//podcastplus.net/feed/on-the-middle-east-with-andrew-parasiliti-an-al-monitor-podcast~c0f7ad91 AL-Monitor Senior Correspondent Amberin Zaman interviews newsmakers, journalists, and thought leaders from the US and Middle East about the latest news and trends in the region. Amberin travels the region for AL-Monitor, specializing in news and analysis in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and the Caucasus and writes the weekly Turkey Briefing newsletter. Prior to AL-Monitor, she covered Turkey, the Kurds, and conflicts in the region for The Washington Post, The Daily Telegraph, The Los Angeles Times and the Voice of America, and was The Economist's Turkey correspondent from 1999 to 2016. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:51:49 +0000 https://rss.art19.com/episodes/7801a726-1228-48d9-923b-5a21d07d75bf.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d Saudi Arabia has emerged as a critical ally for Syria's new interim government. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a key role in getting the United States to lift many sanctions on Syria. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has made it clear that he wants the kingdom to have a big say in his country's affairs that would go beyond helping it finance its reconstruction. However, as Saudi researcher Aziz Algahashian explains, Saudi Arabia is not giving him a carte blanche. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Tue, 02 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://rss.art19.com/episodes/7801a726-1228-48d9-923b-5a21d07d75bf.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d https://rss.art19.com/episodes/e38a993f-f654-4294-93f0-195300fca196.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d Last week’s arrest of Lahur Talabani in a violent raid that left four dead set a dangerous precedent, one that could undermine PUK leader Bafel Talabani and the Kurdistan region as a whole, says independent analyst Shayan Talabany. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Tue, 26 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://rss.art19.com/episodes/e38a993f-f654-4294-93f0-195300fca196.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d https://rss.art19.com/episodes/a0eb82fd-aaf8-4b4f-adc1-24ef7b782d22.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d Jalel Harchaoui, an expert on Gulf and North African power dynamics, unpacks the evolving relationship between the two regional rivals. While ties have improved dramatically since 2021, he warns that lingering rivalries across Africa could reignite tensions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Thu, 31 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://rss.art19.com/episodes/a0eb82fd-aaf8-4b4f-adc1-24ef7b782d22.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d https://rss.art19.com/episodes/ddd2c25f-108e-4cc7-92b1-a7e3d7864d42.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d Haian Dukhan, a leading expert on Syria’s tribal dynamics, unpacks the stakes in the latest surge of violence between Sunni Bedouin tribes and the Druze minority in Suwayda. Retaining tribal support is essential for the country’s post-Assad regime. The government’s failure to quell clashes that have left more than 1,000 people dead has ignited Sunni anger and emboldened the Kurdish minority, which has forged its own Sunni tribal alliances. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Thu, 24 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://rss.art19.com/episodes/ddd2c25f-108e-4cc7-92b1-a7e3d7864d42.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d https://rss.art19.com/episodes/94474846-2776-4cb5-8cc3-9105c5b249cf.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d On July 11, a group of PKK fighters burned their weapons in a ceremony marking the end of their forty-year-long armed campaign against the Kurdish state. Aliza Marcus, a leading expert on the militant group, says it is too early to determine whether the PKK will abandon armed struggle completely and that much depends on what steps Ankara is prepared to take to meet Kurdish demands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Thu, 17 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://rss.art19.com/episodes/94474846-2776-4cb5-8cc3-9105c5b249cf.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d https://rss.art19.com/episodes/8a8ed3c1-77be-452d-a902-e8b90f2cef6d.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d Professor Mohsen Milani, the author of the recently published, "Iran's Rise and Rivalry with the U.S. in the Middle East," explains that airpower alone cannot dislodge Iran's clerical regime. With Iran capable of relaunching its nuclear program, the risk of further Israeli attacks is real. The outcome would likely be regional chaos.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Wed, 16 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://rss.art19.com/episodes/8a8ed3c1-77be-452d-a902-e8b90f2cef6d.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d https://rss.art19.com/episodes/ead38438-b2a2-4c2c-a88e-03e6bdfe1e85.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d Nacho Amor is the European Parliament's rapporteur on Turkey. Speaking to Al-Monitor, he blasts EU leaders for their silence over Turkey's appalling human rights record, including the jailing of more than a dozen democratically elected mayors from the main opposition CHP party. He also warns the country's Kurds — who are in the process of negotiating constitutional changes with the government that would allow the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, more powers in exchange for Kurdish rights — that without democracy for all, there can be none for a few. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Wed, 09 Jul 2025 20:14:30 +0000 https://rss.art19.com/episodes/ead38438-b2a2-4c2c-a88e-03e6bdfe1e85.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d https://rss.art19.com/episodes/ead38438-b2a2-4c2c-a88e-03e6bdfe1e85.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d Nacho Amor is the European Parliament's rapporteur on Turkey. Speaking to Al-Monitor, he blasts EU leaders for their silence over Turkey's appalling human rights record, including the jailing of more than a dozen democratically elected mayors from the main opposition CHP party. He also warns the country's Kurds — who are in the process of negotiating constitutional changes with the government that would allow the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, more powers in exchange for Kurdish rights — that without democracy for all, there can be none for a few. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Wed, 09 Jul 2025 20:14:30 +0000 https://rss.art19.com/episodes/ead38438-b2a2-4c2c-a88e-03e6bdfe1e85.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d https://rss.art19.com/episodes/46586431-c757-4bf0-8d95-82ada32b6258.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d Israel’s conflict with Iran has wiped out dozens of top military leaders and scientists and inflicted major damage on critical facilities, yet the regime has survived. The Iranian people have not risen up; to the contrary, they have rallied around the flag amid a surge in anti-Western sentiment. However, the regime will need to embark on serious reforms to keep the people on its side, says Iranian American academic Vali Nasr See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Wed, 25 Jun 2025 18:51:45 +0000 https://rss.art19.com/episodes/46586431-c757-4bf0-8d95-82ada32b6258.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d https://rss.art19.com/episodes/46586431-c757-4bf0-8d95-82ada32b6258.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d Israel’s conflict with Iran has wiped out dozens of top military leaders and scientists and inflicted major damage on critical facilities, yet the regime has survived. The Iranian people have not risen up; to the contrary, they have rallied around the flag amid a surge in anti-Western sentiment. However, the regime will need to embark on serious reforms to keep the people on its side, says Iranian American academic Vali Nasr See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Wed, 25 Jun 2025 18:51:45 +0000 https://rss.art19.com/episodes/46586431-c757-4bf0-8d95-82ada32b6258.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgxGaXJlZm94BjoGRVQ%3D--e1fe8381133ee436d645c9120f2b13f7c307fd4d