The Middle East is in crisis. The hopeful Arab Spring has left a complex legacy, and United States-led efforts to bring democracy to the region have unravelled in the face of state collapse, sectarianism, and insurgency. Now the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated civil wars from Syria to Libya and aggravated political crises across the region and nearby North Africa.

What does the future hold for the Middle East? And is there any hope for the region after the crisis?

Jack Dickens hosts Emma Sky and Robert Fox to talk about state collapse and democracy in the Middle East. The podcast was recorded in July, before the recent explosion in Beirut.