Connections

On Tuesday, 23 November Jadaliyya co-editor Mouin Rabbani spoke with Samia Errazzouki about the current crises in the Maghreb. This episode of Connections examines escalating Algerian-Moroccan tensions and the deteriorating situation in Western Sahara.

Guest

Samia Errazzouki is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of California, Davis. She was previously a journalist with the Associated Press and Reuters in Morocco, where she also worked as a research associate with the University of Cambridge researching the dynamics of surveillance and citizen media in the region. Samia is a Co-Editor of  Jadaliyya.

Host

Mouin Rabbani has published and commented widely on Palestinian affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He was previously Senior Analyst Middle East and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, and head of political affairs with the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. He is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine. 

https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/43555
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=310113217421127
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vsEO-mQGtk

on Thursday, 18 November Jadaliyya co-editor Mouin Rabbani and Cas Mudde spoke about the global far right. This episode of Connections will examine whether the far right is today ascendant or in decline, and the extent to which it forms a coherent global movement.  

Connections offers timely and informative interviews on current events and broader policy questions, as well as themes relevant to knowledge production. It combines journalism, analysis, and scholarship. 

Guest

Cas Mudde is a political scientist and global authority on populism and political extremism, particularly the European and American far right. He is the Stanley Wade Shelton Professor at the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs, and also holds the rank of Professor at the University of Oslo’s Center for Research on Extremism. The co-founder and convenor of the Standing Group on Extremism & Democracy of the European Consortium for Political Research, Mudde is a prolific author whose books include The Far Right in America (2018), The Far Right Today (2019), and The Israel Settler Movement Assessing and Explaining Social Movement Success (2021). He is also a columnist for The Guardian.

Host

Mouin Rabbani has published and commented widely on Palestinian affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He was previously Senior Analyst Middle East and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, and head of political affairs with the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. He is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine. 

https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/43525/Connections-Episode-23-The-Global-Far-Right-with-Cas-Mudde-18-November
https://www.facebook.com/watch?ref=sharing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak72trjABdc

On Wednesday, 9 November Jadaliyya co-editor Mouin Rabbani spoke with Alison Glick and Nora Lester Murad about the challenges and rewards of narrating personal experience and political realities in Palestine. This episode of Connections examines the personal and political journeys they undertook, and the impact it has had on their writing and activism.

Guests

Alison Glick is a writer and activist based in Philadelphia. She previously lived in an Israeli kibbutz and a town near Haifa for nine months, an experience that opened her eyes to the realities for Palestinians living under Israeli control. After studying Middle East History at Temple University, Alison lived in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Yarmouk Camp in Syria for six years, working as a teacher, human rights researcher, and freelance writer. Her first novel, The Other End of the Sea, was published this month by Interlink Books. Her writing has appeared in the Arab Studies Quarterly, Mondoweiss, and other publications. 

Nora Lester Murad is a scholar/practitioner/activist who writes about international aid, community philanthropy, and life under military occupation at www.noralestermurad.com. She teaches a critical approach to international humanitarian action at Fordham University. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, Aljazeera.net, Open Democracy, Mondoweiss, and various academic and professional publications. She co-authored Rest in My Shade: A Poem About Roots, and is the editor of I Found Myself in Palestine, both published by Interlink Books. Her tween novel set in Jerusalem is forthcoming in 2022.

Host

Mouin Rabbani has published and commented widely on Palestinian affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He was previously Senior Analyst Middle East and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, and head of political affairs with the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. He is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine. 

https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/43524/Connections-Episode-22-Narrations-of-Palestine-with-Alison-Glick-and-Nora-Lester-Murad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf_HNJmFwHw
https://www.facebook.com/Jadaliyya/videos/626381795033905/

On Friday, 5 November, Jadaliyya co-editor Mouin Rabbani spoke with Raja Shehadeh about Israel’s campaign to criminalize Palestinian human defenders and civic organizations. This episode of Connections examines the context and implications of Israel’s latest initiatives, and assess efforts to counter them.

