It has been annus horribilis for Hezbollah.

They were struck by a deadly pager attack, Israel launched a devastating air and ground campaign against the group, and their long-time leader was killed in an Israeli airstrike. The war left Hezbollah battered and broken, and now, the Lebanese government is moving in to clear up the arms, which is taking place under the shadow of continued Israeli airstrikes.

At the start of September, the Lebanese army presented its plan to disarm Hezbollah once and for all to the cabinet. While welcomed by much of the cabinet, Hezbollah rejected the notion.

This week on The New Arab Voice we examine the state of Hezbollah today. How are the Lebanese state disarming the group? And what is the future of the self-styled resistance movement in Lebanon?

We're joined by David Wood, Senior Analyst for Lebanon at International Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup); and Paul Salem, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst).

This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).

Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

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This week on The New Arab Voice podcast, we look at the recent decision by Western nations to recognise the State of Palestine. 

It came as a surprise to many, although it remains to be seen what it actual means for Palestinians. Either way, it angered Israel. And as Western states were announcing to recognise a Palestinian state, Israel was planning a major new offensive in Gaza, and Israeli citizens were on the streets protesting against the Netanyahu government. 

This week, what’s Israel doing in Gaza, and why are some Israeli citizens protesting the move? What does the recognition of a state of Palestine mean for Israel? And is Israeli foreign diplomacy failing?

We speak with Paul Scham, the former  Professor of Israeli Studies at the University of Maryland; also, Nimrod Goren, President and Founder of Mitvim – The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies.

This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).

Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the recent ceasefire agreement between the PKK and the Turkish state. 

The Kurdistan’s Worker’s Party (PKK) and the Turkish state have been in a state of conflict since 1984. The conflict has killed over 35,000 people and achieved little, for either side. 

But now, a ceasefire has been announced. In a symbolic ceremony, PKK fighters burnt their arms in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq; and more recently, a commission was started at the Turkish Parliament to discuss the Turkish parliament. 

Is this the opportunity for Kurds to secure their rights in Turkey? Why is the Turkish state agreeing to a ceasefire now? Is President Erdogan using the ceasefire talks to increase his grip on power?

Joining us to examine the Kurdish position, we speak with Dr. Salim Çevik (@salimcevikk), a visiting fellow at the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (@CATS_Network) at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (@SWPBerlin).

And to guide us through Turkish thinking, we speak with Henri Barkey (@hbarkey), adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (@CFR_org) and the Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen chair in international relations at Lehigh University (Emeritus) (@LehighU). 

This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).

Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast we look at the state of the war in Sudan.

It’s been declared the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, with hunger, disease and displacement rife. Yet the fighting surges on with reports of atrocities in the Kordofan region that left hundreds of civilians dead last weekend, the UN reported.

The two rival militaries, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, are showing no sign of slowing down - and they have a few external forces to thank.

So why is the UAE accused of involvement in the war? Who else is fighting for a piece of Sudan’s mineral rich pie? And might the crisis be next on the list for the “peacemaking” Trump administration in Washington?

To discuss all this and more, we speak to Hamid Khafallah (@HamidMurtada) Sudanese Researcher and Policy Analyst at the University of Manchester (@OfficialUoM), Hala Alkarib (@Halayalkarib) Sudanese activist and Regional Director of Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, and Khalid Omer Yousif (@KHOYousif) Vice Chairman of Sudanese Congress Party and former minister of cabinet affairs in the transitional government.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at the recent Israeli surprise attack, and the Iranian response that rained down on Israeli cities.

The war started on 13 June with surprise attack launched by Israel, attacking high profile military and nuclear figures, as well as nuclear and military sites across the country.

Iran responded with a wave of drones and missiles, some of which got through.

We've seen outbreaks of violence between the two countries before, but this round was far more costly for each nation.

Why did Israel decide to launch a surprise attack? How were Iran able to inflict damage to Israel? Who was targeted by Israel and what impact do the killings have? What's the state of the Iranian nuclear deal? And can a new deal be reached?

Joining us to untangle the Israeli decision making is Mairav Zonszein (@MairavZ), Senior Israel analyst for the International Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup). And to understand the Iranian position, we speak with Alex Vatanka (@AlexVatanka), Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst), with a particular focus on Iran.

This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).

Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast we look at US President Donald Trump's recent trip to the Gulf. 

During this trip he secured billions of dollars worth of deals and investments. There were the usual defence contracts, but also, advance technologies also played a huge role in the deals. 

As well as business deals, Trump also sought to make political progress on a number of issues facing the region. Trump continued to push his desire for a new Iran nuclear deal, and he also announced the lifting of all sanctions on Syria. 

Another notable point from his trip, is what Trump didn't do; namely, he didn't visit Israel. 

Why did Trump choose the Gulf for his first foreign trip? What deals did he make? What political gains was he able to make? Why didn't he visit Benjamin Netanyahu? What's the state of the relationship between Netanyahu and Trump? Are the two leaders diverging and is there anything Netanyahu can do about it?

Joining us this week, we speak with Paul Salem (@paul_salem), a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst), and Charles W. Dunne (@CharlesWDunne), a Nonresident Senior Fellow at Arab Center Washington DC (@ArabCenterWDC).

All five episodes of our special series Sanaa's Odyssey are out now, you can listen to them via The New Arab, or search for 'Sanaa's Odyssey', wherever you get your podcasts.

This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).

Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean to stand with Palestine in a world on fire?

In this special live episode, recorded at Reference Point in London, Benjamin Ashraf of The New Arab chairs a powerful conversation with historian Ilan Pappé, scholar Katherine Natanel, and legal academic Nadine El-Enany. Together, they explore the urgent connections between the movement for justice in Palestine and global liberation struggles.

As Ghassan Kanafani once wrote, Palestine is “a cause for every revolutionary.” Nineteen months into a "livestreamed" genocide, with millions mobilising worldwide, that truth has never felt more immediate.

The discussion draws on the new book Palestine in a World on Fire (Haymarket, 2024)—a collection of interviews with leading thinkers and activists including Angela Y. Davis, Paul Gilroy, Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky, and others—offering reflections on how to sustain and deepen international solidarity.

Tune in as we return to and expand these conversations in the context of the current moment.

You can purchase a copy of Palestine in a World on Fire from the Haymarket Books website.

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The New Arab Voice is back!

This week we look at the recent sectarian violence that engulfed the Syrian coast and targeted the country's Alawite community and the violence that hit in the south, which targeted the country's Druze community. 

We examine the causes of the violence, the response by the state, where the state's response went wrong, and what it means for the future of this new Syria. 

Joining us to guide us through the violence on the coast, we speak with Dr. Rahaf Aldoughli (@r_aldoughli), a Lecturer in Middle East and North African studies at Lancaster University (@LancasterUni), and Senior Editor for the Middle East Section at Cogent Social Sciences.

And to explain what happened in the south, we speak with Dr. Nanar Hawach (@NanarHawach), Senior Analyst for Syria at International Crisis Groups (@CrisisGroup).

All five episodes of our special series Sanaa's Odyssey are out now, you can listen to them via The New Arab, or search for 'Sanaa's Odyssey', wherever you get your podcasts.

This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).

Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is episode five of Sanaa's Odyssey, a special series from The New Arab.

For the final episode of Sanaa's Odyssey, we travelled to Cairo, to meet with Sanaa in person. 

When we spoke, a ceasefire had been agreed between Israel and Hamas, although, there was little hope that it would hold. 

In her Cairo apartment, we spoke with Sanaa about how she feels about the war now that she has escaped, the tragedies that she has experienced, how she feels about Hamas, prospects for peace, and what she wants from the future. 

Sanaa's Odyssey is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.

You can follow The New Arab's podcast on X, and email us [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is episode 4 of our new podcast, Sanaa's Odyssey.

You can subscribe to Sanaa's Odyssey on all podcast platforms.

By April 2024, Sanaa and her family decided that it was time to get out of Gaza.

They had experienced seven months of the brutal conflict, been forced from their homes, and lost countless friends and family members.

At the time, the only way out of Gaza was through the Rafah border crossing. And while deciding to leave was one thing, the actually task of crossing, was a whole different matter.

In episode four of Sanaa's Odyssey, we follow Sanaa and her family as they navigate the murky business of migration and difficult decisions they had to make when it came time to cross.

Sanaa's Odyssey is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge.

You can follow The New Arab's podcast on X, and email us [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.