Iraq's new Prime Minster Ali al-Zaidi took his first foreign visit to the US, followed shortly after with a trip to Tehran.  A political outsider and a surprise winner of the race to be prime minster, Ali al-Zaidi has a considerable inbox. And at the top is how to guide the country through the ongoing war between Iran and the US, its two closest allies.  On top of this, al-Zaidi has launched a crackdown on corruption and his seeking to disarm the myriad of armed groups in the country.  This week, we look at the new prime minster and how he came to office, his personal crusades, and the challenges he will face during this time of war.  Joining us is Lahib Higel (@LahibHigel), Deputy Program Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup); and Renad Mansour (@renadmansour), Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House (@ChathamHouse), and the Director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]        

For months now, Iran has been pounded by American and Israeli missiles and bombs. Much of the leadership has been eliminated, including the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. After a short period of calm, when it was hoped that diplomacy would prevail, it appears as though war has returned for the time being.  Much focus has been given to what the US and Israel are thinking, and how the Gulf states are coping with Iranian attacks on cities, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. But what's happening inside Iran.  What’s the damage to the country? What does the leadership want from the conflict? How are the Iranian people viewing the regime, and does it have a future? To help us unpick Iran, we spoke with Alex Vatanka, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, who specialises in Iran. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

The Gulf has been a key target for Iranian missiles and drones. Iran has struck infrastructure, oil and gas installations, civilian areas, and US military bases. These attacks have struck at the heart of the Gulf's image as a safe and stable environment.  While the region deals with Iranian attacks, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been working out how to deal with each other. The Saudi-Emirati rivialry has been rumbling on for a number of years now, and during this conflict, they both have conflicting ideas about how to deal with Iran, who they should be allied with, and how they can protect their economies.  This week, how have the Saudi and Emirati economies been impacted by the war? Why did the UAE leave OPEC? And what do these two competing regional powers what in Iran? Joining us to discuss the UAE and how it has been impacted by the war is Giorgio Cafiero (@GiorgioCafiero), CEO of Gulf State Analytics (@GulfStateAnalyt), and adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University (@Georgetown). And to guide us through Saudi Arabia, we speak with Kristian Coates Ulrichsen (@Dr_Ulrichsen), Fellow for the Middle East at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy (@BakerInstitute). This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

As the region scrambles to secure a ceasefire in Iran, the ceasefire in Gaza looks more unstable by the day.  Israel continues to bomb the besieged enclave, killing civilans and adding to the misery that the people of Gaza have had to endure for over two years now.  While the people of Gaza suffer, Hamas have been choosing a new leader.  Many of its leadership were killed during the war and the group needs a new leader to guide it into the future.  This week, we look at the state of the ceasefire in Gaza, the bodies that were created as part of the ceasefire, the humanitarian crisis.  Also, we examine the frontrunners in race to be the new leader of Hamas, their differences, and what the future holds for Hamas in light of the ongoing war in Iran.  Joining us to look at the ceasefire deal we're joined by Yousef Munayyer, Head of the Palestine Israel Program at Arab Center Washington, DC (@ArabCenterDC). And to talk us through the race to be Hamas' new leader, we speak with Jaser AbuMoussa, Senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst) in, Washington, DC, and senior policy advisor at the International Peace Institute in New York. You can read Jaser's Substack here. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

As global attention is held by the US, Iran, and the Strait of Hormuz, in the West Bank, Israeli settlers are running wild and spreading terror.  Settler violence has been a problem for years, but recently it has ramped up, with attacks happening daily. On top of this the Netanyahu government is approving more settlements in West Bank and implementing more legal writs to force Palestinians from their land.  In April, a handful of EU states decided to speak out and called for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, on the grounds that Israel was not upholding human rights.  This week, we look at the rising level of settler violence in the West Bank, the approval of new settlements, the ties between Israel and the EU, and if the tide is turning against Israel at the EU.  To discuss the violence in the West Bank, we speak with Yara Asi (@Yara_M_Asi), Assistant Professor of Global Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida, and co-director of the Palestine Program for Health and Human Rights, and author of How War Kills: The Overlooked Threats to Our Health And to guide us through the workings of the EU's workings with Israel, we speak with Isabel Ruck (@isabel_ruck), Head of Research and Scientific Corporation at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Paris (@CarepParis). This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

After four week of war, a ceasefire between Iran and the US has been reached.  While the details remain hazy, it is a welcome development, and the region has taken a step back from the edge. But in Lebanon, the bombing continues.  The ceasefire deal would not include the war in Lebanon, where Israel would be free to continue its war against Hezbollah.  This week, what does Israel want in Lebanon? Can Hezbollah be disarmed? And what can the Lebanese government do to bring peace and stability to its lands? Joining us to discuss Hezbollah and the options for the Lebanese government is Yezid Sayigh (@SayighYezid), Senior fellow at the Malcolm H Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut (@CarnegieMEC). And to give us the view from Israel, we speak with Mairav Zonszein (@MairavZ), Senior Analyst on Israel for International Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup) and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times (@nytimes). This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

The US and Israel continue to launch daily airstrikes against Iran.  As a new Supreme Leader was elected, the country's leadership continues to be targeted and killed.  And as Israeli and US planes drop bomb, Iran is flinging missiles across the region, targeting Israel and the Gulf.  This week on The New Arab Voice podcast, we look at if the US objectives and reasoning for the war, what they are targeting in Iran, and what successes they been having, and what they have not been hitting. Also, we look at the Gulf, who have been on the dangerous end of Iranian missiles. Why is Iran targeting the Gulf? How does the Gulf feel about being dragged into this war? What impact do the attack in the Strait of Hormuz have on the Gulf? And what does the Gulf what from this war.  To discuss the US and Israeli strike, we speak with Annika Ganzeveld, Middle East Portfolio Manager at the Critical Threats Project (@criticalthreats). And to explain what's happening with the Gulf, we speak with Dr. Andreas Krieg (@andreas_krieg), Associate Professor at King's College London (@KingsCollegeLon), at the School of Security Studies. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

Iran has changed forever.  The US and Israel are firing missiles and dropping bombs on targets across Iran. Senior figures from the regime and the IRGC are being assassinated. Ayatollah Khamenei was killed on the first day of the war. The future of Iran is still being written.  On this week's episode of The New Arab Voice podcast, we look at recent events in Iran, and ask what are the ambitions of US President Donald Trump and the US military. We also look at the opposition inside and outside the country, and who might be able to step up and lead Iran in the future.  We're joined by Charles W. Dunne, non-resident fellow at the Arab Center Washington D.C and Adjunct Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. And Alex Vatanka,  Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute and author of The Battle of the Ayatollahs in Iran: The United States, Foreign Policy and Political Rivalry since 1979. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

Just over a year from the start of the new government in Syria, violence returned to Aleppo.  In January, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the forces of the interim Syrian government clashed in the Aleppo areas of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah. The SDF came off worse and were forced to retreat back to the northeast; and such was the scale of the defeat, they were forced into signing a deal that will see the SDF integrated into the Syrian army. For almost a year, the SDF has been resisting such a deal.  This week, we look at the fighting in Aleppo, the deal that has been signed, and why, the status of the SDF and Syria's Kurds, and what these event mean for the Syria that President al-Sharaa is building. We're joined by Dr. Rahaf Aldoughli (@r_aldoughli), senior editor at Cogent Social Sciences and fellow at the Arab Reform Initiative (@ArabReform_ARI), and also, Joseph Daher (@JosephDaher19), a Syrian academic and specialist on the political economy of the Middle East. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As 2025 was coming to a close, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen decided they had one last roll of the dice to make. At the start of December, the STC launched a military operation to seize the eastern governorates of Yemen. They quickly swept across the region, with arms supplied by the UAE. It was a great success, until the Yemeni government, backed by Saudi Arabia, fought back. This week on The New Arab Voice podcast, we look at the STC's offensive in the east of Yemen, the fight back by the Yemeni government, and the impact that these operations have had on the balance of power in Yemen.On this episode, we're joined by Yasmeen al-Eryani, the Executive Director for Knowledge Production at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies (@SanaaCenter), and Baraa Shiban (@BShtwtr), researcher and political analyst on Yemen and the Gulf, and an Associate Fellow with the Royal United Services Institute in London (@RUSI_org). Also, Mohamed al-Sahimi. Head of the STC UK office.This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.