Dr Harry Hagopian, the voice of Middle East Analysis, is fluent in many languages. French? Doesn't even break sweat. For me it's more of a struggle but when reflecting on the horrific blast that ripped through Lebanon's capital Beirut, I found an oft-quoted phrase in my head "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose". It certainly seems that the more things change the more they stay the same for this resilient nation and its beleaguered people - a state that has seen more than one false dawn. Maybe a French phrase is pertinent for another reason. There's an indelible historical link between Lebanon and France - President Emmanuel Macron visited Beirut in the immediate aftermath and pledged his support. Some even petitioned for a return to the French Mandate - surely a sign of desperation - nay exasperation. For Dr Harry Hagopian things have to change. It's time to be brave and dynamic. A time for real leadership. A time to 'be' Lebanese - a time for citizenship. Get past the warlords and communities - think of Lebanon as a country of citizens.

Middle East Analysis

Lebanon - things have to change

This Middle East Analysis podcast takes our resident regional analyst, international lawyer Dr Harry Hagopian, around not just the Middle East but also North Africa. We start with a coronavirus update discussing the impact of COVID-19 on the MENA region and the Arab world. Then on to our sweep of country realities. Firstly it's the chaos and economic meltdown plaguing Lebanon - the beautiful land of cedars. A third of the population suffer below the poverty line, with daily power cuts, a lack of safe drinking water and limited healthcare. Why and what next? On to Jordan, and in particular its relations with Israel and Palestine. Prime Minister Omar Razzaz made interesting comments on potential support for a One State solution - controversial to even utter it in some quarters. We shift to North Africa and Egypt. Two points here - both focused on President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Firstly his handling of civil war-torn Libya and secondly the interesting case of the dam in Ethiopia being fed by water from the Nile. Water - the new gold perhaps? We conclude by shining a light into Tunisia - a country not on its own in struggling to form a government. A challenge for new Prime Minister designate Hichem Mechichi. Final word goes to Dr Harry Hagopian who wishes our listeners Eid Mubarak!

COVID, poverty, chaos and meddling neighbours

One of Dr Harry Hagopian's 'Intuitive Reactions' provides the meat in the sandwich of this 'Middle East Analysis - Extra' podcast. In December 2019, US President Donald Trump signed into law the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, also known as the Caesar Act, a piece of US legislation to sanction the Syrian government, including the president Bashar al-Assad, for war crimes against the Syrian population. The sanctions finally kicked in on 17 June. But what impact does this have on Bashar al-Assad, his family and international sponsors? Is this designed to bring about regime change or regime attitude change? To discuss this, Dr Hagopian is joined by Dr Ziad Majed, Program Coordinator for Middle East Pluralities at the American University of Paris. Professor Majed teaches Middle East studies and writes on Lebanese, Syrian and Arab affairs as well as on regional political transitions and crises.

Render unto Trump? Caesar's Act and Syria

Middle East Analysis reverts back to something of its normal modus operandi for June's podcast as international lawyer and MENA consultant Dr Harry Hagopian joins us in semi pandemic lockdown to discuss three realities challenging the Middle East North Africa region. In just over ten minutes per segment, Dr Hagopian discusses the ongoing embargo of Qatar, the ever more dangerous regional conflict in Libya and the current financial meltdown in Syria and its impact on neighbour Lebanon. Quick Navigate: Introduction: START - 3m 5s Embargo of Qatar: 3m 6s - 14m 13s Libya: 14m 14s - 25m 23s Syria: 25m 24s - 39m 40s Back Announcement: 39m 41s to END

International actors, regional rumblings and ongoing embargoes

It's rather dangerous to assume anything in the Middle East North Africa region - least of all the shifting dynamics of the relationship between Israel and Palestine. One assumption is that, as early as 1 July, one of Israel's two unity government Prime Ministers, Benjamin Netanyahu, will announce the annexation of Palestinian land in the West Bank. At this point, any hope of a contiguous state for Palestinians will ebb away and with it hope for a long-term peaceful coexistence for both Israelis and Palestinians. This hour-long Middle East Analysis brings our resident contributor Dr Harry Hagopian to MEA's virtual studio. Harry has immersed himself in this most delicate and frustrating peace process for almost 30 years. But will the annexation actually happen? There are many actors in this drama... Donald Trump and son-in-law adviser Jared Kushner (currently more preoccupied by the protests over the killing of George Floyd and the November Presidential Elections), Israeli settler leaders in the West Bank, Arab neighbours in the region - specifically Jordan, the sluggish response from the EU, the international community and other institutions and that's before we discuss international law and inevitable comparisons with Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. All this is dissected - in his unique way - by Dr Harry Hagopian.

