Shows
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتS2 E5|Israel at a New Strategic CrossroadIsrael’s security model is being tested on every front. Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran are all shifting at the same time, and the old formulas of deterrence are no longer behaving the way they used to. In this episode of The Diplomat, Israeli Defense Strategist Assaf Orion breaks down why Israel’s traditional reliance on walls, buffer zones, and preemptive deterrence is reaching its limit. Orion served more than three decades in the IDF, headed the strategic division, and worked directly with UN peacekeepers and neighboring militaries. This conversation explains the collapse of old doctri...
2025-11-2736 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتS2 E4| Partner or Problem: Turkiye’s Power ExplainedWhy Trump sees Turkey as an essential problem solver, and why Israel views the same moves as a growing danger. Middle East politics are rearranging themselves in real time, and Turkey is touching every pressure point. Ankara is brokering deals in Gaza, pushing into Syria, resetting ties with Egypt, and balancing between Washington and Moscow. All of this is happening while Israeli officials warn that Turkey is becoming a strategic threat.In this episode of The Diplomat, Soner Çağaptay, Director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, joins Joe...
2025-11-2132 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتS2 E3| Why Lebanon’s leadership can’t disarm Hezbollah without risking civil warLebanon has been called a failed state, a fragile state, even a cautionary tale, but none of these labels capture what’s really happening.In this episode, Dania Arayssi, Senior Fellow at the New Lines Institute and a political scientist studying Lebanon’s public trust and remittance economy, joins Joe Kawly to unpack:• Why Lebanon’s leadership can’t disarm Hezbollah without risking civil war• How the U.S. and Israel’s pressure campaigns are reshaping Beirut’s politics• What “sovereignty” actually means in a system run by multiple powers• Why civil society may be the country’s only fun...
2025-11-1330 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتS2 E2 | The Quiet Collapse of Global DemocracyThis week on The Diplomat, we look at how some democracies are quietly reshaping themselves under pressure. Jonathan Katz, an anti-corruption and democracy expert, from the Brookings Institution explains why Moldova is moving forward while Ukraine, Tunisia, and others are struggling to keep reform alive. From strategic corruption to AI-fueled disinformation, this episode reveals how democracy can slip away in silence, and why that matters now more than ever.Joe Kawly brings extensive experience from conflict zones in the Middle East to the power corridors of Washington. As a journalist, he’s seen how words can escalate a...
2025-11-0331 min
10 questions for an extraordinary personJoe Kawly:nJournalist and Strategic Communications ExpertJoe Kawly is a multitalented individual, a reporter, an award-winning journalist with focus on global affairs, a podcaster, an artist, and an expert on communication. Thanks to his professional background and his genuine care for people, Joe and I dive into a deep discussion about the nuances of communication and how they shape our relationships. 10 questions for an Extraordinary PersonFollow Joe Kawly on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/joekawly?igsh=MTNsMnd0bjNoM29jMA==Connect with Joe on LinkedIn https://www...
2025-11-0250 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتS2 E1| The Middle East After the Wars: A Region Rewriting ItselfIn this episode of The Diplomat, Dr. Kenneth Pollack joins Joe Kawly to map what comes next:Iran is retrenching, Israel is recalibrating, and Gulf capitals are quietly rewriting the rules of power?Pollack has been inside the CIA, briefed U.S. presidents, and watched the Middle East reinvent itself through war, diplomacy, and everything in between.From Tehran’s post-war caution to Washington’s search for deals, and Saudi Arabia’s strategic flexibility between the U.S., China, and Iran, this is a rare look inside how power is being redistributed across the Middle...
2025-10-2231 min
its okay habibiep 27 - award winning arab journalist, Joe Kawly, on the power of storytelling in the middle eastAward winning journalist, Joe Kawly joins Amel and Noel to talk about the challenges and bravery of being the first openly queer journalist in the Middle East, focusing on the survival aspect of journalism in Lebanon. It delves into the use of coded language to avoid detention and the ongoing issue of Lebanese citizens kidnapped in Syrian prisons. The conversation also touches on the CIA technique of elicitation and the personal decision to come out amidst political turmoil.
2025-09-261h 02
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتGaza’s Agony and America’s Gamble: What Comes Next a conversation with Elliott AbramsHe served under three U.S. presidents, shaped policy on the Middle East and Latin America, and was America’s special envoy for both Iran and Venezuela.In this episode of The Diplomat, Elliott Abrams joins Joe Kawly to assess whether Iran’s influence across the region is truly weakening or if that is just an illusion. From Hezbollah’s arsenal in Lebanon to Gaza’s uncertain future and the so-called Iran Russia China axis, Abrams explains where U.S. strategy meets Middle East reality.A must-listen for anyone interested in U.S. foreign policy, Iran’s r...
2025-08-2051 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتInside NATO’s Blind Spot on Russia and Cyber WarsHe warned NATO about Russia long before the tanks rolled into Ukraine and built one of the world’s most advanced digital societies from a country once dismissed as a “former Soviet republic.”In this episode of The Diplomat, former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves joins Joe Kawly to reveal how ignorance, prejudice, and misplaced faith in dialogue left NATO exposed and how Estonia turned technology into a tool of national survival.From cyberattacks that shut down his country to diplomatic battles over language and perception, Ilves offers a rare inside look at how small states survive in a w...
