Lse Middle East Centre Podcasts

Following the signing of the US-brokered "Abraham Accord" between the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel in September 2020, this webinar will explore the background and implications of this agreement for the Middle East and Arab-Israeli relations. It will address the reasons for exposing long-clandestine Israeli-Gulf links, the possible impact of this development on Israeli-Palestinian relations, and the likelihood of additional peace agreements between Israel and Arab countries. Ebtesam Al-Ketbi is Founder and President of the Emirates Policy Center, the UAE's leading foreign policy and security think tank. She is a professor of political science at the United Arab Emirates University and a member of the Consultative Commission of the Gulf Cooperation Council. She has served in several capacities, including: as the secretary general of the Gulf Development Forum; as a board member of the Association of Political Sciences; as a member of the board of trustees of the Arab Unity Studies Center; as a mem

This event will be a discussion around the Omani Union (1952-1965), an overlooked political group that represents a seminal stage in the emergence of the leftist current in Oman. While the Dhofar Revolution has received increasing scholarly attention, comparatively little is known of the Jabal Akhdar (or Green Mountain) Uprising of the 1950s and early 60s, which sought independence for inner Oman under the rule of the Imam of the Ibadi sect. Despite the Imamate’s religious and tribal nature, the Omani Union’s educated and cosmopolitan cadres became closely aligned with it, imbuing its discourse with Arab nationalist, leftist, and Third Worldist ideas. They portrayed the “Omani Revolution” as parallel to those of Palestine and Algeria, forming part of the Pan-Arab awakening led by Nasserist Egypt, and a broader Afro-Asian struggle for independence. Moreover, they sought to transform the Imamate movement into a progressive patriotic front uniting all Omanis in armed struggle against the forces of reaction and

This event is the launch of Dr Jessica Watkins' latest paper Iran in Iraq: The Limits of 'Smart Power' Amidst Public Protest. Post 2003, Iran has shown greater aptitude than Western states for penetrating Iraqi politics and society, producing ‘smart power’ by manipulating the combination of identity politics, patronage networks, and coercion which have become prevalent in both. But Iranian interference has been a major source of grievance for Iraqis since the outbreak of the October 2019 popular protests, undermining the Islamic Republic’s non-coercive influence. This paper situates Iran’s influence-gaining strategies in Iraq within its broader regional foreign policy objectives. Focusing on heritage, religious authority, charitable activities and media broadcasting, the paper draws on Arabic and Farsi language social and traditional media sources to argue that while the Islamic Republic has invested in potential sources of ‘soft power’ to broadly appeal to Iraqis, it has prioritised core support groups wh

As the threat of further foreign military intervention looms over Libya, this webinar will explore the complicated relationships and tensions that exist amongst European states as well as actors such as Egypt, Turkey and Russia. The panel will also discuss the most important next steps to be taken by domestic and international actors to ensure a meaningful political settlement for Libyans. Jalel Harchaoui is a Research Fellow in the Conflict Research Unit at the Clingendael Institute. His work focuses on Libya, covering aspects such as the country’s security landscape and political economy. Jalel holds a master’s degree in Geopolitics from Paris 8 University. His doctoral research has focused on the international dimension of the Libyan conflict. A frequent commentator on Libya in the international press, he has published widely, including in Foreign Affairs, Lawfare, Politique Étrangère, Middle East Eye, and Small Arms Survey. Elham Saudi is the co-founder and Director of Lawyers for Justice in Libya (LFJL

This is an online launch for Simon Mabon's latest book Houses Built on Sand: Violence, Sectarianism and Revolution in the Middle East. The events of the Arab Uprisings posed an existential challenge to sovereign power across the Middle East. Whilst popular movements resulted in the toppling of authoritarian rule in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen, other regimes were able to withstand these pressures. This book questions why some regimes fell whilst others were able to survive. Drawing on the work of political theorists such as Agamben and Arendt, Mabon explores the ways in which sovereign power is contested, resulting in the fragmentation of political projects across the region. Combining an innovative theoretical approach with interviews with people across the region and beyond, Mabon paints a picture of Middle Eastern politics dominated by elites seeking to maintain power and wealth, seemingly at whatever cost. This, for Mabon, is a consequence of the emergence and development of particular visions of political

This is an online launch for Ben Hubbard's book 'MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed Bin Salman'. MBS is the untold story of how a mysterious young prince emerged from Saudi Arabia’s sprawling royal family to overhaul the economy and society of the richest country in the Middle East—and gather as much power as possible into his own hands. Based on years of reporting and hundreds of interviews, MBS reveals the machinations behind the kingdom’s catastrophic military intervention in Yemen, the bizarre detention of princes and businessmen in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton, and the shifting Saudi relationships with Israel and the United States. And finally, it sheds new light on the greatest scandal of the young autocrat’s rise: the brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, a crime that shook Saudi Arabia’s relationship with Washington and left the world wondering whether MBS could get away with murder. The book is available to purchase here: https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/978000834055

This webinar will assess the current state of affairs in MENA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers will look at the effects of the virus in the context of a region already in need of reformed healthcare institutions that not only improve quality, but enable access for all. Speakers will also assess the economic impact of the virus, highlight country examples such as Yemen and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as well as specific concerns around the impact on migrant workers in the region. This session is part of a larger day-long event organised by the LSE Institute of Global Affairs and the School of Public Policy for the London launch of the Maryam Forum. This day-long event is an opportunity to bring the whole school together at a time of uncertainty and need for reflection and policy action. To register your interest for other sessions during the day please click here. Rothna Begum is a senior women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW). She has focused on discrimination and violence a

This webinar will be the launch of Pejman Abdolmohammadi and Giampiero Cama's latest book Contemporary Domestic and Foreign Policies of Iran. Although Professor Abdolmohammadi will be leading the talk, Professor Cama will also be in attendance to answer any questions during the session. This book is a comprehensive analysis of the domestic and foreign politics of Iran, focusing on its complex nature from political, social and cultural perspectives. It has adopted a multidisciplinary approach, combining comparative politics and intellectual and modern history with international relations. It analyses the institutional structure of the Islamic Republic, the main political and social actors and alliances, as well as Iranian opposition forces both inside and outside the country. The book tries to simplify the seemingly intractable complexity of the Islamic Republic by demystifying it and using political science methods to prove that it is a peculiar hybrid regime. Pejman Abdolmohammadi is a Senior Assistant Pro

Urbanisation is one of the central forces shaping social life in the Arab region. As cities grow, disappear, and organise new realities, critical debate on urban policies, histories and everyday life becomes crucial. Arab Urbanism is a new online platform that gives space for urbanists to document, debate and disseminate knowledge on the past, present and future of cities in the region. This panel will discuss the launch of the bi-lingual magazine that aims to bridge academia and urban practice, and highlight critical knowledge from and on the region. Speakers will share their thoughts on the aim behind the platform, the editorial processes, the Arab Urbanism collective, and the state of urban research on and in the Arab World. Nadi Abusaada is a Ph.D. candidate in architecture at the University of Cambridge. He is a Cambridge Trust scholar and member of the Centre for Urban Conflicts Research. His research focuses on urban governance and architectural shifts in Levantine cities in the 19th and early 20th

PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately we had some technical difficulties towards the end of the webinar which meant that the recording had to be cut off early. Since 2003, despite an abundance of resources and a more pluralistic political settlement, Iraq’s economic reform process has failed to take off. Alexander Hamilton's new paper explores the link between the evolution and consolidation of Iraq’s post-2003 political settlement and how this has impacted the incentives decision-makers face when implementing economic policy. Paradoxically, the fact that the settlement has accommodated more groups than its repressive predecessor has not resulted in more inclusive or long-term oriented economic decision-making. This is because the inclusion of more (elite) groups reflects the fact that more actors can now generate violence if they are not placated with state-generated rents. Transitioning away from policy-makers’ consequent short-termism will require patient economic reforms, slowly creating new pressures on political

With three inconclusive elections and a political stalemate eventually leading to the formation of a unity government, all under the spectre of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption charges, this event will analyse Israel's unprecedented political crisis. Speakers will discuss what to make of the deal between Netanyahu and Benny Gantz of the Blue and White Party, and what this means for Palestinians both inside Israel and in the Occupied Territories, particularly in the context of current annexation plans. Yara Hawari is the Senior Palestine Policy Fellow of Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network. She completed her PhD in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter, where she taught various undergraduate courses and continues to be an honorary research fellow. In addition to her academic work which focused on indigenous studies and oral history, she is also a frequent political commentator writing for various media outlets including The Guardian, Foreign Policy and Al Jazeera English. Dan

This webinar was a discussion around Fanar Haddad's latest book Understanding 'Sectarianism': Sunni-Shi'a Relations in the Modern Arab World. This book seeks to move the study of modern sectarian dynamics beyond analytically paralysing dichotomies by shifting the focus away from the meaningless '-ism' towards the root: sectarian identity. How are Sunni and Shi'a identities imagined, experienced and negotiated and how do they relate to and interact with other identities? Looking at the modern history of the Arab world, Haddad seeks to understand sectarian identity not as a monochrome frame of identification but as a multi-layered concept that operates on several dimensions: religious, subnational, national and transnational. Far from a uniquely Middle Eastern, Arab, or Islamic phenomenon, a better understanding of sectarian identity reveals that the many facets of sectarian relations that are misleadingly labelled ‘sectarianism’ are echoed in intergroup relations worldwide. Fanar Haddad is a Senior Research

The United Nations Security Council endorsed the UN Secretary-General's call last month for warring parties in Yemen to immediately cease fighting and focus on reaching a peace agreement whilst countering the outbreak of the coronavirus. The coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, responded with a two week ceasefire which was renewed for another month. While the cross border hostilities de-escalated, the conflict fronts inside Yemen continued to boil. This event will reflect on the challenges and possibilities for a comprehensive and inclusive peace agreement in Yemen. The speakers will discuss lessons learned from previous peace talks and ceasefire initiatives. They will also shed light on the national and regional dynamics affecting the peace process in Yemen. This event is co-organised with the Peace Track Initiative, an organisation that works on localising and feminising the peace process by supporting inclusive peace processes. Their role in holding Track II consultations with women’s groups and the role of w

Join us online for this public webinar where we will be joined by Amel Boubekeur, Visiting Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. After the first presidential election since the removal of Abdelaziz Bouteflika in December 2019, this event will discuss the origins of the Hirak, it's liabilities and assets, and to what extent Algeria can be looked at as a case study for transition in the region. Amel Boubekeur researches at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences) and is a visiting fellow at the European Council for Foreign Relations. Her research focuses on the Maghreb countries' politics, democratization in the Arab world, Euro-Arab/US–Arab relations, and Islam in Europe. She has been a research associate at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and the Centre Jacques Berque, a non-resident fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP-Berlin), a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center, a resident s

This is the first of our webinar series where we were joined by Jim Muir, veteran Middle East correspondent based in Beirut, where he began his career in the region in 1975. In this video linkup, he discussed the impact of the coronavirus on Lebanon, its uprising, and its future. Even before the coronavirus struck, Lebanon was in the grip of an existential crisis. On March 7th, it defaulted on its Eurobond debt servicing, for the first time ever. The "revolution" which erupted on 17 October 2019 accelerated a dire economic and financial crisis and challenged 30 years of incompetent sectarian governance. Hundreds of businesses have had to close, sending more jobless people onto the streets. The coronavirus may have given the new government a political breathing space, but it will aggravate further a crisis which has already destroyed the credibility of the country's banking system, always seen as its sacred spinal column. Jim Muir is a British journalist and BBC Middle East Correspondent. After taking a fi

Civilian state-owned enterprises in Egypt are in trouble, but military companies are being used to expand the state's stake in the economy. In this talk, Yezid Sayigh will explore the ramifications of this military economy, and how it makes it easier to shift costs and hide losses to the public purse, while continuing to secure the core constituencies of the administration of President Abdel-Fattah Sisi and his governing coalition in the civilian bureaucracy and, especially, the military. Yezid Sayigh is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, where he leads the program on Civil-Military Relations in Arab States (CMRAS). His work focuses on the comparative political and economic roles of Arab armed forces and nonstate actors, the impact of war on states and societies, and the politics of postconflict reconstruction and security sector transformation in Arab transitions, and authoritarian resurgence. Previously, Sayigh held teaching and research positions at King’s College London, the Un

This event launches Crony Capitalism in the Middle East: Business and Politics, from Liberalization to the Arab Spring edited by Ishac Diwan, Adeel Malik, and Izak Atiyas. The popular uprisings in 2011 that overthrew Arab dictators were also a rebuke to crony capitalism, diverted against both rulers and their allied businessmen who monopolize all economic opportunities. While the Middle East has witnessed a growing nexus between business and politics in the wake of liberalization, little is discussed about the nature of business cronies, the sectors in which they operate, the mechanisms used to favour them, and the possible impact of such crony relations on the region's development. Combining inputs from leading scholars in the field, Crony Capitalism in the Middle East presents a wealth of empirical evidence on the form and function of this aspect of the region. Crony Capitalism in the Middle East is unique in both its empirical focus and comparative scale. Analysis in individual chapters is empirically gr

Decolonisation is a commonly used term in today's cultural sphere. We regularly hear of the decolonisation of syllabi, of academic institutions, of literature, and of the arts. Yet, there is an ironic dissonance between prevalent agendas of decolonisation in western countries and the actual realities of contemporary colonialism. Can there be meaningful decolonisation without genuine anti-colonialism? Can cultural and academic decolonisation be detached from internationalist solidarity? These are some of the questions that will be posed by Professor Abdel Razzaq Takriti in this talk, with specific reference to Palestinian history and politics. Abdel Razzaq Takriti is Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History and Director of the Center for Arab Studies at the University of Houston. His research focuses on the history of revolutions, anti-colonialism, global intellectual currents, and state formation in the modern Arab world. He is the author of Monsoon Revolution: Republicans, Sultans,

This event will explore the fallout of the recent murders of Qasim Soleimani, Commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the senior commander of al-Hashd al-Shaabi and the founder of Kata'ib Hezbollah. The assassination, on 2 January 2020, of Qasim Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis has thrown Iraqi and wider regional politics into turmoil. Soleimani was one of the most senior figures controlling Iranian foreign policy. Al-Muhandis, as the senior military commander in al-Hashd al-Shaabi, wielded as much if not more influence in Iraq than any other government figure. The speakers will discuss the likely regional and Iraqi fallout from their murders, how Soleimani’s death will influence Iranian power projection across the region, what retaliatory moves Iran is likely to undertake, the ramifications for Iraqi politics and security and how the ongoing protest movement will be affected. Toby Dodge is Kuwait Professor and Director of the Kuwait Programme

This event is a launch for Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Sam Dagher's latest book Assad or We Burn the Country: How One Family's Lust for Power Destroyed Syria. In spring 2011, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad turned to his friend and army commander, Manaf Tlass, for advice about how to respond to Arab Spring-inspired protests. Tlass pushed for conciliation but Assad decided to crush the uprising -- an act which would catapult the country into an eight-year long war, killing almost half a million and fueling terrorism and a global refugee crisis. Assad or We Burn the Country examines Syria's tragedy through the generational saga of the Assad and Tlass families, once deeply intertwined and now estranged in Bashar's bloody quest to preserve his father's inheritance. By drawing on his own reporting experience in Damascus and exclusive interviews with Tlass, Dagher takes readers within palace walls to reveal the family behind the destruction of a country and the chaos of an entire region. Dagher shows how