Israel's Annexation of West Bank land is inevitable... or is it?

The anxiety surrounding the fast-spreading coronavirus COVID-19 is completely understandable. It's the lead headline in many a news context. So what's the impact on the Middle East North Africa region? The situation in Iran is well documented. Egypt has confirmed its first death - the first in Africa. Iraq and Yemen are already debilitated so any further strain on beleaguered resources will cost lives. Lebanon is living in the throes of an economic meltdown. We could go on... Dr Harry Hagopian, our regular contributor, looks at the impact of the virus around the region. In other news, we look at the elections in Israel, Turkey's retaliation against Syrian government forces in Idlib and the detention of Saudi royals by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Counting the cost of Coronavirus in the Middle East North Africa

The so-called 'Deal of the Century' has been released - US President Donald Trump's road map to peace for Israelis and Palestinians. Peace to Prosperity, as it's called, has been widely criticised as one-sided and, to those campaigning for self-determination for the Palestinian people - no deal at all. Dr Harry Hagopian is our regular studio guest for Middle East Analysis. Harry cut his political teeth working for peace in the region. He was a second track negotiator during the Oslo process in the early 1990s and, like many, has long hoped for a peaceful solution that upholds the innate human dignity and rights of both Israelis and Palestinians. But without offering Palestinians hope, is the Deal of the Century hope-less?

Israel-Palestine: A Hope-less Deal?

Just another new decade in the Middle East North Africa region. This 45-minute Middle East Analysis podcast, the first of 2020, is titled in a way that makes you think of a rhythmic children’s pat-a-cake game or a mnemonic device for remembering something important. Actually a lot of today’s topical discussion with international lawyer and regional commentator Dr Harry Hagopian falls under one or more of those four descriptors - escalate, de-escalate, oil and intervention. The ‘intervention’ is obviously of the foreign kind as global powers seek to maintain or expand their interests in MENA. We start with escalation and, potentially, de-escalation, by looking at the US-Iran crisis before moving across to North Africa and a warlord versus UN-backed government stand-off in Libya. Next comes Lebanon and its inability to form a government leading to something of a meltdown. We conclude on a more positive note by looking at the seemingly painless succession in the sultanate of Oman.

Escalate, de-escalate, oil and intervention

Today we bring you an exceptional one-off from Dr Harry Hagopian that is closer to home. Harry offers his personal perspective on the recent General Election in the UK. This "Intuitive Reaction" focuses on the recent UK Election which saw the Conservatives win their majority. Find out Dr Harry Hagopian's unique take on these results and how our history led us to where we are now.

Intuitive Reactions - Elections

Today's Middle East Analysis is the first for a few months so we're hoping you'll indulge almost an hour of Dr Harry Hagopian's insight, analysis and, on occasion, wit. Our resident contributor is an international lawyer, commentator and consultant on the Middle East North Africa region. This podcast isn't simply a compare-and-contrast looking at the regional popular protests of 2019 and juxtaposing them with the so-called Arab Spring of nine years ago. We do, of course, give due attention to the uprisings in Lebanon and Iraq as well as taking a close look at northern Syria and the Turkish operations in that belt of land. America's influence gets a mention and the influence of other countries with a stake in proceedings like Russia and Iran. Dr Harry Hagopian describes a 'political pea soup' that has descended on the region usurping human rights, gobbling up hopes and stunting societies - listen to today's Middle East Analysis for more...

Rage Against the MENA Machine

Arguably the biggest threat to the human spirit is a loss of hope. The Israel / Palestine conflict has raged in one form or another since the mid-20th century and its origins can be traced to the decades before that. Today we seem further away than ever from a lasting peace. The international lawyer and political consultant Dr Harry Hagopian has written and commented on the challenge of Israel / Palestine for over a quarter of a century and has been engaged as a negotiator, consultant, lawyer and analyst in the region. In this 'Middle East Analysis' podcast we look at his new book 'Keeping Faith With Hope' and ask whether that's even possible in 2019.

