All Episodes
Middle East Focus — 113 episodes
Regional Escalation and the Fight Over Hormuz
Food Security in a Hotter, Drier North Africa
Inside the Ankara NATO Summit
Trump, Syria, and the Hizballah Question
Do the Gulf States Need a New Playbook?
The US and Iran Signed a Deal — Now What?
The Human Cost of the Strait of Hormuz Closure
Attacked by All Sides: Iraq's New Government Faces Old Problems
Can the Latest US Plan Bridge Libya's Divide?
MP Fouad Makhzoumi on Lebanon's Future
When Will Energy Markets Recover From the Iran War?
Middle Eastern Rivalry in the Horn of Africa
How to Wrest Lebanon From Iran's Grip
Violence, Settlements, and Creeping Annexation in the West Bank
A New-Old Regime in Tehran
Bonus Episode: Stalled Talks and Next Steps for the US and Iran
How the War May Reshape Iran's Political Future
Iraq in Between Iran and the United States
Special Episode: Europe and the Iran War
As Iran Weakens, Can Hamas Survive?
Why the Houthis are Holding Back — For Now
Can Turkey Stay Out of the Iran War?
Lebanon on the Brink: Hizballah, Iran, and the War's Spillover
Is the Regime Doomed? Iran on the Eve of War
Bibi's Hail Mary on Iran
From the Middle East to West Asia: Redefining America's Global Strategy
America's New Defense Strategy — and What It Means for Iran
Ambiguous Uncertainties: Phase Two of Trump's Plan for Gaza
Bonus Episode: Can Yemen Hold Together?
Emergency Podcast: Damascus and the Syrian Kurds Come to Blows
Venezuela's Shadow Over MENA: Perceptions and Precedents
Bonus Episode: Tehran's Brewing Troubles
What 2025 Has Wrought... and What 2026 May Bring
What does Trump's new National Security Strategy mean for the Middle East?
Soft Power in Hard Times: Pope Leo XIV's Visit to Lebanon
MBS's Visit and the Future of US-Saudi Relations
From War to Reconstruction: Syria's Next Chapter
Erdogan Forever?
Can Morocco Placate Its Frustrated Youth?
Trump 2.0 and the Middle East: Taking Stock of the First Nine Months
The Gaza Cease-Fire and a Region Reshaped by War
After Two Years of War in Gaza, Can Trump's Plan Deliver Peace?
Water and Power: Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia at Odds Over Africa's Largest Dam
A Middle East NATO? Regional Security Options After Doha
Crossing Red Lines: Israel's Doha Strike and What Comes Next
Under Pressure: Will Snapback Sanctions Bring Iran Back to the Table?
The Middle East's Water and Climate Crisis: Lessons from Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf
Lebanon and the UNIFIL Mandate: Disarming Hizballah and Reclaiming Sovereignty
Egypt and Gaza: Conflict, Crisis, and the Path to a Ceasefire
The Regional and Domestic Elements of Erdoğan's Grand Strategy
Bonus Episode: Understanding the Violence in Southern Syria
The Gulf's Geo-Economic Balancing Act
Deals, Diplomacy, and Day-After Plans: The Trump Administration's Middle East Strategy
Israel at War: Regional Reverberations and Political Fallout
After the 12-Day War: Iran, Israel, and the Future Regional Order
Bonus Episode: A Fragile Ceasefire Between Israel and Iran
Bonus Episode: Updates on the Israel-Iran Conflict
The Iran-Israel Conflict and the Future of the Iranian Regime
Lebanon at a Crossroads: Sovereignty, Hizballah's Disarmament, and the Road to Reform
What Is Israel's Path Forward on Gaza?
Syria Looks to a Future Unburdened from US Sanctions
AI, Tech, and the Future of US-Gulf Relations
US-Houthi Ceasefire Deal & the Future of Red Sea Security
Trump's Gulf Visit: Strategic Stakes and Symbolic Optics
Turkey at a Crossroads: Protests, Crackdowns, and the Future of Democracy
US-Iran Nuclear Talks: A Fragile Opening for Diplomacy
Toni Verstandig on What We've Learned—and Forgotten—About Peace
Two Years of War in Sudan and the Elusive Path to Peace
Netanyahu and Israel at War
Frank Lowenstein | Ep. 10
Diplomacy, Technology, and Innovation: Amb. Stuart Jones on the Evolution of US-Middle East Relations
Rethinking Democracy Ep. 7: The Protests and Political Crisis Shaping Turkey's Democratic Future
Dan Shapiro | 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' ep. 9
Ibrahim Dalalsha and Shira Efron| 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' Ep. 8
NYT bestselling author Kwame Alexander on the intersection of art and social change
Barbara A. Leaf | 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' Ep. 7
Rethinking Democracy Ep. 6: Shariah, Democracy, and the Future of Governance in Syria
Norman T. Roule | 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' Ep. 6
Trump, Gaza, and the Future of US Policy in the Middle East
End of an era: The fall of the Assad regime
Rethinking Democracy Ep. 5: Impact of Donald Trump's Election on American Democracy and the World with Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Larry Diamond
How might US-Israeli relations evolve under the Trump administration?
1,000 Days of Russia's Full-Scale War Against Ukraine
Steven A. Cook | 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' Ep. 5
Danielle Pletka | 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' Ep. 4
The Axis of Resistance Pt. 2: Iran
The Axis of Resistance Pt. 1: the Proxies
Hezbollah, Israel, and the Lebanese Armed Forces
Yemen's Civil War: Ten Years Later
Rethinking Democracy Ep. 4: China's Growing Presence in the Middle East with Dr. F. Gregory Gause and Dr. Jon Alterman
ISIS and the detainee dilemma
ISIS's enduring threat in Syria and Iraq
Israeli Strikes and the Risk of Regional Escalation
Rethinking Democracy Ep. 3: Economic Conditions and Support for Democracy with Daron Acemoglu and Tamara Cofman Wittes
On the Eve of the Washington Summit: Shoring up NATO's Vulnerable Flanks
Iran's snap presidential elections
Migration in North Africa: EU Engagement & Policies
American Diplomacy Toward Lebanon with Amb. David Hale
Deterrence Reasserted? Debating Iran's Missile Capabilities and Willingness to Use Force
Sudan's civil war and its regional impact
Rethinking Democracy Ep. 2: What is the Rule of Law? With Thomas Carothers and Vali Nasr
Opposition Upset Victory in Turkey's Local Elections
Rethinking Democracy, Ep. 1: Why Does Democracy Flourish? With Francis Fukuyama and Paul Salem
The Evolving Conflict Between Hezbollah and Israel
Interview with Rashid Al Khalifa - Bahraini artist, collector and founder of RAK Art Foundation
What's next for Pakistan after election shock?
Iran's 1979 revolution and its resonance today
Spotlight on US Syria policy
The Gaza War's Regional Reverberations
Antisemitism and Islamophobia in the US political discourse on Israel/Palestine
Themes of COP28
Turkey at 100
Iran and the Israel-Hamas War