Babel: Translating the Middle East

In part six, Jon Alterman hears from guests from previous episodes who help him recap everything he's covered so far and look at what's next for Russia in the Middle East. Jon is rejoined by Elizabeth Tsurkov, fellow at the Center for Global Policy and at the Forum for Regional Thinking; Ambassador Mohamed Anis Salem, an Egyptian diplomat with 35 years of experience; Eugene Rumer, senior fellow and director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment; and Phil Gordon, senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. Jon is also joined by Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program.

Song Credits: “Pizzicato Waltz” by Kadir-Demir via Artlist.io; “Dusting” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios; “Coulis Coulis” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios. The theme song is "Tales of Arabia" by GreatstockMusic via Pond5.

• Phil Gordon, Losing the Long Game: The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East, St. Martin's Press, October 2020.
• Eugene Rumer and Andrew S. Weiss, "Reckoning With a Resurgent Russia," Carnegie Endowment, September 9, 2020.
• Elizabeth Tsurkov, "Desperate, Thousands of Syrians Flee Toward Turkish Border," Foreign Policy, February 10, 2020.
• Natasha Hall, Benjamin Smith, Thomas McGee, Local Cross-line Coordination in Syria, United States Institute of Peace, October 3, 2019.
• Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Six," CSIS, October 6, 2020.

In part five, Jon Alterman looks at how the Middle East views Russia. He starts with Russia's relationships with Israel and Iran, before moving on to how Arab states, particularly Egypt, view Russia. Jon talks with Elizabeth Tsurkov, fellow at the Center for Global Policy and at the Forum for Regional Thinking; Mohamed Anis Salem, an Egyptian diplomat with 35 years of experience; and Anna Borschevskaya, senior fellow at the Washington Institute.

Song Credits: “Denzel Sprak” from CloudCover; “Coulis Coulis” from Confectionery; “Tarte Tatin” from Confectionery; “Dusting” from Confectionery, all via Blue Dot Studios.

Theme Song: "Tales of Arabia" by GreatstockMusic via Pond5.

• Elizabeth Tsurkov, "Syria's Economic Meltdown," Center for Global Policy, June 15, 2020.
• Anna Borschevskaya and Catherine Cleveland, "Russia's Arabic Propaganda," The Washington Institute, December 2018.
• Mohamed Anis Salem, "Arab Civil Nuclear Energy Programmes in a New Strategic Landscape," The Nuclear Forum: Security Through Disarmament, 2016.
• Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Five," CSIS, September 29, 2020.

In part four, Jon Alterman looks at U.S.-Russian cooperation and competition in the Middle East. He follows how U.S. policy in the Middle East has shaped Russian policy in the region, and how the U.S.-Russian relationship in the Middle East has evolved over the past three decades. During the episode, Jon talks with Anna Borschevskaya, senior fellow at the Washington Institute; Heather Conley, senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia, and the Artic and director of the Europe Program at CSIS; Phil Gordon, senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations; and Becca Wasser, fellow in the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security.

Song Credits: "Tarte Tatin" from Confectionary via Blue Dot Studios; “Borough” from Molerider via Blue Dot Studios; "Denzel Sprak” from CloudCover via Blue Dot Studios; and“The Records” from Union Hall via Blue Dot Studios.

• Phil Gordon, Losing the Long Game: The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East, St. Martin's Press, October 2020.
• Anna Borschevskaya, "Russia Aims to Preserve the Status Quo in Lebanon," The Washington Institute, August 12, 2020.
• Heather Conley on Energy 360°, "Race to the Top: China, Russia, U.S. Compete," CSIS, August 3, 2020.
• Becca Wasser and Ben Connable, "The Limits of Russian Strategy in the Middle East," London School of Economics, May 10, 2018.
• Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Four," CSIS, September 22, 2020.

In part three, Jon Alterman looks at Russian security interests in the Middle East. He starts with an overview of Russia's military presence, and then looks at how Moscow's presence has evolved in Syria, and then spread into Libya. He talks with Olga Oliker, director of the Europe and Central Asia Program at the International Crisis Group; Alexey Khlebnikov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council; Wa'el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Foundation and a former State Department official; and Eugene Rumer, director and senior fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Program at Carnegie.

Song Credits: “Calisson” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios; “Dusting” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios; “Coulis Coulis” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios; and the theme song is "Tales of Arabia" by GreatstockMusic via Pond5.

• Wa'el Alzayat, "The Syrian Crucible and Future U.S. Option," in Re-engaging the Middle East: A New Vision for U.S. Policy, Brookings, September 22, 2020.
• Eugene Rumer, Russia in the Middle East: Jack of All Trades, Master of None, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, October 31, 2019.
• Alexey Khlebnikov, "Russia looks to the Middle East to boost arms exports," Middle East Institute, April 8, 2019.
• Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Three," CSIS, September 15, 2020.

In part two, Jon Alterman explores Russian economic interests in the Middle East. He covers Middle Eastern investments in Russia, the arms industry, and the recent battle over oil production between Russia and Saudi Arabia. He also talks with Carole Nakhle, founder and CEO of Crystol Energy, Nikolay Kozhanov, a consulting fellow at Chatham House, and Olga Oliker, director of the Europe and Eurasia Program at the International Crisis Group.

• Olga Oliker, "Putin's Future: Reading the tea leaves," Inkstick Media, January 21, 2020.
• Nikolay Kozhanov, Russian Policy Across the Middle East: Methods and Motivations, Chatham House, February 21, 2018.
• Carole Nakhle, "Russia's Energy Diplomacy in the Middle East," in Russia's return to the Middle East: building sandcastles?, European Union Institute for Security Studies, 2018.
• Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Two," CSIS, September 8, 2020.