Ömer Taşpınar is a Professor at the National Defense University and Johns Hopkins SAIS in Washington, D.C. He is a scholar, author, and policy expert specializing in Middle East politics, U.S. foreign policy, and Turkish affairs. His research focuses on the intersection of political economy, nationalism, and security in the Middle East, with a particular emphasis on Turkey.

In episode 47 of Tahrir Podcast, we discuss his book "What the West is Getting Wrong about the Middle East: Why Islam is Not the Problem" (I.B. Tauris, 2020), where he challenges prevailing Western narratives about the region by highlighting weak states, economic underdevelopment, and authoritarianism—rather than religion—as the primary drivers of instability and extremism. The book delves into the historical and structural factors that have shaped the modern Middle East, arguing that Western policies often misdiagnose the region’s problems by overemphasizing Islam’s role. Taşpınar explores how economic stagnation, political repression, and weak governance fuel radicalization, while also critiquing Western interventions that have exacerbated these issues. Through a comparative analysis, he provides a nuanced perspective on why sustainable stability in the region requires addressing these root causes rather than relying on simplistic cultural or religious explanations.

Episode on YouTube:

Omer's book: ⁠ https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/what-the-west-is-getting-wrong-about-the-middle-east-9780755655069/

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John Lechner is a writer and researcher specializing in security issues in Central Africa, the Sahel, Turkey, Russia, and the former Soviet Union. Fluent in Russian and several other languages, he has spent years analyzing Russia’s growing influence in Africa and its global military networks.

In episode 46 of Tahrir Podcast, we discussed his book, "Death Is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare," (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2025) which explores Wagner’s origins and its evolution into a key tool of Russian power projection. Lechner challenges the prevailing narrative that Wagner operates purely as a Kremlin proxy, offering a detailed analysis of its structure, motivations, and impact on global warfare. Through extensive fieldwork and exclusive interviews, he sheds light on the mercenary group’s role in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and Africa, revealing how it has shaped conflicts and influenced state-building efforts.

The book also delves into the personal and political dynamics within Wagner, examining the group’s financial incentives, ideological leanings, and its often-uneasy relationship with the Russian state. Lechner provides critical insights into the blurred lines between state and private military actors, the future of mercenary warfare, and what this means for global security.

Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/J3pStvWHKTk

John's book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/death-is-our-business-9781639733361/

John's website: https://www.johnlechnerauthor.com/

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Support us on Patreon for as low as $2 per month ($20 per year)! https://www.patreon.com/TahrirPodcast

Tahrir Podcast turns 4!

In episode 45, we celebrate this milestone by flipping the script—our host, Abdalla Nasef takes the guest seat as Gabriel Gluskin-Braun interviews him about the journey of the podcast.

Since its first episode in 2021, Tahrir Podcast - بودكاست التحرير has featured 44 conversations with academics, activists, journalists, and political analysts, covering Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen, the Gulf, Iran, and more. It has explored everything from geopolitics and social movements to censorship and current events.

What started as an independent project with just a microphone and a computer has grown into one of the top-ranked Middle East podcasts, reaching tens of thousands of listeners worldwide. It remains one of the few independent media sources in Egypt and the first explicitly political podcast broadcasting from the country.

In this episode, Nasef reflects on the podcast’s journey, and what’s next.

Now streaming everywhere.

Rusha Latif is an Egyptian-American researcher and author based in the San Fransisco Bay Area.

In episode 44 of Tahrir Podcast, we discussed her book, “Tahrir's Youth: Leaders of a Leaderless Revolution,” (American University in Cairo Press, 2022) which explores the role of the Revolutionary Youth Coalition (RYC) in the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Rusha challenges the prevailing narrative that the revolution was spontaneous and leaderless, offering a compelling ethnographic study that highlights the organizational strategies and leadership dynamics within the RYC. The book delves into the personal and political stories of key youth leaders, examining how their diverse backgrounds and shared commitment shaped the revolutionary movement in Tahrir Square. Through their experiences, Latif provides critical insights into the potential of horizontal leadership and participatory democracy in revolutionary organizing. Tahrir’s Youth not only preserves the voices of Egypt's youth revolutionaries but also offers lessons for future movements around the world, especially in understanding the complexities of leadership and the limits of grassroots mobilization.

Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tOBCbOXe7m0

Rusha's book: https://aucpress.com/9781649030207/

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جابر بكر كاتب وروائي وصانع أفلام وسجين سياسي سوري سابق.في الحلقة ال٤٣ من بودكاست التحرير و الثالثة باللغة العربية، انضم جابر بكر لمناقشة كتابه، "الجولاج السوري: سجون الأسد 1970 - 2020" متناولًا منظومة سجون الأسد والقمع في سوريا عبر الوقت وأفكار أخري في حلقة شديدة التعمق. YouTube - يوتيوب: http://youtu.be/9AxHoCstWRg

رابط الكتاب: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/syrian-gulag-9780755650224/

Special thanks to Gabe Gluskin-Braun for helping out with the episode.

Streaming everywhere! https://linktr.ee/TahrirPodcast - يمكنكم الاستماع على جميع المنصات!Reach out! [email protected] Support us on Patreon for as low as $2 per month ($20 per year)! https://www.patreon.com/TahrirPodcast

Anita R. Gohdes is a Professor of International and Cyber Security at the Hertie School in Berlin.

In episode 42 of Tahrir Podcast, we discussed her most recent book, “Repression in the Digital Age: Surveillance, Censorship, and the Dynamics of State Violence,” (Oxford University Press 2023) which theoretically and empirically investigates how governments use cyber controls to support their strategies of violent repression. The book received the 2024 Goldsmith Book Prize, awarded by the Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy.

Episode on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=NkF-B9hceXY

Anita's book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/repression-in-the-digital-age-9780197772614

Streaming everywhere! https://linktr.ee/TahrirPodcast

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Jerome Drevon is a Senior Analyst in Jihad and Modern Conflict at the International Crisis Group, where he undertakes research and analysis on Islamist militancy across regions.

In episode 41 of Tahrir Podcast, we discussed his most recent book, “From Jihad to Politics: How Syrian Jihadis Embraced Politics,” (Oxford University Press 2024) which looks at why and how jihadis were able to take over the Syrian armed opposition, as well as why these very groups ultimately rejected domination by al-Qaeda (AQ) and the Islamic State (IS) and embraced a different action plan. The book builds on years of impressive field research, including multiple trips to northwest Syria, and interviews with the main leaders of the armed opposition, especially Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra/Nusra Front–now called Hayatt Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), including an interview with Abu Muhammad al-Jolani.

Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dS5ZLqDFJfw

Drevon's book (open access): https://t.co/uK4JfaAUVn

Streaming everywhere! https://linktr.ee/TahrirPodcast

Reach out! [email protected]

Support us on Patreon for as low as $2 per month ($20 per year)! https://www.patreon.com/TahrirPodcast