzan Quitaz, journalist and regional analyst covering Kurdish and Irani...

In this episode of The Middle East Breakdown, hosts Dan Feferman and Hayvi Bouzo examine the ongoing U.S. and Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran, now entering its second week at the time of recording. The discussion covers the strategic objectives driving the strikes, the state of Iran's degraded military capabilities, and the critical question of what comes next fo...

In this episode of The Middle East Breakdown, hosts Dan Feferman and Hayvi Bouzo examine the ground reality inside Gaza following the October ceasefire that ended two years of war. Despite the halt in major fighting, Hamas has rapidly moved to reassert control over the 47% of Gaza it still governs, executing perceived opponents, deploying its Ministries of Interior, Commerce, and Finance to extrac...

In this episode of The Middle East Breakdown, hosts Dan Feferman and Hayvi Bouzo examine the profound political, security, and social transformation Israel has undergone since October 7th exploring how the country's pre-existing fractures shaped its response to the Hamas attack, what the ongoing war has revealed about Israeli strategic doctrine, and where the country is headed as it approaches...

ME24 Breakdown digs into the day after in Gaza. We cover what it would take to disarm Hamas, how a multinational authority could work, what role the Palestinian Authority and Arab states can realistically play, and what lessons Iraq, ISIS, Bosnia, and Lebanon offer. Clear analysis, no spin. Guests, Raith Al Omari, senior fellow at The Washington Institute and former adviser to the Palestinian nego...

Abraham Accords at 5 Years | Middle East 24 Podcast Five years since the signing of the Abraham Accords, our ME24 team sat down to reflect on what has changed, what has endured, and what still lies ahead. In this episode, Hayvi and Dan welcome Dr. Waleed Phares, Mozah, and Aaesha to share their stories, experiences, and insights. We talk about: The UAE’s vision of peace and modernization How the A...