Babel: Translating the Middle East CSIS

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House and a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies for almost 20 years. They talk about the fallout from President Raisi’s death, how Gulf states are likely to react, and the feasibility of U.S. policy options going forward. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert to discuss what’s next for Iranian foreign policy and what opportunities there are for the United States.
Transcript, "Sanam Vakil: Iran's Trajectory after Raisi," CSIS, May 29, 2024.

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at CSIS, about the impacts of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash, and how it will affect Iran's foreign and domestic policy. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.
Jon Alterman, "The Impacts of Raisi's Death," CSIS, May 20, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Nicholas Blanford, a Beirut-based security consultant, the author of two books on Lebanon, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. They talk about Hezbollah’s evolution, its ties to other actors in the region, and the role the group is playing in the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss Hezbollah’s deep roots in Lebanese society and the organization’s future.

Transcript, "Nicholas Blanford: Hezbollah’s Struggle Against Israel," CSIS, May 14, 2024.

Nicholas Blanford, Warriors of God: Inside Hezbollah's Thirty-Year Struggle Against Israel, Random House, 2011.

Nicholas Blanford, Killing Mr Lebanon: The Assassination of Rafik Hariri and Its Impact on the Middle East, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2006.

Desperate for stability and lured by promises of a life of luxury, a Syrian widow accepted a marriage proposal from a member of an Iraqi militia. She did not know that she would become one of dozens of Syrian women to fall victim to Iraqi marriage exploitation in the past year alone. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.
Josh Phillips, "The Bonds of Marriage between Syria and Iraq," CSIS, May 1, 2024.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hans Grundberg, the United Nations' special envoy of the secretary-general for Yemen. They discuss what a UN mediator does, why successful mediation is about more than just reaching a peace agreement, and how the internationalization of conflicts complicates mediation. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Leah Hickert to discuss the tradeoffs between different mediators and why the UN separates its humanitarian work from its mediation efforts.
Transcript, "Hans Grundberg: Mediation in Yemen," CSIS, April 30, 2024.

Leah Hickert speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at CSIS, about the tensions rising between Iran and Israel, as well as the potential for regional escalation. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.