Al-Monitor
Off the Hookah with Phil and CooperEpisodes
Episodes of Off the Hookah
Mark All
Search Episodes...
As the coronavirus crisis continues to grip the world, the markets have been on the shakiest ground yet since the 2008 economic recession - especially with regards to the price of oil. In the last few years, Saudi Arabia and Russia have develo
Phil and Cooper record their first remote podcast due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on recent political intrigue in Israel. After three rounds of elections, there may finally be a successful attempt at forming a new Israeli government
Iran held parliamentary elections at the end of February, resulting in a serious swing to the right, with conservative Principlist politicians sweeping the majority of seats from the sitting Reformists. How did this happen, and why are the re
An update on Syria this week; Turkey is lashing out at a Syrian government offensive across the border in the Idlib province, a key Syrian territory of which Turkey has controlled parts of for several years - territory that Syrian President B
So Trump released the final installment of his Israel-Palestine peace plan. But we’ve heard this song before - last year in Bahrain, when his son-in-law Jared Kushner announced an underwhelming “economic peace plan” for propping up Palestine. T
Protests in Iraq and Lebanon. Censorship in Egypt and Iran. Growing conservatism in Turkey. All of these events are catalysts - both good and bad - for artists in the Middle East. In a change of pace, Phil and Cooper speak with Nazlan Ertan,
Oman’s leader, Sultan Qaboos, died last week after ruling the country for 50 years. Qaboos is considered the father of modern Oman, so Phil and Cooper explore his life, the coup d’etat that changed his destiny, and the social and economic rea
We’re back from holiday break and you probably have a lot of questions: Who was Qasem Soleimani? Why was he assassinated? Will the US and Iran de-escalate these tensions, and what can we expect to happen next? Phil and Cooper deep dive into t
It’s that time of year, folks, whether you’re trying to find the cheapest apple pie in the grocery store or battling parents for the last Turboman doll at a toy store, Phil and Cooper have a show for you! What’s on the horizon for the Middle
We’ve recently covered the protests in Lebanon and Iraq - two countries where Iran remains highly influential. But Iran has been dealing with demonstrations of their own, triggered by a series of austerity measures to try and take pressure of
Back from Thanksgiving break, Phil and Cooper give a thorough rundown of everything that’s been happening in Israel lately. In the span of a month, Israel’s two leading politicians have failed to form a new government, there’s been violence at
In light of the last episode’s updates on protests in Lebanon, Phil and Cooper talk about the demonstrations that have been accelerating in Iraq over the past several weeks. Iraqis are angry as the government’s been dragging its feet on provi
Massive demonstrations have broken out in Lebanon’s major cities for the past few weeks, where protesters’ frustrations with economic woes and government corruption have boiled over into the streets. Lebanon’s seen protests before, so what mak
President Trump announced the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last Sunday, so Phil and Cooper give a long-overdue history of the Islamic State. Al-Monitor contributor Ali Hashem joins the podcast to give a look into the evolution of
Following up on Episode #115, Phil and Cooper discuss what’s happened in Syria since President Trump decided to withdraw US troops from the northeastern territories, leaving Syrian Kurdish allies to fend for themselves against the Turkish mil
This week, President Trump made a controversial decision to pull the US military out of northern Syria, allowing Turkey to proceed with a military operation against one of America’s staunchest allies in the region, the Syrian Kurds, the same
Phil and Cooper play catch-up on this month’s news, including the attacks on oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. These drone and missile operations took out nearly 5% of the world’s daily oil supply and shook world markets. Although a rebel g
Israel held another election this week after a first round in April led to a stalemate, when Prime Minister Netanyahu was unable to form a majority government. Though the results from this week are equally confusing, there’s a likelihood that
President Trump’s foreign policy circle shrunk a little more this week, with National Security Advisor John Bolton getting the boot. But the other less-talked-about announcement was the resignation of Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s appointed envoy
Phil and Cooper do a deep dive into the ongoing conflict in Yemen, which has become one of the worst humanitarian crises in history. We look into how a unified Yemen was first formed, and how today, nascent movements in southern Yemen are loo
In northern Syria, Kurds have secured their own little autonomous nation since taking control of the land during the ongoing civil war, where they’ve served as consistent US allies in the fight against ISIS. But their northern neighbor Turkey
Iraq is stuck in the middle of the US-Iran tensions, as their new government tries carefully to play both sides. One point of contention is the role of independent, predominantly Shiite militias in the country, with some holding strong pro-Ir
Back from a summer break, Phil and Cooper discuss the recent news out of North Africa: the Tunisian president, Beji Caid Essebsi, died at age 92. There was a huge outpouring of support for Essebsi’s rule, both from Tunisians and the internati
Phil gives an update on the recent escalations between Iran and the international community, culminating in their capturing four oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. What’s the Strait of Hormuz, and why is it so important? Also, Cooper discus
This week, Phil and Cooper explain the age-old territorial dispute between the Greeks and the Turks for the island of Cyprus. The dispute has re-entered the national conversation as Turkey presses forward with some ambitious plans to drill fo
Join Podchaser to...
- Rate podcasts and episodes
- Follow podcasts and creators
- Create podcast and episode lists
- & much more
Unlock more with Podchaser Pro
- Audience Insights
- Contact Information
- Demographics
- Charts
- Sponsor History
- and More!
- Account
- Register
- Log In
- Find Friends
- Resources
- Help Center
- Blog
- API
Podchaser is the ultimate destination for podcast data, search, and discovery. Learn More
- © 2024 Podchaser, Inc.
- Privacy Policy
- Terms of Service
- Contact Us