Search

Begin New Search Content Type Video

141. Rethinking Democracy ep. 4: China's growing presence in the Middle East with Dr. F. Gregory Gause and Dr. Jon Alterman

Author:
F. Gregory Gause, Jon B. Alterman, and Gonul Tol
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:
About the series: This is a critical year for the future of democracy. Half the world’s population will go to the polls in 2024, at a time when citizens in America and across the globe are losing faith in democratic institutions. We often view the rollback of democracy and threats to the liberal international order as separate problems, but in reality they are closely interlinked. Through a new limited podcast series, MEI’s Gonul Tol seeks to examine the interplay between democracy’s domestic and international foes as well as how to counter them. In this episode: China has made significant inroads in the Middle East through diplomacy, trade, investment, and infrastructure projects. Beijing advertises the benefits of its authoritarian development model and presents itself as a responsible alternative to the United States. What does this mean for MENA autocracies? Dr. F. Gregory Gause and Dr. Jon Alterman join Gonul Tol to discuss China’s growing presence in the Middle East.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Elections, Democracy, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and Institutions
Political Geography:
China, Middle East, and Asia

142. Yemen's civil war: ten years later

Author:
Gerald Feierstein, Nadwa Al-Dawsari, and Fatima Abo Alasrar
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:
Director of MEI’s Arabian Peninsula Program Gerald Feierstein speaks to scholars Nadwa Al-Dawsari and Fatima Abo Alasrar as they reflect on the tenth anniversary of Yemen’s civil war. It’s been ten years since the Houthis seized control of the capital of Sanaa, beginning a cycle of fighting that continues on and off to this day. What happened, what is the current state of the conflict, and where might the country be headed?
Topic:
Civil War, Conflict, and Houthis
Political Geography:
Middle East and Yemen

143. Virtual briefing: The risk of targeting regional energy assets in the ongoing Middle East conflict

Author:
Helima Croft, Colby Connelly, and Karen Young
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:
Helima Croft, Colby Connelly, and Karen Young, discuss the risk of retaliatory strikes on regional energy facilities; the possible impact on Israel’s natural gas production and on its importers, including Egypt and Jordan; the potential spillover to the Gulf’s energy sector; as well as the relative likelihood of the conflict leading to a major supply shock in the global energy market. Speakers: Helima Croft Head of Global Commodity Strategy and MENA Research, RBC Capital Markets Colby Connelly Director, Economics and Energy Program, MEI Karen Young Non-Resident Senior Fellow and Chair of the Economics and Energy Program Advisory Council, MEI
Topic:
Markets, Imports, Energy, and Natural Gas
Political Geography:
Middle East, Israel, Egypt, and Jordan

144. How might the second Trump administration navigate the Middle East?

Author:
Ryan Crocker and Gerald Feierstein
Publication Date:
11-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:
Donald Trump’s return to the presidency comes at a tumultuous time in the Middle East. While on the campaign trail, Trump vowed to offer strong support for Israel and insisted he can bring peace to the region. What challenges and opportunities will he face on both fronts? And how different is the strategic landscape of today’s Middle East compared to when he left the White House? This on-the-record briefing will feature Amb. (ret.) Ryan Crocker, career diplomat with the US Foreign Service. His previous appointments included US Ambassador to Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Lebanon. The briefing will also feature Amb. (ret.) Gerald Feierstein, former US Ambassador to Yemen and Distinguished Senior Fellow on US Diplomacy at MEI. Our experts will discuss what the incoming second Trump administration will mean for the Middle East; the current conflicts in the region; the future of US-Iran relations; and the prospects of securing more normalization agreements between Israel and its neighbors. Speakers Amb. (ret.) Ryan Crocker Fmr. US Ambassador to Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Lebanon Amb. (ret.) Gerald Feierstein Fmr. US Ambassador to YemenDistinguished Senior Fellow on US Diplomacy, MEI
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, and Donald Trump
Political Geography:
United States, Iran, and Middle East

145. 1,000 days of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine

Author:
Philip Breedlove, Iulia-sabina Joja, and Matthew Czekaj
Publication Date:
11-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:
Wednesday, November 20, marks a somber anniversary for Ukraine: 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country. Though the Ukrainians continue to hold out with Western assistance against Russian attacks, the past two-and-a-half years have been devastating for the country and its people. Ukraine now faces another winter at war as momentum appears to be shifting in Russia’s favor. What can the US and its allies do to ensure hostilities end as favorably as possible to Ukraine and in line with American strategic national interests? MEI scholars General Philip M. Breedlove and Dr. Iulia-Sabina Joja join host Matthew Czekaj to discuss the state of the conflict and what’s at stake for the region and the global community.
Topic:
Armed Conflict, Strategic Interests, Russia-Ukraine War, and Invasion
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, and Ukraine

146. How might US-Israeli relations evolve under the Trump administration?

Author:
Nimrod Goren and Ilai Saltzman
Publication Date:
11-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:
MEI Senior Fellow for Israeli Affairs Nimrod Goren and Associate Research Professor Ilai Saltzman discuss potential shifts in US policy, the outlook for Israeli politics in 2025, and the challenges to advancing peace on the Israeli-Palestinian front. Tune in for expert insights on what lies ahead.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, and Donald Trump
Political Geography:
Middle East, Israel, Palestine, North America, and United States of America

147. Virtual Briefing Series | End of an era: the fall of the Assad regime

Author:
Ryan Crocker and Charles Lister
Publication Date:
12-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:
Following more than a year of turmoil and transformative changes reshaping the Middle East, the region witnessed another shock with the downfall of the Assad family’s 54-year rule over Syria last weekend. The rapid collapse was triggered by a lightning rebel offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a former affiliate of al-Qaeda. This on-the-record briefing featured Amb. (ret.) Ryan Crocker, career diplomat with the US Foreign Service. His previous appointments included US Ambassador to Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Lebanon; as well as Charles Lister, Senior Fellow and Director of MEI’s Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism programs. Our experts discussed what the fall of Bashar al-Assad means for Syria and the region, the international community’s assessment of the Syrian conflict, what this development portends for Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” in the Levant, the influence of regional powers in Syria, and the future of US policy toward the region.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Syrian War, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and Bashar al-Assad
Political Geography:
Middle East

148. The Fall of Assad, the Future of Syria, and a Region Redrawn

Author:
Brian Katulis, Gonul Tol, Charles Lister, Wael Alzayat, Paul Salem, and Nimrod Goren
Publication Date:
12-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:
A lightning offensive by Syrian rebel groups toppled the Assad regime in less than two weeks, marking the end of a decades-long brutal and oppressive dictatorship. Though many across the country welcome the departure of President Bashar al-Assad, there remains a strong sense of uncertainty about the future. While the leading faction within the victorious opposition forces, the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is moving quickly to consolidate power, outside actors are jockeying to influence the outcome and build relations with the embryonic new government or taking steps to degrade its potential to pose a security threat. To discuss where developments in Syria and the broader region are headed as well as how the incoming US administration may tackle the associated challenges and opportunities starting next year, the Middle East Institute will be hosting an expert panel discussion. The panelists will explore the following questions and more: How were the rebel groups able to make such rapid battlefield gains amidst a perceived “stalemate” in the civil war? Can the international community still halt HTS’s consolidation of power or influence its approach to governance; or could its unilateral takeover of state institutions and policies trigger domestic opposition or even renewed internecine conflict? Will ISIS and other terrorist organizations exploit the present turmoil to regroup or make gains? How do these developments impact the surrounding region, including Turkey’s stance, Iraq’s and Lebanon’s stability, Russia’s military presence, and the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance? And finally, can the United States “stay out” of Syria; and if not, what leverage will it have to shape the fast-moving geostrategic developments?
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Security, Syrian War, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and Bashar al-Assad
Political Geography:
Middle East and Syria

149. Global Islamophobia and the Rise of Populism with Ivan Kalmar & Audrey Truschke

Author:
Ivan Kalmar and Audrey Truschke
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
Islamophobia has seen a disturbing rise across Asia and Europe. Professors Audrey Truschke and Ivan Kalmar focus on India and Eastern Europe, respectively, in examining the global trend of blaming Muslim minorities for economic, political, and social problems, which in turn causes anti-Muslim violence.
Topic:
Minorities, Discrimination, Islamophobia, and Violence
Political Geography:
Europe, India, Eastern Europe, and Asia

