EP5. Fuck Real Countries with Nadim Shehadi

An economist by training, Nadim Shehadi has spent his career analyzing the long, ongoing story of Lebanon. Having lived through Beirut's 'golden era' of post-WW2 prosperity, and subsequently having started out as an academic as the country suffered through civil war and occupation, Nadim has honed his voice and knowledge to become a compelling narrator of everything Lebanese. He is also adept at using themes arising from present-day crises to draw a much bigger historical picture, scanning the horizons of the Ottoman Empire and showing how countries and peoples like Lebanon and Israel, the Druze and the Palestinians and numerous European adventurers fit into the epic story of that fragmented power. We cover the current (late March 2024) war in Gaza, the threat of another erupting on Lebanon's southern border, and the current "mood in Beirut." (it isn't great). And, of course, spies.  Lebanon is sometimes accused, as Nadim admits, of "not being a real country." But then, what is a real country? Episode Credits:  Host & Producer: Luke Sheehan Music: Evin O'Brien - cassandravoices.com/culture/music/musician-of-the-month-evin-obrien/ Produced by Massimiliano Galli - www.massimilianogalli.com