“I can’t watch a guy plugged up to an IV burned alive.” 

Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of America’s most celebrated writers. His latest book, The Message, took him to Senegal, South Carolina and Israel-Palestine. 

The book has been both praised and slammed for calling out Israeli apartheid. Coates joined us to reflect on the backlash, but also takes his time to offer a deeper perspective on the Gaza genocide, the US elections, and his journey as a writer. 

This follows the extensive media coverage the book received following a CBS interview where Coates was accused by programme host Tony Dokoupil of "extremist" views in his writing about Palestinians. 

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“The relationship with Israel is in a different league entirely” 

In light of Israel’s multi-front war in the region, including Gaza, Lebanon, and the escalation with Iran, how can we understand the US-Israel ‘special relationship’? 

And where does the pro-Israel lobby in the US fit inside this framework? 

That’s what we’re asking Harvard professor Stephen Walt, who joined us for an extended conversation on Real Talk. 

Walt is considered one of the most influential US foreign policy experts. In 2007, he famously co-authored a book with John Mearsheimer titled ‘The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy’ which generated a lot of attention and controversy for challenging what has been a taboo topic in the US for decades.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“It happens because of years of anti-Muslim, anti-migrant hatred.” 

It’s been several months since Humza Yousaf stepped down in May 2024. Now, the Scottish former First Minister, who in 2023 became the first Muslim leader of a western democracy, is sounding the alarm. 

In one of the longest interviews he’s given since resigning, Yousaf warns of rising Islamophobia in UK politics, the far right threat, and he delves into his online feud with Elon Musk. 

So we sat down in his family home in Dundee, Scotland to talk about it. 

Recorded: 17 September 2024 

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“I now rage that my government is behaving the way it’s behaving.” 

As Israel’s war on Gaza, and now Lebanon, continues with no end in sight, we’re delving into why America’s Gaza policy failed. 

Today on Real Talk, we’re joined by Matt Duss, former foreign policy adviser to Bernie Sanders and the executive vice president at the Center for International Policy. 

We discuss how President Joe Biden’s red lines in Gaza were repeatedly crossed by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, rising voter anger toward Democrats and what all this means for Kamala Harris in the upcoming US elections.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

‘They're not ready for the storm that's happening... The average Joe has Twitter and is seeing what's going on [in Gaza].’

On Real Talk, we sat down with investigative journalist Matt Kennard to discuss his latest book, The Racket.

In this conversation, Kennard dives deep into US hegemony and foreign policy, especially in light of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza. He also unpacks the broader implications of US imperialism, the upcoming US elections, and why he believes Gaza has "exposed the US empire like never before".

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

Today on Real Talk, we speak to Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and author, about the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in the US elections.

We delve into why he believes we are “at the end of empire”, whether Trump or Harris would have different Gaza policies, the rise of Christian nationalism in the US, and his thoughts on Joe Biden’s presidential legacy.

Recorded: 29 July 2024

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“Israel should be treated as a pariah state,” argues Francesca Albanese.

In this Real Talk interview, we speak with Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, about the reported abuses inside Israel’s Sde Teiman prison and delve into whether the UN is doing enough to ensure Israel’s compliance with international law. 

We also asked her about the personal attacks levelled against her and whether they could impact her standing within the UN.

Recorded: 7 August 2024 

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

Recorded: 24 April 2024 

‘The solidarity with Israel has never been stronger’ 

Voting has begun in the world’s biggest election in India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third five-year term. 

Indian journalist and author Rana Ayyub joined us on Real Talk to speak on Modi’s anti-Muslim rhetoric, India’s elections, and its current relationship with Israel.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

Recorded: 28 January 2024 

Alana Hadid belongs to one of the most recognisable Palestinian families in the world. So when she sat down with us on Real Talk, we tried to unpack the pressures that come with that. 

In our conversation with Hadid, we spoke about Gaza and how she was impacted by the last few months. We also spoke about her activism, her views on how Gaza may influence the upcoming US elections, and a closer look at the forced expulsion of her Palestinian father and grandparents from their home during the Nakba of 1948. 

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

Recorded: 12 March 2024

Our guest in this episode is US independent presidential candidate Cornel West, and we ask him why he called Joe Biden a “war criminal”. 

He also explains why he feels Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a “gangster”, why Biden’s Gaza policy makes him a “hypocrite” and how Arab-American voters will turn their backs on him.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm