On this episode Elif and Michael talk with Ahmed Gatnash, co-founder of Kawaakibi Foundation about his new book 'The Middle East Crisis Factory' co-authored with Iyad El Baghdadi. They discuss the main themes in the book, the key linkages between the recent protest movements in Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan and Algeria and the wave of protests that swept the region in 2011, the role of civil society and diaspora in challenging the authoritarian regimes, the perception of Islamists as populist political actors, the relationship between ideology and democratic practices as well as key points to look out for in the coming decades.