How Authoritarianism Came to One Istanbul Street
Journalist and author Suzy Hansen joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss what one Istanbul neighborhood reveals about Turkey under Erdoğan, and her new book, "From Life Itself."
How Halfaya and Idlib Replaced Qardaha at the Heart of Syrian Power
A year on from Assad's fall, the areas that formed the backbone of the armed revolution, above all Halfaya and rural Idlib, have become the primary recruiting ground for Syria's new ruling elite.
The Lost Consciousness of Pre-Islamic Arabic Poetry
A century ago, a vital debate was ignited over the authenticity of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry. Among the many reasons to accept the antiquity of much of this body of verse is the distinct mindset it reveals, in which humans stand fully within the natural world.
Inside Hezbollah’s Two-Decade Project To Shape the Houthis
In 2007, two operatives, one Iranian, one from Hezbollah, sat down to dinner at a restaurant outside Damascus and started discussing Yemen. What followed was nearly two decades of military assistance, mediation, media training and political network-weaving that turned a marginal movement into the most powerful actor in Yemen.
Can Syria’s Trains Get Back on Track?
As plans for overland corridors linking the Gulf to the Mediterranean regain momentum, Syria is being cast as a hub for regional trade. Yet on the ground, a shattered railway network and aging infrastructure reveal the vast gap between these ambitions and reality.