The author of the Al-Monitor Gulf newsletter, Francesco Schiavi, joins host Adam Lucente to discuss the latest events in Yemen. They cover the momentum shift in the conflict between the government and the Southern Transitional Council, whether the UAE will be able to maintain its influence in Yemen and the strengthening Saudi posture toward the country. 

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Host Adam Lucente interviews a number of Al-Monitor journalists on the US removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as they dive into how the action could affect Hezbollah, Iran, the Gulf and the oil market.

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Host Adam Lucente interviews several correspondents and editors across the region about the major stories that defined 2025 in the Middle East. The team also looks at what may come in 2026, with protests in Iran, UAE-Saudi tensions in Yemen, the fight against ISIS and a number of other situations heating up as the new year approaches.

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Al-Monitor’s business correspondents, Sam Wendel and Jack Dutton, join host Adam Lucente to discuss how the Middle East economy fared in 2025, including rising competition over AI, why startups raised more money, the prospects for a return to normalcy in global shipping and a number of energy developments.

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Al-Monitor’s correspondent in Ankara, Ezgi Akin, joins host Adam Lucente to discuss Turkey’s 2025, including progression in peace talks with Kurdish groups, domestic challenges to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, questions about the Turkish position toward Syria and geopolitical competition in the Eastern Mediterranean.

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Al-Monitor contributor Danny Makki joins host Adam Lucente from Damascus to discuss the US' repeal of the Caesar Act, a law which placed a number of sanctions on Syria over the deposed Assad’s regime conduct in the civil war. Makki describes the optimism in the Syrian business community following the vote, the remaining challenges on the country’s road to recovery, and whether the new government will be able to meet the Trump administration’s political and security expectations. 

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Al-Monitor’s newsletter and content editor, Gabrielle Debinski, joins host Adam Lucente to offer takeaways from the Hanukkah attack in Australia, including the domestic debate over how to tackle rising antisemitism, the deterioration of Israel-Australia ties, and ISIS’ history of attacks in the country.

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Al-Monitor’s Israel Pulse columnist, Ben Caspit, joins host Adam Lucente to preview the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They cover Israel’s options after determining the damage done to Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities during the June war was not as extensive as previously thought; the disagreements between Israel and the US over Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria; the options facing Hamas short of a full disarmament; and why Israel is up in arms over the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and Saudi Arabia. 

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Al-Monitor’s chief business correspondent, Jack Dutton, joins host Adam Lucente to discuss Gulf sovereign funds’ participation in Paramount Skydance Corporation’s bid to complete a hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. They cover why regional entities view US entertainment as a strong investment; whether the move indicates strategic cooperation between Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE; and how US President Donald Trump’s national security strategy could influence the outcome.

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Al-Monitor host Adam Lucente interviews a number of Al-Monitor journalists on US President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting the Muslim Brotherhood, covering how affiliates in Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Egypt will be affected; how divisions within the Trump administration influenced the decision; and how regional states view the move.

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