Analysis: The Regional Fallout of Syria's Unr...

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

The ripple effects of Israel's wars in the Middle East are spinning out of control. Just last week, the Islamist Syrian rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) retook the city of Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria. How did they manage to do so, and how does the severe weake ...  Show more

Rebels in Syria have seized the capital Damascus and ousted President Bashar al-Assad has fled to Russia. We hear from the ground as the lightning advance spearheaded by Hayat al-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) marks one of the biggest turning points for the Middle East in generations - and ...  Show more

Over the past week, Syrian opposition fighters have seized control of Aleppo and advanced further south towards Hama. This unexpected move has reignited what was largely a frozen conflict. In response, the Syrian Army, with support from Russia and reportedly, Iraqi militias, has ...  Show more

Today, Les, Martha, Morgan, and Jeffrey discuss the recent fall of the Syrian city of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, to Al-Qaeda-linked rebel forces, reawakening the long-dormant civil war that began during the Arab Spring in 2011. Syrian and allied Russian forces have r ...