Real Talk

How did Hafez al-Assad rise from an army officer to establish a dynasty that brutally ruled Syria for 54 years?From seizing power in 1970 to the Hama massacre, and Bashar inheriting power, Professor Joshua Landis joined us for an in-depth conversation on the Assad family’s rise to power.Landis, chair and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, has spent nearly 15 years living in the Middle East, including Syria, up until the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. He’s also the author of a forthcoming book on Syria. Today on Real Talk, we take a look at Syria’s history under Hafez al-Assad and unpack how Bashar continued his father’s authoritarian rule after his death in 2000. Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“AIPAC is a pro-Israel lobby and they need to be defeated for that reason. But they also represent white supremacy and everything that comes with that.”US congressman Jamaal Bowman reflects on losing his seat after AIPAC poured millions into his Democratic primary to unseat him, reportedly making it the most expensive House primary race in US history.The progressive member of ‘The Squad’, who called Israel’s war on Gaza a genocide, spoke to us about his views on Israel-Palestine and the role of the pro-Israel lobby in American politics. Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“I can’t watch a guy plugged up to an IV burned alive.” Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of America’s most celebrated writers. His latest book, The Message, took him to Senegal, South Carolina and Israel-Palestine. The book has been both praised and slammed for calling out Israeli apartheid. Coates joined us to reflect on the backlash, but also takes his time to offer a deeper perspective on the Gaza genocide, the US elections, and his journey as a writer. This follows the extensive media coverage the book received following a CBS interview where Coates was accused by programme host Tony Dokoupil of "extremist" views in his writing about Palestinians. Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“The relationship with Israel is in a different league entirely” In light of Israel’s multi-front war in the region, including Gaza, Lebanon, and the escalation with Iran, how can we understand the US-Israel ‘special relationship’? And where does the pro-Israel lobby in the US fit inside this framework? That’s what we’re asking Harvard professor Stephen Walt, who joined us for an extended conversation on Real Talk. Walt is considered one of the most influential US foreign policy experts. In 2007, he famously co-authored a book with John Mearsheimer titled ‘The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy’ which generated a lot of attention and controversy for challenging what has been a taboo topic in the US for decades.Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm