Lse Middle East Centre Podcasts

* We apologise for the abrupt ending of this podcast. The last few minutes of the recording were corrupted. Speaker: Adel Iskandar, Simon Fraser University Seven years since the popular uprising that shook Egypt, the relationships between state, society, social movements and corporate power have been reconfigured, perhaps even disfigured. On the eve of the anniversary of the January 25 revolution, Adel Iskandar reflects on these changes and asks how they have affected our understanding of social, cultural and political life in the country. He argues that Egypt today is a replica of various historic Egypts, each manifesting as an effigy built for either public scrutiny or glorification. Recorded on 24 January 2018. -------------------------- Adel Iskandar is Director of the Global Communication Program at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Vancouver. He is the author of several works on Egypt and Arab media, including "Egypt In Flux: Essays on an Unfinished Revolution" (IB Taurus, 2013) and "Mediating the Ar

Speaker: Soraya El Kahlaoui, School of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study In this talk, Soraya El Kahlaoui discusses the ongoing resistance to urban expansion in Rabat, focusing on the Guich Loudaya tribal lands. The Guich lands have today been entirely relinquished to private developers linked to Morocco’s ruling elite who have sought to erect in their place one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Rabat: Hay Ryad. Soraya analyses the forms of resistance used by the “urban subaltern” and argues that the rhetoric of modernity underpinning urban growth in Morocco represents a continuation of the colonial logic of land grabs and the privatisation of communal agricultural spaces. Recorded on 16 January 2018.

Speakers: Shereen El-Feki, Chatham House; Joey Ayoub, University of Edinburgh Chair: Courtney Freer, LSE Middle East Centre With shifts in the political and economic landscape across the MENA region, the pillars of patriarchy are under increasing pressure. How do men see their lives and the changing world around them, including the roles and rights of women and girls? In this event, Shereen El Feki, Joey Ayoub and Courtney Freer discuss IMAGES MENA, the first study of its kind to explore the private and public lives of almost 10,000 men and women across the Middle East and North Africa, and what these findings mean for the future of the region. Recorded on 10 January 2018. Image credit: World Bank, Flickr.

Speaker: Tom Woerner-Powell, University of Manchester Chair: Jonathan Hill, King's College London From his struggle against French colonialism in North Africa to his stand against religious sectarianism in Syria, the actions of Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri have been an inspiration to many. The symbolic father of modern Algeria has frequently been presented as both an exemplary Muslim and a bridge between East and West. In this talk, Tom Woerner-Powell launches his book ‘Another Road to Damascus: an integrative approach to Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza’iri', in which he questions prevailing depictions of the historical figure in scholarly literature and beyond, and discusses his continued salience as a symbolic mediator between the supposedly conflicting zones of ‘Islam and Europe’, ‘East and West’. Recorded on 6 December 2017.

Speaker: Ian Black, LSE Middle East Centre Discussant: Tom Phillips, Royal College of Defence Studies Chair: Toby Dodge, LSE Middle East Centre This talk launches Ian Black’s book Enemies and Neighbours: Enemies and Neighbours: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917–2017, in which he traces how, half a century after the watershed of the 1967 war, hopes for a two-state solution and an end to occupation have all but disappeared. Drawing on declassified documents, oral histories and his own on-the-ground reporting, Black recreates the major milestones in the most polarizing conflict of the modern age from both sides. Recorded on 29 November 2017.

Speaker: Madawi Al-Rasheed, LSE; John Chalcraft, LSE; Ewan Stein, University of Edinburgh Chair: Toby Dodge, LSE Three years after the Arab uprisings started in Tunisia, a panel of academics reflect on the causes and drivers behind these seminal events, how they have transformed countries like Egypt; but also why they have had less impact in other countries, such as Saudi Arabia. Recorded on 4 December 2013.

Speaker: Christian Emery, University of Plymouth Chair: Roham Alvandi, LSE In this talk, Dr Emery discusses the main findings from his new book: 'US Foreign Policy and the Iranian Revolution: the Cold War Dynamics of Engagement and Strategic Alliance'. He focuses on how US policy objectives in Iran were refashioned in light of three major and converging crises: the Iran hostage crisis, the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, and the onset of the Iran-Iraq dynamic. Recorded on 2 December 2013. Image credit: U.S. Department of State, Flickr.

Speaker: Charles Shamas, MATTIN Group Chair: Federica Bicchi, LSE In July the European Commission published "guidelines on the eligibility of Israeli entities and their activities in the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 for grants, prizes and financial instruments funded by the EU from 2014 onwards." This step has been variously described as a 'political earthquake', a sanction targeting Israeli settlements and settlement policies, and a confrontational move to save the two-State solution and the Middle East Peace Process from final collapse. But what precisely is taking place and how did we get here? What are the likely political consequences? This presentation outlines the processes that have driven the EU's production of these guidelines. In this light it will examine the role of the EU as a normative power striving to respect international law and comply with its own law while intensifying EU-Israel relations. Recorded on 11 November 2013. We apologise that the question and answer session

Speaker: Christopher Schroeder Chair: Mark Schankerman, LSE Schroeder shares the stories of young Middle Eastern entrepreneurs and describes the broader economic and political challenges and opportunities facing them. He argues that the Middle East is a lens into a massive shift we should all be engaging in now. Recorded on 2 October 2013.

Speaker: Saleh Muslim Mohamed, Democratic Union Party (PYD) Chair: Robert Lowe, LSE MEC It is nine months since Kurds took control of towns in northern Syria, having established an unprecedented coalition of Kurdish parties. Saleh Muslim Mohamed, the co-President of the most prominent Syrian Kurdish party, assesses the progress of Kurdish politics and local government and the wider Syrian and regional context. Recorded on 3 May 2013.

Speakers: Karma Nabulsi, University of Oxford; Ilan Pappe, University of Exeter; Rosemary Hollis, City University London; Peter Kosminsky Chair: Jon Snow, Channel 4 News In this panel discussion, the speakers discuss aspects of the current situation in Palestine, including: Palestinian domestic politics, Israel’s position, the international dimension of the impasse and the insights into the conflict provided by film-making. Recorded on 26 April 2013.

Speaker: Roland Dannreuther, University of Westminster Chair: Fawaz Gerges, LSE When there are shifts in distribution of power in international politics, energy security emerges as a salient concern. Professor Dannreuther considers the implications of two shifts: first, the flow of energy from east to west (oil and gas) and the increasing links between Asia and energy-producing regions; and secondly, the flow from consumers of energy to producers of energy with the rise of resource nationalism. Recorded on 11 March 2013.

Speaker: Hazem Kandil, Cambridge University Chair: Fawaz Gerges, LSE Hazem Kandil explains why Egypt's popular uprising has so far failed to overthrow the regime through exploring the positions of the main players in the revolt: the military, security, and the various political factions. Recorded on 4 March 2013.

Speaker: Fawwaz Traboulsi, American University of Beirut Chair: Fawaz Gerges, LSE With few comprehensive histories of Lebanon, Professor Fawwaz Traboulsi's 'A History of Modern Lebanon, which weaves together more than five centuries of the country's social, political, cultural and economic history, has become a go-to reference for anyone who wants to understand the country. In this lecture, Traboulsi shares the problems he has faced in writing the history of Lebanon and how he has dealt and proposes to deal with these challenges. Recorded on 18 February 2013.

Speaker: Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies Chair: Fawaz Gerges, LSE While US policy towards Israel remains unchanged, the long-standing assumption that most Americans – even most Jewish Americans – agree with that policy no longer holds. In the media, in popular culture, in universities and particularly within the Jewish community, there are signs of major shifts. In conversation with Fawaz Gerges, Phyllis Bennis discusses these changes with reflection on her own political evolution from Zionist youth leader to anti-war internationalist and Palestinian human rights activist. Recorded on 8 February 2013.

Speakers: Lulu al-Sabah, Abolish Article 153; Hatoon al-Fassi, Qatar University Chair: Courtney Freer, LSE Kuwait Programme A great deal of misinformation exists about women's rights in the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In an effort to dispel outdated notions of women's places in such societies, top experts from the Gulf states will speak about the extent to which women today in the GCC face legal restrictions in everyday life and how women in the region are endeavouring to change the status quo. Recorded on 22 March 2017. This is an LSE Kuwait Programme event.

Speaker: Shafeeq Ghabra, Kuwait University Chair: Toby Dodge, LSE Middle East Centre Shafeeq Ghabra discusses some of the major political changes that the Arab world has undergone since 2011, focusing on power shifts, sectarianism, the role of youth groups and the challenges of reform in the region. He focuses in particular on the Gulf’s role in the Arab Spring and its aftermath, tracing GCC monarchies’ efforts at domestic reform and their involvement in the overarching political changes in the Middle East. Recorded on 12 January 2016. This is an LSE Kuwait Programme event.

Speaker: Courtney Freer, LSE Kuwait Programme Chair: Toby Dodge, LSE Middle East Centre Muslim Brotherhood affiliates in the Gulf are greatly discussed yet little understood. This lecture, based on findings from extensive field work in Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE, examines the historical and current political role of the Ikhwan in states traditionally considered impenetrable to Islamist movements due to their status as wealthy rentier states. Recorded on 11 November 2015. This is an LSE Kuwait Programme event.

Speaker: Michael Herb, Georgia State University Chair: Toby Dodge, LSE Despite recent setbacks, Kuwait's parliament remains the strongest amongst the GCC states. Michael Herb delves into Gulf history to explain why Kuwait's political system differs from those of its neighbours. Recorded on 18 March 2015. This is an LSE Kuwait Programme event.

Speaker: Kristin Smith Diwan, American University Chair: Toby Dodge, LSE MEC In November 2014 Bahrain held parliamentary elections which took place under an election boycott by the political opposition. This talk will explore the implication of these elections for Bahrain's political development and stability. It will also draw upon Kuwait's own recent experience with an opposition boycott to reflect more generally on the evolving political order in the Gulf states, in the context of the the failure of the 2011 Arab uprisings and the emergence of the threat of the Islamic State. Recorded on 20 January 2015. This is an LSE Kuwait Programme Event.