Lebanon finally has a new president. 

After an over two year wait, Joseph Aoun was chosen to be the new President of Lebanon, with a healthy majority of the votes in parliament .

Aoun, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces comes into office with a bulging in tray of problems to sort out. 

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast, we examine what Aoun's priorities will and what are the challenges that he will have to face? Can Aoun bring stability to the Israel/Lebanon border? And following their war with Israel, where does Hezbollah stand in this new phase of Lebanon’s history. 

Joining us to discuss the new president is Paul Salem (@paul_salem), the Vice President for international Engagement at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst).

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

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

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.

A ceasefire has finally been agreed between Israel and Hamas. 

The news came as a great relief to the people of Gaza, but many questions regarding the deal still remain.

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast we look at the details of the ceasefire deal. When will Israeli forces leave Gaza, what are the terms of the prisoner swaps, and what does it say about reconstruction. 

Additionally, we explore why the ceasefire deal was agreed now and not six months ago, what does the future hold for Hamas in Gaza, can Netanyahu continue as prime minister now that a deal has been done, who will pay for the reconstruction efforts, and what does the political horizon in Gaza look like.

To discuss the ceasefire deal and what it means for Gaza, we speak with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib (@afalkhatib), a resident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council (@AtlanticCouncil).

And to lead us through what the deal means for Israel, we speak with Nimrod Goren (@GorenNimrod), President and Founder of The Mitvim Institute (@Mitvim), a foreign policy think tank.

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

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

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.

2024 is coming to an end and The New Arab Voice is bringing you our annual round up of the year's biggest stories from the Middle East and North Africa. 

We gathered a host of journalists and editors to look at the conflict, tragedies, confrontations, elections, and shocks that made the year so memorable. 

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

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

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.

2024 is coming to an end and The New Arab Voice is bringing you our annual round up of the year's biggest stories from the Middle East and North Africa. 

We gathered a host of journalists and editors to look at the conflict, tragedies, confrontations, elections, and shocks that made the year so memorable. 

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

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

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.

President Donald Trump won a resounding mandate at the start of November, and he will return to the White House in January. 

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast we look at how a new Trump administration might approach the Middle East, what will they want to achieve, and how will the region’s governments deal with Trump this time round.

Can Trump end the ongoing war in Gaza? Will the Abraham Accord negotiations be restarted, and will Trump be able to get Saudi Arabia on board? And what will happen with Iran? Can a deal be done, or will it be a return to a campaign of maximum pressure?

We speak with Brian Katulis (@Katulis), a Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst), and Imad K. Harb (@Harb3Imad), the Director of Research and Analysis at Arab Center Washington DC (@ArabCenterWDC).

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

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

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 escalating conflict in Lebanon.

In recent months Israeli airstrikes have ramped up, targeting Hezbollah's military stores, infrastructure, and its leadership. Additionally, Israeli troops have crossed the border and are confronting Hezbollah on the ground. 

Efforts are now ramping up to bring about a ceasefire, but nothing has been agreed yet, and it is still unclear what the terms of the deal would be. Also up for discussion is the state of Hezbollah as an armed group.

How is Lebanon coping with the rising violence and the ever growing risks? Is this the end of Hezbollah? And can a deal be done so that Lebanon avoid the same fate that Israel has imposed on Gaza?

Joining us, we speak with Yazan al-Saadi, The New Arab's International Editor, based in Beirut. Also, David Daoud (@DavidADaoud),  senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (@FDD), focused on Lebanon and Hezbollah. And Charles Dunne (@CharlesWDunne), Adjunct Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University (@ElliottSchoolGW) and non-resident fellow at the Arab Center Washington D.C. (@ArabCenterWDC). 

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

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

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.

Women in Afghanistan continue to be suppressed and marginalised by the Taliban government, with a steady stream of new laws and edicts, dictating what they can and can't do.

