This conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizations.

Courtesy of the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies

This conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizations.

Courtesy of the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies

This conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizations.

Courtesy of the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies

This conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizations.

Courtesy of the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies

This conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizations.

Courtesy of the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies

This conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizations.

Courtesy of the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies

In 2017, Dr. Ahmad Dallal published a primer on ISIS, entitled The Political Theology of ISIS: Prophets, Messiahs, and the "Extinction of the Grayzone." In August 2018, Tadween Publishing's managing editor, Kylie Broderick, spoke to him about the ongoing significance of the book, the study of ISIS and its animating principles, whether such studies remain relevant given ISIS' loss of territoriality, what interested Dr. Dallal in pursuing an understanding of this group, and more.

This interview is part of the "Tadween Talks" series, which explores the books published by Tadween, catches them up to the present, connects them to ongoing challenges in the region, and asks the authors to opine directly on the meaning of their books.

For more information, visit https://tadweenpublishing.com/

Bassam Haddad spoke with Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, about Israel’s deportation order against him and the challenge HRW mounted in Israeli courts to this decision and the draconian law it is based on. The two also discussed Israel’s passage of the Nation State Law, enshrining Jewish supremacy over Palestinians as a constitutional mandate, and how shifting regional dynamics may impact the human rights situation on the ground.

On this episode of In Their Own Voices, Status host Osama Esber speaks with poet Amarji (Rami Youness), a poet and translator who lives in Syria.

August 25th, 2018 | Arabic

Rapper and Producer Hani al-Sawah (aka Al-Darwish) talks about his first complimentary rap battle, against Synaptik, that took place in The Arena ME Beirut.

Tracks sampled in this interview:

اسامينا

زمن المسخ

Interviewed by Mohammed Ali-Nayel
June 16th 2018 | Arabic

Assistant Director of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at Northwestern University, interviews author Gilbert Achcar on the subject of the continuing consequences of the Arab Spring and Achcar's most recent book, Morbid Symptoms.

Recorded July 10, 2018 at After-Words Books in Chicago.

Courtesy of Midwest Socialist and Northwestern University.

Rapper and Producer Nasser Shorbaji (aka Chyno) unpacks the Middle East's 1st official Rap Battle League in Beirut.

Between Damascus and London, Hamsa Mounif, a rising Syrian singer, has established a lot in a short period of time. She participated in several concerts both in Syria and around the world. She left Syria to England looking for better opportunities. She is trying to survive there, despite nostalgia and homesickness.

Interviewed by Raghad Al Makhlouf
July 23rd, 2018 | Arabic

Status host Raghad Al Makhlouf speaks with Lubana Al Quntar, a Syrian opera singer from Suwayda (a Druze stronghold south of Damascus), who had to flee the country because of her political opinions. Al Quntar has lived in the United States since 2011 and describes the difficulties and challenges she faced both personally and professionally in this transition.

Fighting for freedom and justice in Syria, Jihad Abdo and Fadia Affash had to flee their country and start from scratch in the United States. Jihad, a well-known actor in Syria, began as a pizza delivery man, but was soon recognized for his talents as an actor and landed leading roles in films such as "The Queen of the Desert" and "A Hologram for the King".

Fadia Affash, a painter and activist, recounts the challenges of their journey together, while recognizing the important impact those experiences have had on her work as an artist.

Interviewed by Raghad Al Makhlouf
June 2nd, 2018 | Arabic

Award-winning journalist Rania Abu Zeid has made countless trips inside Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Washington, and several European towns and cities to cover the Syrian uprising and the deadly civil and proxy war that ensued and destroyed tens of millions of lives.

Rania Abouzeid joins Status and VOMENA host Malihe Razazan to talk about her new book, "No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria".

Interviewed by Malihe Razazan | June 22nd, 2018

Courtesy of Voices of the Middle East & North Africa.

The interview is a dialogue with Ahmad Kiki, a Syrian young actor, who graduated from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus, Syria. Two years after his graduation, Kiki found himself in a prison, arrested because he stood up for freedom and justice in Syria. In this interview, Kiki recounts a painful story about fleeing from Syria to Turkey in a dangerous trip he had to make by sea. Even so, this journey of fear and suffering fortunately has a happy ending.

In a conversation with Status host and Jadaliyya editor Kylie Broderick, Dr. Dina El Khawaga speaks to 20 years of the Asfari Institute for Civil Society & Citizenship's initatives in the Middle East and North Africa. "[...] Usually we talk about civil society as a victim, and we want to do the contrary. We want always to underline the fact that there are a lot of success stories that we forget to tell about civil society and civil initiatives," says Dr. El Khawaga.

