"The Afghan conflict has never been totally, or even primarily rooted in domestic factors”. For this special episode of the MENA Talks Podcast, our host Shada Islam, BIC’s Senior Commentator on Geopolitics, is joined by Jawed Ludin, President of Heart of Asia Society and former Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, to discuss regional and geopolitical implications of the current crisis in Afghanistan. 

From internal dynamics of this new phase under the Taliban rule to the different roles that the international community should take, Shada and Jawed promote a deep understanding of events on the ground, with a focus on the way ahead for the country and the region. How should stakeholders in the region engage with the Taliban? How to promote inclusive policies within the new government ? Is there a role for the EU in Afghanistan's future?

This  episode of the MENA Talks podcast explores some of the security concerns that national and international aid workers in Yemen are confronted with on a daily basis. Our host Elisa Chery is joined by Jean-Nicolas Beuze, the Yemen Representative for the UNHCR, who gives an overview to some of the logistical, legal, and cultural hurdles aid workers face to remain fully operational throughout the country. 

Other topics include the role of the United Nations, and it’s local partners in delivering aid, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resource restrictions that Yemen is experiencing.

Y a-t-il réellement une volonté d'intersectionnaliser les lutte féministes en Tunisie? Comment expliquer l'invisibilisation des femmes noires au sein du mouvement féministe tunisien? Dans ce podcast, Yasmine Akrimi discute de la place de la question raciale, et donc de l'antiracisme, au sein des mouvements féministes tunisiens pré et post 2011 avec la militante antiraciste Saadia Mosbah.

 Saadia Mosbah: Figure de l'antiracisme en Tunisie et fondatrice de l'association M'nemty 

On the current status of Nile diplomacy, the increase in bilateral tensions, and the growing challenge of water scarcity in the face of global climate change, the BIC's Political Analyst, Ben Lowings, is joined by Mirette Mabrouk, Senior Fellow and Director of the Egypt program at the Middle East Institute, to discuss the latest regarding Ethiopia's controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Is there hope for a compromise between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, and is there sufficient political will to see such a compromise through?

Hosted by Elisa Chery, BIC Middle East Analyst - Interview with  Amb. Marc Otte, BIC President.

This episode of the MENA Talks will explore the upcoming elections in the Middle East, particularly within Iran and Syria. These elections have geopolitical consequences and could alter the power dynamics in the region. What could new leadership in Iran mean for actors like the European Union and the United States? With ongoing political violence, this episode will also bring light to the situation in Gaza – Israel/Palestine.

Interview by Yasmine Akrimi, BIC’s North Africa Analyst, with  Soumaya Mestiri, Professeure de philosophie politique et sociale.

 Au vu de la visibilité croissante de nouvelles luttes au sein des mouvements sociaux récents en Tunisie, la question de la légitimité de certaines revendications identitaires perçues comme "superflues", "importées" et ne relevant pas du consensus social ne cesse de se poser. Dans cette épisode, nous discutons des possibilités, ou pas, d'une "convergence des luttes" en Tunisie avec la féministe décoloniale Soumaya Mestiri. 

On new governments, corruption allegations and the push for elections, the BIC's Political Analyst, Ben Lowings, is joined by Lorenzo Marinone (Researcher - EFD)  to discuss developments in Libya. What are some of the initial challenges for interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and how can the international community help?