CSIS Babel
Podcast

Babel: Translating the Middle East

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). Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Podcast Series by Jon B. Alterman, Will Todman, and Natasha Hall

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All Babel: Translating the Middle East Podcast Episodes

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Babel: Translating the Middle East

Babel Special: Jon Alterman's Next Chapter

On this special edition of Babel, Will Todman speaks with Jon Alterman. They discuss Jon’s reflections on 22 years directing the CSIS Middle East Program and the lessons Jon will take to his new CSIS role as the Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Will Todman — May 22, 2025

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Mohanad Hage Ali: Hezbollah and the Captagon Trade

Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Together, they discuss Hezbollah’s involvement in these drug networks, as well as the opportunities to bolster Lebanese sovereignty and state institutions as a result of the group’s weakened standing.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Mona Yacoubian, and Asher Grant-Sasson — May 15, 2025

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Analysis: Will Trump’s Houthi Deal Stick?

On May 6, President Trump declared that the United States would immediately halt its bombing of Houthi targets. Asher Grant-Sasson speaks with Jon Alterman about the core drivers behind this policy shift and the implications it might bear.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Asher Grant-Sasson — May 8, 2025

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Dina Esfandiary: Will Iran Make a Deal with Trump?

Jon Alterman speaks with Dina Esfandiary, Middle East Geoeconomics Lead at Bloomberg, to discuss why the U.S. and Iran are negotiating again, how Tehran’s position has changed since 2015, and the different strategies both countries are likely to pursue. 

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Ninar Fawal, and Will Todman — May 1, 2025

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Analysis: Trump’s Novel Middle East Diplomacy

Asher Grant-Sasson speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, about the promise and hazards posed by this shift in diplomatic strategy, especially in connection with the Middle East.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Asher Grant-Sasson — April 24, 2025

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

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

Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Craig Larkin to unpack different approaches taken to reconstruction and reconciliation after violence in the Middle East. 

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Ninar Fawal, Martin Pimentel, and Will Todman — April 17, 2025

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Analysis: Iran, Deal or No Deal?

Asher Grant-Sasson speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, about why nuclear talks with Iran are happening now—and what the Trump administration must do to ensure their success.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Asher Grant-Sasson — April 10, 2025

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Dahlia Scheindlin: Israel’s Political Turmoil

Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, a Tel Aviv-based political analyst and Haaretz columnist. Together, they discuss the sources of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s staying power, as well as his ongoing efforts to remodel key state institutions.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Ninar Fawal, and Will Todman — April 3, 2025

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Analysis: Trump Takes on the Houthis

Asher Grant-Sasson speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, about the current state of play and the dilemmas confronting U.S. policymakers in dealing with the Houthis.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Asher Grant-Sasson — March 27, 2025

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

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

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Nicolas Pelham, the Middle East correspondent for The Economist. Together, they discuss his latest article, “The Great Pretender: How Ahmed al-Sharaa Won Syria,” an in-depth profile of the Syrian leader based in part on a mid-February interview. 

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Ninar Fawal, and Natasha Hall — March 20, 2025

CSIS Babel