The New Arab Voice

Tensions across the Middle East, recently rose to worrying highs. It started on 1 April, when Israel launched an attack on Iran's consulate building in the Syria capital of Damascus. Iran responded to this by firing hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel. In turn, Israel conducted strikes in Iran. Voices from abroad, desperately called for calm, as fears grew that the region was about to be plunged into a regional conflict. This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the recent Iranian strike against Israel and Israel's response. What did Iran hope to achieve, and were they successful? Why did Arab nations take part in the defence of Iran? What did Israel want to achieve in Iran, and why was their response so muted? How close did the region come to war, and has the threat now passed?Joining us to discuss this and more, we speak with Merissa Khurma (@MerissaKhurma). Merissa Khurma is the program director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center (@WilsonCenterMEP). And, Trita Parsi (@tparsi), the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute (@QuincyInst), and author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. And finally, Hamidreza Aziz (@HamidRezaAz), a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International Security Affairs (@SWPBerlin) in Berlin. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com

The recent local elections in Turkey did not go to plan for President Erdogan. The voters sent a clear message to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) party and the strongman president, when they voted in unprecedented numbers for the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). The CHP took control of Turkey's biggest cities and also managed to make significant headway into provinces that had been traditional AKP territory. Additionally, the AKP also lost out to the New Welfare Party (YRP), and Islamist party, who collected former AKP voters, who were angered by Erdogan's Gaza policy. The recent vote raises some big questions about the future of Turkey and Erdogan. This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the recent Turkish elections. Why did the AKP and Erdogan do so badly? How big was the CHP victory? Has the path been set for Ekrem İmamoğlu to rise to the presidency? Can and will Erdogan run again? Will Erdogan start another crackdown? And what is the state of Turkish democracy?Joining us this week, we speak with Gönül Tol (@gonultol), the founding director of the Middle East Institute’s (@MiddleEastInst) Turkey programme and a senior fellow with the Black Sea Program. Gönül's new book, Erdogan's War: A Strongman's Struggle at Home and in Syria, is out now. Also, Soner Cagaptay (@SonerCagaptay), the Beyer Family Senior Fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (@WashInstitute), and the author of A Sultan in Autumn.his podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has a new government and a new Prime Minister.An exciting and yet highly challenging time for them; but for the Palestinian people, optimism for real change is low. The Palestinian Authority has been in place since the 1990's, but satisfaction is low. There are systemic governance problems across Palestine, and the PA is no longer seen as the leaders of the liberation movement. This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the Palestinian Authority and the problems with governance in the wake of the brutal war on Gaza. What is the Palestinian Authority doing to end the violence and promote Palestinian liberty? How do Palestinians feel about the ruling authority? And is it time for reforms, and for President Abbas to step aside, or for the institution as a whole to be dissolved?Joining us, we speak with Omar Rahman (@omarrahman),  fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs (@ME_Council), where he focuses on Palestine, Middle East geopolitics, and American foreign policy in the region.Also, we speak with Obada Shtaya, the co-Founder and CEO of the Institute for Social and Economic Progress. Obada is a pollster and researcher, with interests in social psychology, political economy, and social movement theory.Subscribe to The New Arab Weekly here. Sign up to our newsletter here.This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com

At the start of March polling stations for Iran's legislative elections opened, and yet, very few Iranians turned up. It was a record low turnout, with just 40.64 percent of eligible voters casting their ballot.The low turnout reflected the discontent in the country, and the poor quality of candidates on offer. This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the Iranian elections. Why was the turnout so low, and what does it mean for the regime’s legitimacy. How did the Iranian regime seek to control the elections, and how do the different branches help to support the control of the deep state. And also, what can the recent election tell us about the plan to choose a successor for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Joining this week, we speak with Alex Vatanka (@AlexVatanka) the founding Director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst), and Ali Vaez (@AliVaez), the Iran Project Director at International Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup). Sign up to our newsletter here.And subscribe to The New Arab Weekly on Apple and Spotify.This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com

Welcome to the first episode of The New Arab Weekly. Each week, we take a look at some of the biggest stories of the week and examine what happened and why is it important. This week we look at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the looming prospect for an invasion of Rafah, and the recently announced definition of extremism, as laid out by the UK government. We're joined this week by The New Arab's Opinions Editor, Nadine Talaat (@nadine_talaat), and New Arab journalist and reporter Oliver Mizzi (@OllyMizzi99).If you have any burning questions that you'd like the team at The New Arab to answer, then drop us an email at podcast@newarab.com. You can subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, Google, and wherever else you get your podcasts. This podcast is produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). To get in touch with the producer, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts.