150. Peaceful Families: American Muslim Efforts against Domestic Violence with Juliane Hammer

Author:
Juliane Hammer and Sahar Aziz
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
Host Sahar Aziz (https://saharazizlaw.com/) invites Professor Juliane Hammer (https://religion.unc.edu/_people/full...) to discuss her book Peaceful Families: American Muslim Efforts against Domestic Violence (https://press.princeton.edu/books/har...) that addresses how Muslim advocacy work against domestic abuse is embedded in and challenged by systems of anti-Muslim hostility and racism while also having to contend with changing notions of gender norms and practices. Based on ethnographic research and textual analysis, Professor Hammer offers an intersectional analysis of how Muslim advocates respond to these challenges both within and outside of the Muslim communities they serve.
Topic:
Ethnography, Intersectionality, Racism, Domestic Violence, Gender Norms, and Muslims
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

151. Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape with Raja Shehadeh

Author:
Raja Shehadeh
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
Palestinian attorney Raja Shehadeh provides a legal and historical examination of Israel’s use of spurious legal ploys to acquire Palestinian land in the West Bank and how all this relates to Israel’s colonial pursuits.
Topic:
History, Law, Colonialism, Settler Colonialism, and Land
Political Geography:
Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and West Bank

152. Muslims of the Heartland with Edward Curtis IV (Episode 17)

Author:
Edward IV Curtis
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
What legal and extra-legal challenges did Ottoman Syrian Muslim immigrants face when they immigrated to the American Midwest before World War I? What opportunities did they have? Join our host Sahar Aziz (https://saharazizlaw.com/) in her discussion with Professor Edward Curtis (https://edward-curtis.com/biography/) to learn how these Midwesterners built their communal power, creating a life that was American, Arab, and Muslim all at the same time.
Topic:
History, Immigration, and Muslims
Political Geography:
Middle East, North America, United States of America, and Ottoman Empire

153. Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion with Professor Evelyn Alsultany

Author:
Evelyn Alsultany
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
Amid pervasive institutionalized Islamophobia, diversity initiatives in universities and workplaces have failed on their promise to be inclusive of Muslims. Professor Evelyn Alsultany offers a critical examination of recent initiatives to foster diversity and inclusion at universities during Israel’s war on Gaza.
Topic:
Islamophobia, Diversity, Higher Education, Inclusion, Muslims, and 2023 Gaza War
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

154. Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential with Heba Gowayed (Episode 16)

Author:
Heba Gowayed
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
Drawing on a global and comparative ethnography, Professor Heba Gowayed (https://www.hebagowayed.com/) explores how Syrian men and women seeking refuge in a moment of unprecedented global displacement are received by countries of resettlement and asylum—the U.S., Canada, and Germany. It shows that human capital, typically examined as the skills immigrants bring with them that shape their potential, is actually created, transformed, or destroyed by receiving states’ incorporation policies. Since these policies derive from historically informed and unequal approaches to social welfare, refugees’ experiences raise a mirror to how states (re)produce inequality.
Topic:
Immigration, Refugees, Displacement, Syrian War, Resettlement, Asylum, and Social Welfare
Political Geography:
Syria and Global Focus

155. Abortion, Religion and Race in Post-Roe America with Asifa Quraishi (Episode 15)

Author:
Asifa Quraishi and Sahar Aziz
Publication Date:
08-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
The U.S. Supreme Court's overruling of Roe v. Wade has rightfully triggered a national debate about the role of religion in lawmaking, women's rights to control their reproductive health, and the racially disparate impact of state prohibitions on abortion. Join our host Sahar Aziz (https://saharazizlaw.com/) and legal scholars Asifa Quraishi-Landes (https://law.wisc.edu/profiles/aqurais...) , and Cynthia Soohoo (https://www.law.cuny.edu/academics/cl...) on the legal, political, and social implications of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
Topic:
Race, Religion, Women, Reproductive Rights, Abortion, and Roe v. Wade
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