This has alarmed and shocked human rights defenders in Afghanistan, and across the world. Also expressing their outrage are governments around the world.

And yet, many are still trying to find a way through that would allow them to do business with the Taliban, and condemn human rights violations.

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast, we look at how the international community should approach the Taliban. Engage or disengage? How can they be pressured to reverse the draconian measures against women? And how can the Taliban authorities be held accountable for their human rights atrocities without penalising the population?

We're joined by Kate Clark (@KateClark66), co-director of Afghanistan Analysts Network (@AANafgh), Zahra Nader (@ZahraYusufi), Afghan journalist and editor-in-chief of Zan Times (@ZanTimes), based in North America, and Shaharzad Akbar (@ShaharzadAkbar), director of civil society group Rawadari (@rawadari_org), human rights activist and Academy Fellow at Chatham House (@ChathamHouse).

This podcast is written and produced by Rosabel Crean (@CreanRosabel), with additional help from Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). 

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

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.

It has been one year since the start of the war in Gaza.

What started with an appalling crime was repaid with further crimes and relentless tragedy.

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast, on the anniversary of the start of the war in Gaza, we look at three aspects: health, justice, and future.

What is state of healthcare in Gaza? How much aid is getting in? What disease are spreading? What toll has 12 months of brutal conflict had on people's mental health?

What is the state of the international criminal case against the leaders of Hamas and Israel? What is the timeline for international litigation? Can Israel be protected by its allies? Is the ICC still a deterrent?

What will the 'day after' in Gaza look like? Who will pay for the reconstruction, and will the situation every be suitable for reconstruction? And who will govern Gaza in the future.

Joining us to look back over the past 12 months and the future ahead, we have three guests.

Dr. Yara Asi (@Yara_M_Asi), Assistant Professor in Global Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida, co-director of the Palestine Program for Health and Human Rights, and author of How War Kills : The Overlooked Threats to Our Health. 

Haydée Dijkstal (@dijkstal), Barrister at 33 Bedford Row Chambers (@33BedfordRow), Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council - Strategic Litigation Project (@AtlanticCouncil), and instructed as counsel for the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) in London (@ICJPalestine).

Nathan Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University and non-resident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (@CarnegieEndow).

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

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

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 potential for a normalisation deal between Syria and Turkey. 

In recent years, Syria has been welcomed back into the regional fold, and yet Damascus has still not normalised with Ankara, and Turkish troops remain on Syrian soil. 

We look at the possibility of Turkish forces leaving Syria, what it means for the Syrian opposition supported by Turkey, what it means for Kurdish areas in Syria's north east, and what a possible deal for the millions of refugees living in Turkey. 

Joining us, we have Joseph Daher (@JosephDaher19), a professor at Lausanne University, Switzerland, and the author of Hezbollah: The Political Economy of the Party of God. Also, Pinar Dost (@pdosting) nonresident fellow and the former deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Turkey Program, and author of The Good Dictator – The Image of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in France (1919-1938).

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

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

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're looking at the recent troubles surrounding the Central Bank of Libya. 

In August, gunman surrounded the Central Bank in Tripoli, forcing the bank's governor, Sadiq al-Kabir, to flee the country, fearing for his safety. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh was seen as the architect of the efforts to remove the governor.

In response to the events at the Central Bank, eastern forces shut down the country's lucrative oil fields, sending output plummeting and threatening the vital oil revenues. 

Why is Dbeibeh seeking control of the bank? What does it mean for the country's oilfields to be shutdown, and how will it impact the economy? What can the interim Governor of the Central Bank do, and will anyone listen to him? And is there a path to stability?

Joining us to talk Libya, the Central Bank, and oil revenues, we have Jalel Harchaoui (@JMJalel_H),  Associate Fellow with the Royal United Services Institute (@RUSI_org) in London specialising in North Africa, with a specific focus on Libya; and Tarek Megerisi (@Tmegrisi), a senior policy fellow with the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations (@ecfr).

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

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

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.