NIACast

Fatima Ayub Would Like to Have a Word with You

The world is going to hell in hand basket, and Fatima Ayub wants to talk to you about it. She’s a political scientist currently based in Jordan, with 15 years’ background in conflict, security and human rights issues in the Middle East and South Asia. She currently works with the global consulting firm Adam Smith International seeking solutions to Jordan’s economic challenges and is an associate policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She is also a professional contrarian and peddles insight and absurdity on Twitter as @thecynicist. Fatima and I talked about similarities between the problems facing Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries; the failure of politics in the Middle East and in the West; the challenge of parsing through human rights and sectarianism; what the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war tells us about our own failures; and our shared love of Radiohead.

Tim Kaldas Gives Knowledge to the Habibis and Habibtis!

You won't find a better Egypt analyst in the business than Tim Kaldas. He's a fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East policy in Cairo, a visiting professor at Nile University in Cairo, and a professional wedding photographer that you should hire for all of your matrimonial needs. Tim's research focuses on transitional politics in Egypt, regime survival strategies, U.S.-Egypt relations, and much more. His commentary and analysis has been featured on CNN, the BBC, Al Jazeera, and many other media outlets. Tim and I talked about what caused the Egyptian uprisings in 2011, what's happened since then, what potentially lies ahead, the many ways in which regional security is a total mess, and how a late-90's rock and roll song sheds light on the problems in present-day Egypt. 

Maryam Jamshidi Rocks the Mic!

Maryam Jamshidi is one of the sharpest people I know, and I'm not just saying that because she's on this podcast! She's a lawyer and writer with over ten years of experience working on issues relating to the Middle East and North Africa. She's an acting assistant professor of law at NYU Law School. And she is the founder and editor-in-chief of Muftah.org, a digital magazine providing diverse perspectives on the Middle East and North Africa. Maryam and I talked about national security, terrorism, the Arab Spring, and her ongoing field research on gangsta rap. 

Shervin Malekzadeh Gives Knowledge to the People!

Shervin Malekzadeh is one of the most thoughtful guys writing about Iran-related issues today. He’s a Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania’s Middle East Center. Prior to that, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor in Political Science at Swarthmore College. He received his PhD in Government from Georgetown University, and his research focuses on the politics of schooling, culture and identity in post-revolutionary Iran. Shervin and I talked about the interplay between state and society in Iran, his fieldwork in Iran during the past three elections, and female lead singers in rock bands.

Erich Ferrari, Sanctions, and You.

When it comes to sanctions law, Erich Ferrari is one of the best in the business.  From DC to Dubai and everywhere in between, he helps his clients appeal U.S. government decisions to freeze their assets and cut them off from America’s financial system. He is also a man of the people, sharing his expertise with Iranian Americans across the U.S. in an effort to help them make informed decisions. Erich talks with Reza about sanctions after the nuclear deal, pros and cons of sanctions as a foreign policy tool, and his top five emcees in hip hop.