Security in Context

NOTE: This episode is an audio version of our video series "An Interview with Eliana Sousa Silva" that was presented in five episodes from October 2, 2026 to October 3, 2026. This audio content is also presented in the Portuguese language. Click here to watch the original videos⁠.⁠⁠

The statements made and opinions expressed in this publication are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Security in Context network, its partner organizations, or its funders.

Security in Context presents an interview with Eliana Sousa Silva ahead of the 2026 Brazil General Elections.

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NOTE: This episode is an audio version of our video “Arang Keshavarzian: Space and Regionalism in the Persian Gulf” from June 15, 2026. ⁠⁠⁠Click here to watch the original video⁠.⁠

The statements made and opinions expressed in this publication are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Security in Context network, its partner organizations, or its funders.

In this episode, Professor Arang Keshavarzian discusses the historical context of contemporary issues in the Persian Gulf.

This episode is the sixth in a series that aims to educate the public about the history, past and present, of the US relationship with the Middle East from different perspectives. This lecture series is part of a broader research initiative "Rethinking US Middle East Policy: Past, Present, and Prospects", a collaboration between Security in Context and the Arab Studies Institute.

Arang Keshavarzian is a professor at New York University. His fields of research and teaching are comparative politics of the Middle East with a focus on issues related to political economy, contentious politics, spatialization of politics. Much of his research and writing focuses on modern Iran and the Persian Gulf.

His 2024 book, "Making Space For the Gulf: Histories of Regionalism and the Middle East," reveals how for over a century capitalism, empire-building, geopolitics, and urbanism have conditioned and been shaped by different understandings of the Persian Gulf as a region. From this vantage point the Gulf comes into view as a mutable, unbounded space and a dynamic assemblage of social relations, rather than a fixed object, timeless national territory, or civilizational boundary. His approach reveals how the Gulf has been globalized through transnational relations, regionalized as a geopolitical category, and cleaved along myriad national divisions and enduring inequalities.

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NOTE: This episode is an audio version of our video “Negar Razavi: The Geopolitics of Expertise and the US Israeli War on Iran and Lebanon” from June 8, 2026. ⁠⁠Click here to watch the original video⁠.⁠

The statements made and opinions expressed in this publication are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Security in Context network, its partner organizations, or its funders.

In this episode, Dr. Negar Razavi discusses the geopolitical issues in association with Israel and the United States' conflict with Iran and Lebanon.

This episode is the fifth in a series that aims to educate the public about the history, past and present, of the US relationship with the Middle East from different perspectives. This lecture series is part of a broader research initiative "Rethinking US Middle East Policy: Past, Present, and Prospects", a collaboration between Security in Context and the Arab Studies Institute.

Dr. Negar Razavi is a Senior Researcher at Security in Context and a political anthropologist at the MRC, where she is working on her first book on the role of think tank experts in shaping U.S. security policies toward the Middle East generally and Iran specifically. Broadly, Razavi’s work sits at the intersections of critical security studies, anthropology, gender studies, human rights, and global Middle East studies. Razavi has published her research in Social Text, Political and Legal Anthropology Review (PoLAR), Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, and Critical Studies on Security. As a publicly-engaged scholar, she has also shared her findings in Security in Context, Jadaliyya, the Iran Podcast, the Message, GenderAvenger, and the Middle East Report.

For more please visit ⁠www.securityincontext.org⁠ or follow us on X ⁠@SecurityContext

NOTE: This episode is an audio version of our video “Toby Craig Jones: US Empire and the Middle East” from June 1, 2026. ⁠⁠Click here to watch the original video⁠.⁠

The statements made and opinions expressed in this publication are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Security in Context network, its partner organizations, or its funders.

This episode features historian Toby Craig Jones discussing the historical context of the current Iran conflict and the ongoing events in the Persian Gulf as it pertains to both the Middle East and the United States.

This episode is the fourth in a series that aims to educate the public about the history, past and present, of the US relationship with the Middle East from different perspectives. This lecture series is part of a broader research initiative "Rethinking US Middle East Policy: Past, Present, and Prospects", a collaboration between Security in Context and the Arab Studies Institute.

Toby Craig Jones is associate professor of history at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. He teaches courses on global environmental history, energy, and the modern Middle East. During 2008-2009 he was a fellow at Princeton University's Oil, Energy, and the Middle East project. From 2004 to early 2006 Jones worked as the Persian Gulf political analyst for the International Crisis Group. His research interests focus on the environment, energy, and the history of science and technology. He is the author of Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia (Harvard University Press, 2010), Running Dry: Essays on Energy, Water and Environmental Crisis (Rutgers University Press, 2015), and is currently working America's Oil Wars (under contract at Harvard University Press). He has written for the International Journal of Middle East Studies, Journal of American History, Middle East Report, Raritan Quarterly Review, The Nation, The Atlantic, the London Review of Books, the New York Times, and elsewhere. In 2015 Jones was recognized as a Rutgers Chancellor’s Scholar for distinguished scholarship.

For more please visit ⁠www.securityincontext.org⁠ or follow us on X ⁠@SecurityContext

NOTE: This episode is an audio version of our video “Melani McAlister: US Christians & The Middle East” from May 25, 2026. ⁠⁠Click here to watch the original video⁠.⁠

The statements made and opinions expressed in this publication are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Security in Context network, its partner organizations, or its funders.

In this episode, Melani McAlister analyzes US Christians and their connection to the Middle East, particularly to Israel and Zionism.

This episode is the third in a series that aims to educate the public about the history, past and present, of the US relationship with the Middle East from different perspectives. This lecture series is part of a broader research initiative "Rethinking US Middle East Policy: Past, Present, and Prospects", a collaboration between Security in Context and the Arab Studies Institute.

