We’re joined by Sam Dagher for Episode 12 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss his career in journalism and what brought him to the world of storytelling.

Sam was the only non-Syrian journalist reporting from Damascus between 2012-2014, and was later arrested and forced out of the country for his criticism of the Assad regime. His recent book titled ’Assad or We Burn the Country’ documents his time covering the Syrian rebellion in the midst of the Arab Spring, and the ruling family’s determination to hold onto power.

Sam has written for The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. His writings - in addition to a link for book purchasing - can be found on his website:

https://samdagherjournalist.com

Sam has also covered Syria’s relationship to Lebanon and the aftermath of America’s invasion and occupation of Iraq. He previously worked as a financial investor turned reporter in Russia and Eastern Europe, covering regional readjustment to post-communist rule. Our conversation explores all these topics and more.

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Music by Marc Codsi . Graphics by Sara Tarhini .