156. Muslim Prisoner Litigation: An Unsung American Tradition with SpearIt (Episode 14)

Author:
SpearIt
Publication Date:
08-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
Since the early 1960s, incarcerated Muslims have used legal action to establish their rights to religious freedom and improve their conditions behind bars – ultimately safeguarding the civil rights not only of imprisoned Muslims but all people who are confined in a carceral setting. In this episode, University of Pittsburgh School of Law Professor SpearIt (https://www.law.pitt.edu/people/SpearIt) discusses his book “Muslim Prisoner Litigation: An Unsung American Tradition (https://www.ucpress.edu/book/97805203...) .”
Topic:
Prisons/Penal Systems, Civil Rights, Incarceration, and Muslims
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

157. Coming to Understand Latino Anti-Black Bias with Tanya K Hernandez (Episode 13)

Author:
Tanya K. Hernandez
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
It is possible for a historically marginalized group to experience discrimination and to also be discriminatory. Understanding the hard truth of Latino anti-Black bias is critical for fostering a multiracial democracy. Host Sahar Aziz (https://saharazizlaw.com/) discusses these issues with “Racial Innocence: Unmasking Latino Anti-Black Bias and the Struggle for Equality (https://www.akpress.org/racial-innoce...) ” author and Fordham School of Law Professor Tanya Katerí Hernández (https://www.fordham.edu/school-of-law...) .
Topic:
Race, Democracy, Civil Rights, Latinos, Anti-Blackness, and Critical Race Theory (CRT)
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

158. Protecting Academic Freedom, Empowering Muslim Students (Episode 12)

Author:
Tamara Sears and Asifa Quraishi-Landes
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
Academic freedom, equity, Islamophobia, and the commercialization of higher education offer challenges to faculty nationwide. In a telling incident, Black Muslim students of Hamline University complained of Islamophobic incidents on campus while also taking offense at the showing of a famous Persian painting of the Prophet Mohammed in a global art history class. Host Sahar Aziz (https://saharazizlaw.com/) discusses these issues with Rutgers Art History Professor Tamara Sears (https://history.rutgers.edu/people/fa...) and University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School Professor Asifa Quraishi-Landes (https://law.wisc.edu/profiles/asifa.q...) .
Topic:
Islamophobia, Higher Education, Equity, Academic Freedom, and Muslims
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

159. Settler Colonialism, Race, and the Law with Natsu Taylor Saito (Episode 11)

Author:
Sahar Aziz and Natsu Taylor Saito
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
Racialized disparities continue to persist in the United States and are unlikely to be effectively alleviated by the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection. A recent book provides a functional analysis linking disparate forms of oppression and makes the case that structural racism will be more effectively dismantled by contesting ongoing settler colonization and supporting the right of all peoples to self-determination. Host Sahar Aziz (https://saharazizlaw.com/) addresses these issues with “Settler Colonialism, Race, and the Law: Why Structural Racism Persists (https://nyupress.org/9780814723944/se...) , “ author and Georgia State College of Law Professor Natsu Taylor Saito (https://law.gsu.edu/profile/natsu-tay...) .
Topic:
Imperialism, Race, Law, Settler Colonialism, Self-Determination, and Critical Race Theory (CRT)
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

160. Islam in Liberalism with Joseph Massad (Episode 10)

Author:
Joseph Massad and Sahar Aziz
Publication Date:
06-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
American anxieties about intolerance, misogyny, and tyranny are projected onto Islam as part of the broader European use of Islam as a foil in Western liberalism. A recent book contextualizes this trend within recent efforts by the western world to proselytize liberalism as the only valid and sane worldview to Muslim-majority nations and references a rich historical record of Christian and liberal discourses revealing such attempts to cure Muslims of their supposed illiberal ways. Host Sahar Aziz (https://saharazizlaw.com/) addresses these issues with “Islam in Liberalism (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/...) ” author and Columbia University Professor Joseph Massad (https://mesaas.columbia.edu/faculty-d...) .
Topic:
Islam, Islamophobia, Liberalism, and Intolerance
Political Geography:
Europe and United States of America