Melani McAlister is Professor of American Studies and International Affairs at the George Washington University. She is the author of The Kingdom of God Has No Borders: A Global History of American Evangelicals (2018) and Epic Encounters: Culture, Media, and US Interests in the Middle East since 1945 (2001).

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NOTE: This episode is an audio version of our video “Aaron Berman: Abraham Rihbany, Amin Rihany, and America's Arab Nationalists” from May 19, 2026. ⁠Click here to watch the original video⁠.

The statements made and opinions expressed in this publication are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Security in Context network, its partner organizations, or its funders.

In this episode, Aaron Berman discusses the historical context of his book "America's Arab Nationalists: From the Ottoman Revolution to the Rise of Hitler."

This episode is the second in a series that aims to educate the public about the history, past and present, of the US relationship with the Middle East from different perspectives. This lecture series is part of a broader research initiative "Rethinking US Middle East Policy: Past, Present, and Prospects", a collaboration between Security in Context and the Arab Studies Institute.

Aaron Berman is Professor Emeritus of History at Hampshire College. He received his doctorate in American History from Columbia University. His first book, Nazism, the Jews and American Zionism explained how American Jewry’s understanding of their own history shaped the Zionist response to the extermination of European Jewry. His research interests center on the history of nationalism (particularly Arab and Jewish nationalisms) and internationalism. For eleven years he served as Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Hampshire College.

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NOTE: This episode is an audio version of our video “Understanding Iran's Grand Strategy: A discussion with Vali Nasr” from May 11, 2026. ⁠⁠Click here to watch the original video⁠.⁠

The statements made and opinions expressed in this publication are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Security in Context network, its partner organizations, or its funders.

This episode features analyst Mouin Rabbani discussing the historical context of US, Israel, and Palestine relations.

This episode is the first in a series that aims to educate the public about the history, past and present, of the US relationship with the Middle East from different perspectives. This lecture series is part of a broader research initiative "Rethinking US Middle East Policy: Past, Present, and Prospects", a collaboration between Security in Context and the Arab Studies Institute.

Mouin Rabbani is a co-editor of Jadaliyya, where he also hosts the Connections podcast and edits its Quick Thoughts feature. He is also the managing editor and associate editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development and a contributing editor of Middle East Report. In addition, Rabbani is a nonresident fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS) and at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN).

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NOTE: This episode is an audio version of our video interview “Understanding Iran's Grand Strategy: A discussion with Vali Nasr” from July 15, 2025. ⁠Click here to watch the original video⁠.

The statements made and opinions expressed in this publication are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Security in Context network, its partner organizations, or its funders.

Security in Context Senior Researcher Negar Razavi interviews Vali Nasr about his new book, "Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History."

Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He served as the eighth Dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS between 2012 and 2019 and served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke between 2009 and 2011.

Nasr is the author of "Iran's Grand Strategy" alongside other books, including "The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat"; "Forces of Fortune: The Rise of a New Middle Class and How it Will Change Our World" and "How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare."

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NOTE: This episode is an audio version of our video interview “India-Pakistan Tensions and the Indus Waters Treaty: An Interview with Daanish Mustafa” from Jun 20, 2025. ⁠Click here to watch the original video⁠.

The statements made and opinions expressed in this publication are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Security in Context network, its partner organizations, or its funders.

Security in Context's Anita Fuentes interviews Daanish Mustafa on the recent India-Pakistan crisis.

Professor Daanish Mustafa obtained his BA in Geography from Middlebury College, USA, his MA from University of Hawai'i Manoa, and his PhD in Geography from University of Colorado. He has taught at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and then at the University of South Florida, St Petersburg, before finding his intellectual home in the Department of Geography. While at King's, he has received the School of Social Science and Public Policy excellence in teaching award.

His research has been funded by the Belmont Forum, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Department for International Development (DfID), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), National Geographic Society, Royal Geographical Society, and the British Academy. Daanish was the co-author of the first climate change response strategies for Pakistan, in addition to being the lead author for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Pakistan five-year flood response strategy. In addition, he has also undertaken policy-related work with the DfID, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Stimson Centre, and United States Institute for Peace (USIP).

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NOTE: This episode is an audio version of our video interview “Kenya, the United States, and the War on Terror: An Interview with Samar Al-Bulushi” from May 22, 2025. ⁠Click here to watch the original video⁠.

The statements made and opinions expressed in this publication are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Security in Context network, its partner organizations, or its funders.

Security in Context's Anita Fuentes interviews Samar Al-Bulushi about her book, "War-Making as Worldmaking: Kenya, the United States, and the War on Terror."

Samar Al-Bulushi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at UC Irvine. She obtained her PhD in Anthropology at Yale and her MA in International Affairs at Columbia University. Prior to obtaining her PhD, she spent ten years working in the field of international human rights with the Center for Economic and Social Rights, Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), and the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ). She is currently a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in Washington, D.C., and previously served as contributing editor for Africa is a Country.

Al-Bulushi’s research is broadly concerned with militarism and geopolitics.  Her book, War-Making as World-Making: Kenya, the United States, and the War on Terror (forthcoming with Stanford University Press), argues that Kenya has emerged as a key player in the post 9/11 era of endless war. Her next project, The Afterlives of Non-Alignment, explores how Africans re-engage with the concept of non-alignment in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While contemporary invocations of non-alignment are not necessarily grounded in a commitment to anti-imperialism, memories of European colonialism loom large, as do memories of the Soviet Union’s support for African independence struggles. This project aims to shed ethnographic light on how asymmetrical yet shifting global power relations are interpreted and contested, shaped simultaneously by colonial legacies of exploitation and inequality, by affective discourses that invoke memories of these legacies, and by everyday forms of geopolitical knowledge.

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