Amberin Zaman speaks this week to Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir, a Turkish academic, about the current status of the Haghia Sophia, the 6th century Byzantine cathedral that was converted from a museum to a full service mosque close to a year ago provoking harsh reactions worldwide. Has the structure been damaged? What further “conquests” does Erdogan have in mind as he pushes ahead with his ambitious campaign to supplant modern Turkey’s father Kemal Ataturk as the “greatest” and most consequential leader since the founding of the Republic in 1923?

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Fyodor Lukyanov, Chairman of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy in Moscow, discusses why Russia wants an agreement with the US on cyber security; why Russia does not expect the US to lift sanctions on Russia; how Russian and Iranian policies differ in Syria; why Syria and Iran are minor issues in US-Russia relations; how to understand Russian President Vladimir Putin’s relationships with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; and much more. 

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Raphael Cormack, visiting researcher at Columbia University, discusses his book, Midnight in Cairo; profiles the amazing women who shaped and dominated Egypt’s music, theater, film, and cabaret scene in the early 20th century against the backdrop of dramatic political and social change; describes the rivalry between Mounira al-Mahdiyya and Oum Kalthoum, the two most popular entertainers of their times; and more.

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Hana Salah, Al-Monitor columnist reporting from Gaza, discusses the impact of Israeli restrictions on Gaza’s reconstruction; the lack of clarity on the mechanism for international assistance; why people are flocking to Gaza’s polluted beaches; and how she managed her family life and professional responsibilities while reporting during the bombing.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden are scheduled to hold their first meeting since Biden took office on the sidelines of next week's NATO summit in Brussels. Turkey's growing ties with Russia, symbolized by its acquisition of S-400 missiles, has driven a wedge between Ankara and Washington that is threatening to grow ever wider. Can the two leaders reverse this downward spiral? Veteran journalist Asli Aydintasbas, who is a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, believes both leaders are aiming for damage control.

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Dr. Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, Director of the University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, explains what to expect, and not expect, from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to the region this week; why another eruption of political violence is likely, unless Israeli occupation policies are addressed; what’s next for US-Egypt relations; the limits of the Abraham Accords in helping facilitate an Israeli-Palestinian peace process; shifting opinions among Democrats on the US-Israel relationship; how support for Palestinians may be linked in part to social justice movements, such as Black Lives Matter; and how the US-Israel relationship keeps the US engaged in the region.

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Jon Alterman, senior vice president, Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy and director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discusses the escalation in violence in Israel and Gaza and its impact on Israeli and Palestinian politics; the prospects for US mediation to stop the fighting; US-Israel relations under the Biden Administration; US policy toward Iran and the region; China’s role in the Middle East; and more!

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Dr. Ebtesam Al-Ketbi, president of the Emirates Policy Center, discusses how the Abraham Accords could help provide context for tough concessions on the most controversial issues facing Israelis and Palestinians; UAE interests and expectations in dealing with regional security and Iran; why the UAE is well-placed to help mediate in the Horn of Africa; how the Gulf manages the US-China competition; and hew own journey as distinguished academic to founder of one of the region’s most influential and impactful think thanks.

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Hana Salah, Al-Monitor columnist based in Gaza, discusses the uptick in violence after the cancellation of Palestinian elections and skirmishes in Jerusalem; why Gaza youth feel hopeless about politics; the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and people’s lives; disappointment among Gazans over the Abraham accords; perceptions of Iran; and expectations regarding the Biden Administration’s policies in the region.

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Middle East scholar Arzu Yilmaz argues that Iran has made irreversible gains in Iraq allowing it to more or less dictate the limits of Turkish intervention in Iraq. Turkey is free to operate against the Kurdistan Workers Party in Iraqi Kurdistan but territories such as Sinjar that are disputed between Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurds are a red line.

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