Keeping Faith With Hope - The Challenge of Israel - Palestine

Considering this is a podcast offering the musings, analysis and everything inbetween from the brain of the knowledgeable and razor-sharp international lawyer and Middle East North Africa consultant Dr Harry Hagopian, you may be wondering why we open up with a sizeable segment on Brexit and, later, head south of north Africa to Sudan. I could make a few academic cases for the inclusion of such topics but let's just go for "because we wanted to". We also talk Israel. Primarily the status of the Golan Heights in the eyes of the US - occupied versus disputed - all in context with the elections on 9 April in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces the challenge of Israeli General and politician Benjamin "Benny" Gantz. Algeria has faced five consecutive Friday protests against ill and aging President Abdulaziz Bouteflika. Although not standing for a fifth term, the 82-year-old has postponed forthcoming elections in the country. Next stop is southbound to Sudan and a brief discussion on the economic and humanitarian disaster that has been described as 'Africa's Secret Crisis' with regular protests against President Omar al-Bashir's failing regime. Some four million people have been displaced. Finally, we justly give some space to the death and legacy of one of the four key Armenian church leaders - Patriarch Mesrop II of Constantinople. Harry knew the man well and discusses the near-impossible job facing an Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople. Timecodes: Start - 16m 52s Intro and Brexit 16m 53s - 30m 7s Golan Heights and Israel's elections 30m 8s - 45m 31s Algeria and Sudan 45m 32s - End Death and legacy of the Armenian Patriarch Mesrop II of Constantinople

From Brexit to Algeria, Israel to Sudan

'Hot Region, Cold War' was the working title proposed for today's podcast. Why? Well, it's a little conceptual. It was born from a desire to ask our big-brained studio guest Dr Harry Hagopian to analyse the foreign policy agendas of the Russian Federation on the one hand and the United States on the other with regard to the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf States. Harry took exception to 'Hot Region, Cold War' and proposed 'Hot Region, Hot Wars'. Fair enough. But superpower policy, regional tension and proxy wars aren't the only subjects up for discussion. In the first Middle East Analysis podcast of 2019, we sweep across the region - getting updates and context as we go - concluding with an ode to Olivia Newton-John (don't ask, best just to listen). 45 minutes of packed anaysis from Dr Harry Hagopian is a treat but if you have a particular interest in a topic or country, we have timecoded the podcast. Start - 5m 39s: Introduction - Brexit Backdrop 5m 40s - 14m 7s US and Russian Federation 'policies' in the region 14m 8s - 21m 29s Whistlestop analysis - Gulf States and Qatar Crisis, Yemen, Israel/Palestine, Syria (Idlib), Iranian regional influence 22m - 26m 52s Syria 26m 53s - 30m 1s Iraq 30m 2s - 34m 59s Lebannon 35m - 39m 24s Right back to the beginning eight years after the Arab Spring 39m 25s - End Conclusion - Olivia Newton-John!

Hot Region, Cold War

As we approach Christmas, when Christians around the world look to Bethlehem to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Dr Harry Hagopian, lead contributor to our Middle East Analysis podcasts, encourages us to consider the realities facing Arab Christians. Close your eyes - you might find yourself in Manger Square. This four minute Christmas reflection ends our audio for 2018. Podcasts resume in 2019.

Christmas - When the eyes of the world focus on the Middle East

Whatever the turmoil in the Middle East North Africa region, the tension in the lands where three of the world's major religions meet - the Holy Land - often paints hard brush strokes on the wider regional landscape. So where do we turn now with Israel / Palestine? With the US so heavily involved and a 'Deal of the Century' about as feasible as every other so-called solution proposed in the last half-century, what are the options? Two State Solution? Deceased or, at best, being cared for palliatively. One State Solution? Unpalatable to the big players. Management of an Occupation? Surely unacceptable to the global community. Deal of the Century? No deal. This makes Brexit negotiations look easy. The man in the hotseat to discuss this is our resident guest on Middle East Analysis - Dr Harry Hagopian. Harry is an international lawyer, analyst and commentator.

Solving Israel / Palestine: Making Brexit look easy

The Middle East North Africa region is complex - hardly breaking news. There are complex religious, political and socio-economic realities with global players pushing into the ring from every corner - intervening and retreating like a boxer stalking the target of his vested interest. Our 'Middle East Analysis' podcasts feature the analysis of Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer and commentator on the Middle East North Africa region and the Gulf States.

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Middle East Analysis

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