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Middle East Focus is a weekly podcast featuring talk and analysis on U.S. foreign policy, contemporary political and social issues in the Middle East, and the arts and culture of region. It is produced by the Middle East Institute, a non-partisan think tank in Washington, D.C. For more information visit www.mei.edu.

  1. All Episodes
  2. 2019
  3. 04

A tricky time for Turkey

Apr 25, 2019

Former US Ambassador to Turkey W. Robert Pearson and Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, join host Alistair Taylor to discuss Turkey’s March local elections, in which the long-ruling AK party faced significant setbacks, and where Turkey’s economic challenges and strained foreign relations stand today.

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Entrepreneurship and startups in MENA

Apr 19, 2019

Niama El Bassunie, CEO of Ways to Cap, Rob Tashima, VP and head of innovations at Village Capital, and Faisal Hakki, managing partner of AB Ventures join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the importance of building new businesses in the Middle East and North Africa to drive economic development and job creation.

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US designates IRGC as a terrorist organization

Apr 12, 2019

MEI Senior Fellow Alex Vatanka and Omar Al-Nidawi, a Middle East analyst focusing on Iraqi political, security and energy affairs, join host Alistair Taylor to discuss what the designation means in practical terms, how Tehran has responded, and its implications for the region going forward.

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Will elections shake up Israeli politics?

Apr 3, 2019

After a decade in power, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces significant headwinds in the forms of a strong challenge from the new Blue and White party and the specter of multiple criminal indictments. Natan Sachs, Amir Tibon, and Grace Wermenbol join host Alistair Taylor to discuss whether this could be the year of...

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