Connections offers timely and informative interviews on current events and broader policy questions, as well as themes relevant to knowledge production. It combines journalism, analysis, and scholarship. 

Guest

Raja Shehadeh is a Palestinian human rights activist and author. He is a founding member of Al-Haq, the West Bank affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists and one of the organizations the Israeli government recently designated as a terrorist organization. His books include Occupier’s Law: Israel and the West Bank (1985); Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape (2007), which was awarded the 2008 Orwell Prize; Where the Line is Drawn: A Tale of Crossings, Friendships, and Fifty Years of Occupation in Israel-Palestine (2017), a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week; and We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I (forthcoming).

Host

Mouin Rabbani has published and commented widely on Palestinian affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He was previously Senior Analyst Middle East and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, and head of political affairs with the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. He is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine.

https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/43507/Connections-Episode-21-Terrorizing-Human-Rights-with-Raja-Shehadeh-Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7NzdvC1z9c
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=1002064493691371

Join us on Wednesday, 2 November for a conversation between Jadaliyya co-editor Mouin Rabbani and Zachary Foster on The Invention of Palestine. This episode of Connections will examine how and why the terms “Palestine” and “Palestinian” came to be contested, and measure various claims in this regard against the historical record.

Connections offers timely and informative interviews on current events and broader policy questions, as well as themes relevant to knowledge production. It combines journalism, analysis, and scholarship. 

Guest

Zachary Foster earned his Ph.D in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton. His dissertation is entitled, "The Invention of Palestine". He is a Director of Product at academia.edu. 

Host

Mouin Rabbani has published and commented widely on Palestinian affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He was previously Senior Analyst Middle East and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, and head of political affairs with the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. He is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine.

https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/43470/Connections-Episode-20-The-Invention-of-Palestine-with-Zachary-Foster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S1Tv582t4I
https://fb.watch/94kvtd_hRb/

On Wednesday, 27 October, Jadaliyya co-editor Mouin Rabbani spoke with Khalid Mustafa Medani on the coup in Sudan. This special episode of Connections discusses the latest developments in Sudan and examines the context and consequences of the recent coup in the country.

Connections offers timely and informative interviews on current events and broader policy questions, as well as themes relevant to knowledge production. It combines journalism, analysis, and scholarship.

Guest

Dr. Khalid Mustafa Medani is Associate Professor of Political Science and Islamic Studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. His research focuses on the political economy of Islamic and Ethnic Politics in Africa and the Middle East. He is the author of Black Markets and Militants: Informal Networks in the Middle East and Africa(Cambridge University Press, 2021) and is presently completing a manuscript on the causes and consequences of Sudan’s 2018 popular uprising. Dr. Medani has published extensively on civil conflict with a special focus on the armed conflicts in Sudan and Somalia. 

Host

Mouin Rabbani has published and commented widely on Palestinian affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He was previously Senior Analyst Middle East and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, and head of political affairs with the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. He is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine.

https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/43467/Connections-Episode-19-Special-Episode-The-Coup-in-Sudan-with-Khalid-Medani-Video
https://fb.watch/8VKC8eBDGo/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFVC2A9Dc98

On Wednesday, 13 October  Jadaliyya co-editor Mouin Rabbani and Ali Vaez converse about Iran after the June 2021 elections. This episode of Connections will examine Iran’s domestic politics, its regional and international policies, and the fate of the nuclear agreement. 

Connections offers timely and informative interviews on current events and broader policy questions, as well as themes relevant to knowledge production. It combines journalism, analysis, and scholarship.

Guest

Ali Vaez is Iran Project Director and Senior Adviser to the President at Crisis Group. He led Crisis Group’s efforts in helping to bridge the gaps between Iran and the P5+1 that led to the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. Previously, he served as a Senior Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and was the Iran Project Director at the Federation of American Scientists. Trained as a scientist, Vaez has written widely on Iranian affairs and is a regular contributor to mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Foreign Affairs. He is a frequent guest on CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera and NPR.

