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Babel: Translating the Middle East

by Center for Strategic and International Studies
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Latest episodes

  • Babel Special: Jon Alterman's Next Chapter

    May 22, 2025 · 35 min

    This week on a special edition of Babel, Will Todman speaks with Jon Alterman, the creator of Babel and the show’s host since it began in 2019. They discuss Jon’s reflections on 22 years directing the CSIS Middle East Program, his analysis…

  • Mohanad Hage Ali: Hezbollah and the Captagon Trade

    May 15, 2025 · 50 min

    This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Mohanad's latest paper for Carnegie investigates the rise of a new form of drug smuggling in…

  • Analysis: Will Trump’s Houthi Deal Stick?

    May 8, 2025 · 6 min

    On Tuesday, May 6, President Trump declared that the United States would immediately halt its bombing of Houthi targets, bringing an end to months of intensified U.S. strikes across Yemen. The president linked the policy reversal to what…

  • Dina Esfandiary: Will Iran Make a Deal with Trump?

    May 1, 2025 · 42 min

    This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dina Esfandiary, the Middle East Geoeconomics Lead at Bloomberg. Previously, Dr. Esfandiary served as a senior adviser for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group and…

  • Analysis: Trump’s Novel Middle East Diplomacy

    April 24, 2025 · 7 min

    The United States is currently engaged in several high-stakes negotiations across the Middle East and around the world. President Trump has departed from traditional diplomatic norms, opting instead for unconventional negotiating…

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  • Craig Larkin: The Politics of Memory, From Mosul to Beirut to Gaza

    April 17, 2025 · 41 min

    This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Craig Larkin, director of the Center for the Study of Divided Societies at King’s College London. Dr. Larkin is also a research lead on Memory and Conflict for XCEPT, a research consortium…

  • Analysis: Iran, Deal or No Deal?

    April 10, 2025 · 6 min

    While seated beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 7, President Trump announced that the United States will imminently initiate talks with Iran over its nuclear program. The announcement comes amid a rise in U.S…

  • Dahlia Scheindlin: Israel’s Political Turmoil

    April 3, 2025 · 34 min

    This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, a Tel Aviv-based political analyst and Haaretz columnist. Scheindlin also serves as a fellow at Century International and has advised on eight national Israeli election…

  • Analysis: Trump Takes on the Houthis

    March 27, 2025 · 6 min

    On March 15, the United States launched a wave of attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen. The Trump administration had pledged to step up efforts initiated by President Biden to combat Houthi assaults on commercial shipping and U.S. regional…

  • Nicolas Pelham: Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syria’s Future

    March 20, 2025 · 47 min

    This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Nicolas Pelham, the Middle East correspondent for The Economist. Nicolas has worked in the Middle East and North Africa for more than 30 years and has reported from every state in the region…

  • Renad Mansour and Sanam Vakil: Iranian Networks in the Middle East

    March 13, 2025 · 47 min

    On March 4, Jon Alterman spoke with Renad Mansour, senior research fellow and director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, and Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, about the resilience of…

  • Analysis: Trump’s Middle East Strategy

    March 6, 2025 · 7 min

    On Tuesday night, President Trump delivered the first broadcast address of his second term to Congress. Though his remarks on the Middle East were sparing and largely expected, U.S. policy in the region has largely been the opposite…

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About the show

Babel will take you beyond the headlines to discuss what’s really happening in the Middle East and North Africa. It features regional experts who explain what’s going on, provide context on pivotal developments, and highlight trends you may have missed. Jon Alterman, Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, hosts the podcast along with his colleagues from the Middle East Program. This podcast is made possible through the generous support of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates. All views, positions, and conclusions expressed here should be understood to be solely of those of the speaker(s).