Tunisia expert Monica Marks says Tunisia’s Democratic future hangs in the balance following what was unquestionably a coup
Tunisia has long been touted as the sole success story to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings. However last month the country’s president sacked the prime minister and suspended the parliament in a ...
9 Aug 202136min
Saudis see agreement with US on 90% of issues in region, says Stephen Kalin
Stephen Kalin, Wall Street Journal correspondent based in Riyadh, describes the scope of social, economic, and political change in Saudi Arabia; the prospects for diplomacy with Iran and an end to the...
2 Aug 202150min
Nile Dam talks may be ‘in a lot of trouble,’ says Samuel Ramani
Samuel Ramani, a tutor at the University of Oxford and expert on Russia and Africa, explains why international mediation on the Nile Dam talks may continue to flounder; why the UAE has been an ‘except...
28 Jul 202127min
Ali Hashem on what to expect from Ebrahim Raisi and the rise of the Hezbollahis in Iran
Al-Monitor columnist Ali Hashem discusses why incoming Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi may not give priority to closing the nuclear deal; why Iran sees an opportunity in Afghanistan; the complex relat...
19 Jul 202137min
South Asia security expert Ayesha Siddiqa says Turkey is a natural fit for Afghanistan
As Turkey negotiates the terms of retaining its forces at Kabul airport with Washington many air concerns that Turkish troops will be imperilled in the wake of the US withdrawal. The Taliban is wresti...
13 Jul 202124min
The Gulf moment in the Middle East is here to stay, says Abdulkhaleq Abdulla
Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, UAE Professor of Political Science, discusses why UAE momentum and influence is on the rise in the Middle East; how the Gulf states’ management of the COVID-19 pandemic compar...
5 Jul 202129min
Turkish academic Tugba Tanyeri: Erdogan’s conversion of Haghia Sophia part of drive to put a Sunni Muslim stamp on Turkey’s urban landscape
Amberin Zaman speaks this week to Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir, a Turkish academic, about the current status of the Haghia Sophia, the 6th century Byzantine cathedral that was converted from a museum to a fu...
30 Jun 202120min
Biden-Putin summit exceeded expectations, says Fyodor Lukyanov, but US-Russia antagonistic relationship remains
Fyodor Lukyanov, Chairman of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy in Moscow, discusses why Russia wants an agreement with the US on cyber security; why Russia does not expect the US to lift sanct...
18 Jun 202147min