Host

Mouin Rabbani has published and commented widely on Palestinian affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He was previously Senior Analyst Middle East and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, and head of political affairs with the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. He is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine.

https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/43406/Connections-Episode-18-Iran-Domestic-and-Foreign-Affairs-13-October
https://fb.watch/8Df322DN6s/
https://youtu.be/Kh2Eaaqbths

On Tuesday, 5 October, Jadaliyya co-editor Mouin Rabbani spoke with Nabih Bulos, Middle East Bureau Chief of the Los Angeles Times about a decade of upheaval in the Middle East and the response of its peoples. This episode of Connections examines the various dynamics and impact of revolution, war, and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa. 
Guest

Nabih Bulos is the Middle East bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times. Since 2012 he has covered war, revolution, and upheaval throughout the region, including the expansion of the Islamic State movement and the campaign to defeat it. His work has taken him to Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region, as well as on the migrant trail through the Balkans and Europe. A Fulbright scholar, Bulos is also a concert violinist who has performed with Daniel Barenboim, Valery Gergiev, and Bono.

Host

Mouin Rabbani has published and commented widely on Palestinian affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He was previously Senior Analyst Middle East and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, and head of political affairs with the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. He is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine.

https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/43401/Connections-Episode-17-A-Decade-of-Upheaval-with-Nabih-Bulos-Video
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=623748735290195
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9i-Iqo-NnU

On Tuesday, 21 September Jadaliyya co-editor Mouin Rabbani spoke with Helen Lackner about the war on Yemen and prospects for peace. This episode of Connections examines the multiple dimensions of the Yemen conflict and the agendas of the main powers involved.

Guest

Helen Lackner is a leading authority on Yemen who has been conducting research and writing about Yemeni politics and society since the 1970s. A former resident of the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, the Yemen Arab Republic, and the Republic of Yemen, her most recent books are Yemen in Crisis: The Road to War (Verso 2019), and Yemen, Poverty and Conflict (forthcoming). A regular contributor to Open Democracy, Arab Digest, Oxford Analytica, Orient XXI, and others, she is currently Research Associate at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Visiting Fellow at the European Council for Foreign Relations (ECFR), and Associate at the Transnational Institute (TNI).

Host

Mouin Rabbani has published and commented widely on Palestinian affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He was previously Senior Analyst Middle East and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, and head of political affairs with the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. He is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine.

https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/43359/Connections-Episode-16-Whither-Yemen-with-Helen-Lackner-Video
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1293477817748976&ref=watch_permalink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mc9kV6KRas

On Tuesday, 14 September Jadaliyya co-editor Mouin Rabbani spoke with Lisa Hajjar on the post-2001 US torture program and its living legacies. This episode of Connections examines the development and impact of the US torture program in the context of two decades of the “War on Terror”.   

Guest

Lisa Hajjar is a professor of sociology at the University of California – Santa Barbara. Her work focuses mainly on issues relating to law and conflict, including military courts and occupations, torture, targeted killing, war crimes, and human rights. Her publications include Courting Conflict: The Israeli Military Court System in the West Bank and Gaza (University of California Press, 2005) and Torture: A Sociology of Violence and Human Rights (Routledge 2013). Her new book, The War in Court: The Inside Story of the Fight against US Torture in the “War on Terror,” will be published by the University of California Press. She is a founding co-editor of Jadaliyya and a member of the editorial committee of Middle East Report.

Host

Mouin Rabbani has published and commented widely on Palestinian affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He was previously Senior Analyst Middle East and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, and head of political affairs with the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. He is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine.

https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/43339/Connections-Episode-15-The-Lasting-Legacies-of-US-Torture
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=351982036660042&ref=watch_permalink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk810wt_-sI