The Beirut Banyan

0:00 Intro

1:16 Independence Day 2020

6:25 Back to 2008

14:50 Gradual Organization

21:00 Claim Power

27:16 Identity

36:34 Life Story

47:32 Phone

56:11 Weapons

1:12:03 Minteshreen

1:19:57 Freedom of Expression

1:27:50 'Bukra'

We're with Gino Raidy for Episode 228 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/3K30QInfQAQ

We discuss citizen journalism and political activism, and reflect on the current political paralysis and economic crisis engulfing Lebanon.

Our conversation includes grassroots civil engagement going back to 2008, newfound Lebanese identity, the powerful use of social media and a citizen-led fight to maintain freedom of expression.

We also talk about Minteshreen, Gino's personal commitment to Lebanon and his new online show, 'Bukra'.

Gino is a citizen journalist and political activist. Check out his website:

www.ginosblog.com

And subscribe to his new show 'Bukra' via the following link:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/inducing-bukra-43088101

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

0:00 Intro

2:22 Paralysis

11:01 Utter Incompetence

14:24 Waiting Game

17:13 Balance of Payments

22:35 Public & Private Debt

26:52 Banking Sector

34:18 Public Sector

42:11 Assistance without Reform

45:54 Threat of Violence

We're with Amer Bisat for Episode 227 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/tiMYIRS_BbM

We discuss his recent Carnegie / Dispatch piece 'The Tragedy of Doing Nothing' and the ongoing political and economic paralysis eroding Lebanese society.

Our conversation includes political class incompetence, nonchalance and a mismanaged hard landing collapsing the economy by stealth.

We also look at fears of political and economic breakdown resulting in inter-communal violence, and compare the current situation to previous factors that led to civil strife.

Amer is a senior fund manager at a global asset management company and a former senior economist at the International Monetary Fund.

The article referred to in this episode is linked below:

https://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/83012

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

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Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

0:00 Intro

1:47 Taboo

4:57 Tipping Point

8:18 Hotline

16:16 Taking Time

19:30 Escape

21:36 Aftermath

27:12 Primary Step

29:40 Positive Change

We're with Mia Atoui for Episode 226 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/Cx2pM8kPlcE

We discuss Embrace and the wider work of raising mental health awareness in Lebanon.

Our conversation includes confronting the stigma too often associated with mental health illness, grassroots level work at tacking previously taboo subjects and the inception of Embace's suicide prevention hotline (1564).

Mia Atoui is the cofounder and vice president of Embrace.

Check out their website: https://embracelebanon.org

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

0:00 Intro

2:10 The Broad Story

10:09 Anxiety

15:45 Personality

23:20 Vacuum

33:26 US Policy Towards Lebanon

39:30 Memories of My Father

We're with Firas Maksad for Ep.225 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/kHLwHcH-WZc

We discuss the incoming Biden administration and general trends in US foreign policy over the past twelve years.

We compare Trump's maximum pressure campaign against Iran with Obama's JCPOA / Iran nuclear deal, and how a Biden administration may approach American interests in the region.

Our conversation includes looking at policy vs personality, and areas of consistency and divergence between the outgoing Trump administration and incoming Biden White House. We also examine potential policy changes towards Lebanon.

Firas Maksad is an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

The articles referenced in this episode include:

'For the Middle East, Biden is no Obama':

https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comment/for-the-middle-east-biden-is-no-obama-1.1108646

'The Arab World Needs American Support'

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-arab-world-needs-american-support-11595193812

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

I share encounters with Walid Muallem while living at the Lebanese embassy in Washington, DC.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/sTM_eeEhy-c

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and stay updated with new releases.

Audio-only episodes available on Apple, Spotify, Souncloud, Stitcher & iHeart Radio. Simply search for The Beirut Banyan.

I share my interactions with Robert Fisk for this storytelling episode.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/Cc7VCB96eeg

Check out the associated article featured in Newlines Magazine:

https://newlinesmag.com/argument/robert-fisk-a-conscience-adrift/

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and stay updated with new releases.

Audio-only episodes available on Apple, Spotify, Souncloud, Stitcher & iHeart Radio. Simply search for The Beirut Banyan.

0:00 Family Name & Intro

2:26 Personal Interaction with the Story

8:30 Alleviating Minority Concerns

12:16 Part of the Story

16:11 Fundamental Issue

19:08 Corruption

24:46 A System that Doesn't Work

28:10 Perpetual Paralysis

31:27 Mentality

37:46 US Policy Shift

39:30 American Engagement

48:56 Lack of Organization

54:30 Balance

We're with Larissa Aoun for Episode 222 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/aYbCNZlLguA

We discuss covering the US elections vs the current Lebanese political and economic landscape, and a reporter's personal interaction with the story itself.

We talk about attempts at alleviating state rights through the US Electoral College and Senate and whether there's an appropriate comparison to preserving 'minority' / sectarian concerns within a potential Lebanese senate.

Our conversation includes Larissa's reporting on maritime border issues with nostalgia for a regional rail network still visible from Naqoura. We also discuss rampant corruption within Lebanon, possible US policy shifts under a Biden administration and how journalists keep their balance while covering stories that hit home.

Larissa Aoun is a producer / reporter for Sky News Arabia.

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

0:00 Intro

3:53 A Potential Return to Beirut?

7:18 A Historic Moment?

11:52 Side Effect to Normalization

15:21 The UAE's Jewish Community

18:00 Peoples & Governments

30:15 Social Media

33:31 The Next Five?

40:00 A Family Tradition

We're with Elie Abadie for Episode 221 of The Beirut Banyan.

We discuss his upcoming move to the UAE as a Senior Rabbi and his hopes to return to Lebanon in the years to come.

We talk about the Abraham Accords and whether or not its impact goes between standard government relations to healing divides in the region. Our conversation includes Elie Abadie's rabbinical lineage dating back to the 15h century and the role social media plays in an increasingly interconnected world.

Elie Abadie is Senior Rabbi in Residence of the Jewish Council of the Emirates. He is also a doctor.

The National article discussed in this episode is accessible here:

https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/refugee-who-left-middle-east-as-a-boy-returns-to-uae-as-senior-rabbi-1.1096805

Check out Ep.170: Al Wadi - referred to in this episode and includes Elie Abadie's voice:

https://youtu.be/MHnUHdz1OQ4

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

0:00 L'Orient Today & Intro

2:40 The Lifeline for Traditional Media

9:03 Subscribers Abroad

13:24 Timing

23:11 Digital-Friendly Content

27:06 Fact-Checking

35:33 Objectivity

47:14 Principles

57:46 Intimidation

1:03:54 Aspirations

We're with Michel Helou for Episode 220 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/e6qiNvERtbs

We discuss L'Orient-Le Jour's place in the Lebanese media landscape, and the newspaper's evolution with the digital age.

Our conversation includes the recent launch of L'Orient Today - an English-edition alternative - and why paid subscriptions are the financial backbone for traditional outlets.

We also talk about recent security intimidation against reporters and the newspaper's commitment to free expression in Lebanon.

Michel Helou is the Executive Director of L'Orient-Le Jour.

Check out L'Orient Today and subscribe by clicking here:

https://today.lorientlejour.com

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

6:21 One Year Marker

22:35 Appetite for Change

35:31 Prisoner's Dilemma

54:10 Easier to Challenge?

1:06:45 The IRA Example

We're with Bashshar Haydar for Episode 219 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/JBRahiGFwkA

We discuss his recent Center for Global Policy piece 'The Lebanese Predicament' and examine why voters repeatedly elected the same parties and leaders into power.

Our conversation looks at the 'prisoner's dilemma' facing Lebanese and the role communal insecurities play in prolonging the status quo. We also reflect on the one year marker of the October 17 Uprising.

Bashshar Haydar is a Professor of Philosophy and the Mohammad Atallah Chair in Ethics at the American University of Beirut.

The Center for Global Policy article - 'The Lebanese Predicament' is accessible below:

https://cgpolicy.org/articles/the-lebanese-predicament/

And the 'Al Modon' 'piece referenced can be viewed here:

https://www.almodon.com/media/2019/10/30/نجل-الشهيد-محمد-شطح-للحريري-كنت-رهينة-حزب-الله

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.