This week, we’ll be launching The New Arab Weekly, a brand new podcast, that will bring you a collection of biggest stories of the week. With help from the editorial and reporting teams at The New Arab in London, we’ll break down the stories for you and answer the questions: what happened and why does it matter?The first episode will be released on Friday March 15th, and will be finding its way to your feeds every Friday after that. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast, so you can get notified when a new episode drops. Apple: The New Arab WeeklySpotify: The New Arab Weekly We’d also like to hear from you. If you have any questions that you want the team at The New Arab to answer, you can now email us at podcast@newarab.com. Until Friday, stick with The New Arab, for all the latest new analysis and opinion, from the region. 

The humanitarian crisis is older than the war in Gaza. For years, Palestinians inside the besieged enclave have struggled to secure some of the basic needs for life.The war, which has now entered its four month, has turned crisis into catastrophe. All 2.2 million residents of Gaza are now suffering from acute food insecurity, and Israel are continuing the bombardments, day after day. The humanitarian situation in Gaza was recently dealt a deadly blow when major donors of the UN aid and refugee agency, including the US and UK, announced that they would be suspending funding for UNRWA. The decision to suspend funding was made following allegations that UNRWA employees had taken part in the horrific attacks of 7 October. To date, evidence to prove those allegations has not been provided, and yet the suspension stands. This week, we look at the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the details of the famine gripping the population, the spread of infectious diseases, and the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare. Also we look at the decision by Western nations to suspend funding for UNRWA. Why they decided to suspend funding, why they asked for no evidence, why so many pulled out, and why Israel is trying to eliminate UNRWA in its entirety. Joining us to help us understand the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, we speak with Dr. Yara Asi (@Yara_M_Asi). Dr. Asi is an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida in the School of Global Health Management and Informatics. Her research agenda focuses on global health, human rights, and development in fragile populations. She recently authored the book How War Kills: The Overlooked Threats to Our Health. To explain UNRWA and the impacts of the funding suspension, we speak with Chris Doyle (@Doylech). Chris is the Director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (@Caabu) and its lead spokesperson.Sign up to our newsletter here.

The International Court of Justice returned a verdict on 26 January. Not a complete verdict on whether genocide is being committed by Israel in Gaza, but the court did agree that there was a case to be heard, and it did recognise that there was a sense of urgency. Because of this urgency, they issued a series of provisional measures; these include an order to end the killing of civilians, end the mental and physical harm of civilians, immediately allow the distribution of aid, to name a few. This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the provisional measures imposed by the International Court of Justice, what they are ordering of Israel, whether they will be abided to by Israel, what mechanisms exist if the provisional measures are ignored, and also what the case means for Israel's allies, namely the US. Joining us to explain the International Court of Justice and it mechanisms is Akila Radhakrishnan (@akila_rad). Akila is the strategic legal advisor for gender justice for the Strategic Litigation Project (@SLPJustice) at the Atlantic Council (@AtlanticCouncil).To guide us through what the court's decision means for Israel and its Western allies, we speak with Khalil E. Jahshan (@KhalilEJahshan). Khalil is the  Executive Director of Arab Center Washington DC (@ArabCenterWDC) and  a Palestinian American political analyst. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, protests around the world have called on the Israeli government to end their slaughter and protect civilian life. Thousands have turned out to protest in London, New York, Paris, Berlin, and Washington DC. Also, protests have been seen in Israel, however the civil space in Israel is shrinking.This week, we look at the shrinking civil space in Israel, and the shrinking rights of Israelis to protest against the government and the war in Gaza. We also examine the role of the Supreme Court in the stripping of Israeli civil rights. To help us understand this, we spoke with Eyal Lurie-Pardes (@eyallurie), a Visiting Fellow in the Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst). Previously, Eyal worked in legal advocacy and policy research for civil rights in Israel and Palestine. Among other things, Eyal worked with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the Zulat Institute for Equality and Human Rights.This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice.