Iran's Interests in Afghanistan

This week on a special edition of Babel, Will Todman speaks with Jon Alterman, the creator of Babel and the show’s host since it began in 2019. They discuss Jon’s reflections on 22 years directing the CSIS Middle East Program, his analysis of how the Middle East policy ecosystem ...  Show more

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Mohanad's latest paper for Carnegie investigates the rise of a new form of drug smuggling in Lebanon. Together, they discuss Hezbollah’s i ...  Show more

Alix Kroeger in London speaks to the BBC’s world affairs editor John Simpson after his recent visit to Afghanistan.They talk about how life under the Taliban compares with the last time the regime was in power, where the country is getting aid from, and how the rest of the world ...  Show more

On this week's World Review from the New Statesman, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin, are joined by the NS's international correspondent Ido Vock and Ariane Tabatabai, Mid East Fellow at the Alliance for Security Democracy. They discuss Iran's role in its ...  Show more

Gideon talks to Tom Tugendhat, head of the UK parliament’s foreign affairs committee, about the US decision to finally withdraw from Afghanistan. How will this affect the credibility of the western powers and their ability to conduct successful military interventions abroad?<hr>< ...  Show more

Host Jonathan Kay interviews Afghanistan expert Terry Glavin about the complex mix of warlords and foreign players who may seek to undo the country’s takeover by Taliban forces