A Mezze: Help Wanted, But Not Found

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

Headlines :  - UAE's Crackdown on Illegal Money Transfers, Hawala, is 'working' - UAE and Saudi companies use long-term salary bonuses to attract CEO talent - Dubai’s Emirates NBD and BlackRock to bring private market investments to its wealth management clients - Almarai's Appli ...  Show more

The United Arab Emirates projects an image of level-headed calm in the Gulf. Its actions abroad, however, betray a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/04/16/the-uae-preaches-unity-at-home-but-pursues-division-abroad?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio ...

The first disappointment from payrolls in what seems like forever is only the start. It follows a number of increasingly ugly developments including a solid shocker from the US services sector - and its own measure of employment. In addition to reviewing the latest updates, Je ...

HEADLINES:♦ Egypt Plans To Offer New Investment Opportunities To US Firms♦ Mubadala Backs Dubai-Based Restaurant Payments Startup Qlub In $30M Funding Round♦ US Officials Stall UAE’s Access To Nvidia AI Chips Over Security Fears♦ Musk’s Grok Bot Accuses X of Censoring Pro-Palesti ...  Show more