For more content from the Asfari Institute for Civil Society & Citizenship, visit their Status Hour partner page at www.statushour.com

The interview is a dialogue with Ahmad Kiki, a Syrian young actor, who graduated from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus, Syria. Two years after his graduation, Kiki found himself in a prison, arrested because he stood up for freedom and justice in Syria. In this interview, Kiki recounts a painful story about fleeing from Syria to Turkey in a dangerous trip he had to make by sea. Even so, this journey of fear and suffering fortunately has a happy ending.

What were the primary concerns of Iraqis in the run up to the election and who were the main protagonists contending for power? What does the outcome mean to both regional and international actors? To answer these questions, Vomena’s Shahram Aghamir spoke with Loulouwa Al Rachid, who has been conducting research on Iraq and the Gulf region for the past 20 years. She argues that the elections highlighted the wide and dangerous gap between rulers and the ruled in Iraq by reflecting massive popular rejection of the post-Baath political order.

Meet Lebanese composer, producer and guitarist for the band Kinematik, Anthony Sahyoun or Mme Chandelier. Rather, Anthony Sahyoun with Mme Chandelier. The two are interchangeable - the same person, yet two sides to the same coin.

February 22nd, 2018 | English
Interviewed by Paola C. Messina

لقاء مع الفنانة التشكيلية السورية عتاب حريب المقيمة في اميريكا, يتناول اللقاء مجموعة اسئلة عن الوطن والمنفى, عن رحلة البحث عن الحرية داخل وخارج الوطن. تحدثنا عتاب عن تجربتها الخاصة في سوريا واميريكا, عن الاحلام و الخذلان. يتطرق الحوار أيضا الى سياسات ادارة الرئيس الاميريكي ترامب تجاه الاجئين و الاثر الذي تركته هذه السياسيات في حياة عتاب و حياة السوريين بشكل عام.

March 8th, 2018 | Arabic
Interviewed by Raghad Almakhlouf

Music in this episode by Ollie North "Arabesque I".

Circa 2012, a refurbished house in the Beiruti neighborhood of Ras El Nabeh became a space for practitioners and lovers of the visual arts. A collective - of those looking to practice, connect and exchange experiences on everything from printmaking to animation - was formed.

David Habchy, one of the founders of the NGO and a Lebanese multimedia artist, describes WARAQ as a space that allows for a deeper experimentation of artistic processes and a challenge to the idea of the artist as an isolated maker.

In this conversation, which took place at the headquarters of WARAQ in Beirut, David also speaks to his own interests as an artist and experiences up to this point in his career as a multimedia artist.

February 20th, 2018 | English
Interviewed by Paola C. Messina

Music in this episode by Ollie North "Arabesque I".

A young filmmaker investigates the legend of 'Manivelle', an automaton gifted to Lebanon in 1945 that still haunts an abandoned mansion in Beirut. After being coaxed back into the limelight, the people who knew him come forward to speak out and the myth that 'Manivelle' has constructed around himself starts to unravel.

This is the synopsis of "The Last Days of the Man of Tomorrow" (آخر أيّام رجل الغَد). Status Host Paola Messina sat down with Fadi Baki in his home in Beirut to talk about the making of the film, its protagonist (Manivelle), and the many meanings his story may present to audiences in Lebanon and around the world.

March 19th, 2018 | English
Interviewed by Paola C. Messina

Muhammad Isa Waley discusses his experience working for over four decades with manuscripts from the Islamic world and provides a broad, rich overview of the study of Islamic manuscripts from various eras and regions in this lecture at George Mason University.

Hosted by the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies
February 6th, 2018 | English

A well-known figure in the tight-knit Beirut music scene is Fadi Tabbal - a Lebanese-born musician, band manager and engineer who founded Tunefork Recording Studios in Burj Hammoud. In this conversation, Fadi speaks of his decision to return to Beirut after studying in Canada, current projects, and his hopes for the future of the city's music scene.

Omar Youssef Souleimane, a Syrian award-winning poet and journalist, discusses his new book Le Petit Terroriste (“The Little Terrorist”) (2018) which was published in French by Flammarion, Paris and reflects on the seventh anniversary of the Syrian Revolution.

March 17th, 2018 | Arabic

In the third and final installment of the panel on Authoritarian Leaders in Asia and the Middle East, the speakers discuss the relationships that the leaders have with their military. They then take questions from the audience.

In Part II, the panelists delve deeper into their respective case-studies, highlighting similarities and differences between certain authoritarian leaders, while addressing other topics, such as how each leader makes use of 'grievances' as a tool to maintain power.

Courtesy of Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS)
February 15th, 2018 | English

In Part I, the speakers introduce themselves and speak of examples of authoritarianism in countries such as Turkey, China, North Korea and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Courtesy of Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS)
February 15th, 2018 | English

A conversation with Gaza based writer Rawan Yaghi about daily life in Gaza.

In her recent op-ed in the New York Times, titled “Gaza Screams for Life,” Gaza-based writer Rawan Yaghi describes her visit to the site of the Great March of Return protest at the border two days after Friday’s massacre. She writes, “I left the protest thinking of the rest of Gaza — shellshocked for years, its borders closed and its United Nations-funded infrastructure in decay. I thought of the kids in my neighborhood who play football in what used to be the ground floor of a tall residential building, with bare concrete columns and poking iron rods as their only audience. And I thought: Once again, Gaza the Injured has come out to protest, and to scream for life.”

April 5th, 2018 | English
Interviewed by Malihe Razazan
Courtesy of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa (VOMENA)

VOMENA (Voices of the Middle East and North Africa) Producer Shahram Aghamir spoke with Dr. Cengiz Gunes who is an Associate Lecturer at the Open University in the UK about the Turkish invasion of Afrin, an enclave in North Western Syria, on January 20th.

March 22nd, 2018 | English
Interviewed by Shahram Aghamir
Courtesy of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa (VOMENA)

A conversation with Gaza based human rights activist and legal researcher for the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Mohamad Abu Hashem, about the Great March of Return.

April 5th, 2018 | English
Interviewed by Mira Nabulsi
Courtesy of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa (VOMENA)

On Friday 30 March 2018, thirty-thousand Palestinians in the Gaza Strip organized the largest civil protest in recent history in Palestine. The effort, known as the March of Return, is meant to commemorate the Land Day protests organized by Palestinian citizens of Israel in response to Israeli land confiscations and to last through the Palestinian Nakba on 15 May 2018, also known as Israel’s independence day.

On the first day of the March of Return, Israeli snipers shot to kill 18 Palestinians and injured 1,400 others across the militarized border against the unarmed demonstrators who were within the Gaza Strip’s buffer zone and posed no threat to the soldiers.

In this interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Status host Noura Erakat places the march in context and discusses the mainstream media’s inability to understand or explain this mass civil uprising.

Yemeni journalist and political commentator Sama'a Al-Hamdani discusses current events in the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia's continued war in Yemen and arrests of members of the royal family, the death of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the ongoing diplomatic crisis in the GCC, its legal implications, and more.

Courtesy of Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
January 19th, 2018 | English

In a talk based on his most recent book, Dr. Lahouari attempts to assess the history and political legacy of radical Arab nationalism to show that it contained the seeds of its own destruction. While the revolutionary regimes promised economic and social development and sought the unity of Arab nations, they did not account for social transformations, such as freedom of speech, that would eventually lead to their decline. But while radical Arab nationalism fell apart, authoritarian populism did not disappear. Today it is expressed by political Islam that aims to achieve the kind of social justice radical Arab nationalism once promised.

Dr. Lahouari creatively links the past and present while also raising questions about the future of Arab countries. Is political Islam the heir of radical Arab nationalism? If political Islam succeeds, will it face the same challenges faced by radical Arab nationalism? Will it be able to implement modernity? The future of Arab countries, Addi says, depends on this crucial issue.

Courtesy of Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
January 12th, 2018 | English

Max Geller and Tabitha Mustafa, of the New Orleans Palestinian Solidarity Committee, discuss the campaign that culminated in the resolution, as well as the fall-out that followed it.

Interviewed by Noura Erakat | English
February 25th, 2018

Courtesy of the LSE Middle East Centre.

Seven years since the popular uprising that shook Egypt, the relationships between state, society, social movements and corporate power have been reconfigured, perhaps even disfigured. On the eve of the anniversary of the January 25 revolution, Adel Iskandar reflects on these changes and asks how they have affected our understanding of social, cultural and political life in the country. He argues that Egypt today is a replica of various historic Egypts, each manifesting as an effigy built for either public scrutiny or glorification.

January 24th, 2018 | English
Recorded at the Wolfson Theatre in London, England
(Note: Recording ends abruptly due to technical difficulties)

Adel Iskandar is Director of the Global Communication Program at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Vancouver. He is the author of several works on Egypt and Arab media, including "Egypt In Flux: Essays on an Unfinished Revolution" (IB Taurus, 2013) and "Mediating the Arab Uprisings" (Tadween Publishing, 2012). He is a co-editor of Jadaliyya and an associate producer of the Status audio journal.