2025-08-1127 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتWhy the U.S. Can’t Quit Israel - Even NowHe advised U.S. presidents, negotiated peace deals, and shaped Washington's Middle East policy from the inside.In this episode of The Diplomat, veteran peace negotiator Aaron David Miller joins Joe Kawly to explain how domestic politics, evangelical support, and deep-rooted alliances continue to shape America’s policy on Israel and Gaza. From the Trump-Netanyahu partnership to the silence on civilian suffering, this conversation breaks down what drives U.S. diplomacy today.A must-listen for anyone interested in U.S. foreign policy, Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and the political dynamics influencing American decisions in the Middle East.
2025-08-0430 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتThe Memo Before the War: James Jeffrey on Iraq, Iran, and the Limits of PowerWhat happens when the truth comes too early, and no one listens?He wrote the memo that warned the Iraq war could ignite a regional storm. Then he was sent into the storm.In this episode of The Diplomat, Ambassador James Jeffrey reflects on what Washington refused to see, from Iraq’s fragile sovereignty to the myth of unlimited U.S. support. Joe Kawly pulls back the curtain on the delicate line between blunt honesty and diplomatic risk.This is not a history lesson. It’s what happens when diplomacy runs up against denial.
2025-07-2842 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتThe Quiet Wars of Kuwait and the Battle to Rebuild IraqWhat happens when war creeps to your doorstep, and you’re the one sent to hold the line?In this episode of The Diplomat, Ambassador Douglas Silliman tells the untold stories of his time in Kuwait and Iraq. From covert smuggling routes to tense backroom talks, this is the kind of diplomacy that never makes the news, but changes everything.Host and Producer Joe Kawly brings you into the conversations that happened off-mic.Perfect for listeners who follow geopolitics, foreign policy, or just want to know what really happened after Mosul.
2025-07-2237 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتWhat Washington Avoided: From the Backrooms of Addis Ababa to the Fires of DarfurFormer U.S. Ambassador David Shinn offers rare insights into the shifting dynamics of the Horn of Africa. In this exclusive podcast interview, he unpacks U.S. policy, regional rivalries, and the road ahead.Joe Kawly brings extensive experience from conflict zones in the Middle East to the power corridors of Washington. As a journalist, he’s seen how words can escalate a crisis or open the door to peace. A Georgetown graduate and former CNN Journalism Fellow, he’s known for connecting the dots others miss, so people don’t just hear what happene...
2025-07-1429 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتInside Israel’s Quiet Wars: From Iran to LebanonFrom nuclear red lines to backchannel diplomacy, Eyal Hulata was at the heart of Israel’s national security strategy during some of its most delicate moments.In this episode of The Diplomat, Hulata speaks openly about covert strikes on Iran, the maritime deal with Lebanon, and the sentence that made him a political target. From secret mediation between Moscow and Kyiv to standing in Bahrain and reciting “Women. Life. Freedom.” in three languages—this isn’t just a conversation about security. It’s about message discipline in a region where silence is sometimes the loudest statement. Joe Kawly pulls...
2025-07-0731 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتLessons from Washington’s Mistakes in the Middle East“We were not careful in Lebanon.” With that quiet indictment, former U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker begins a story that doesn’t read like memoirs, but like real lessons from the heart of war.In this episode of The Diplomat, Crocker recounts surviving the 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut, exposing how Syria used terror as a foreign policy tool, and warning why Bashar al-Assad was never the reformer the West wanted to believe.From the disillusionment in Iraq—“We weren’t seen as liberators”—to the chaos of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Crocker draws a...
2025-06-3031 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتDid We Fail to Stop Nuclear Proliferation?Behind every nuclear crisis is a pattern of overlooked loopholes, ignored warnings, and political blind spots. From civilian cover stories to strategic exceptions, Henry Sokolski has spent four decades warning about the cracks in the global nonproliferation system.In this episode of The Diplomat, Sokolski explains how enrichment and reprocessing became normalized under the guise of peaceful energy, and why those loopholes remain the greatest threat to nuclear restraint today. He challenges the double standards applied to Israel and Iran, dissects the illusions of deterrence in a multipolar world, and warns what it would really mean for...
2025-06-2335 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتCables, Chaos, and the Truth That Sparked a RevolutionIn December 2010, a fruit vendor’s act of protest sparked a revolution. Weeks later, Tunisia’s longtime dictator fled the country—and at the center of it all was Gordon Gray, the U.S. ambassador whose private cables pulled no punches about what was really happening on the ground.In this third episode of The Diplomat, Gray reflects on the moment when honesty turned explosive, what it means to listen instead of impose, and why diplomats today should be more careful with words like “red line” than ever before.Joe Kawly brings extensive experience...
2025-06-0923 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتThe Word That Sparked Accusations: From Egypt to TurkeyWhen former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone spoke up about freedom of expression in 2013, it wasn’t meant to ignite a firestorm. But the backlash was swift, and the accusations - explosive. In this premiere episode of The Diplomat, we explore the thin line between diplomacy and provocation, and how one sentence turned into a geopolitical flashpoint. Amb. Ricciardone opens up about Gezi Park, the weight of words, and why empathy, not just strategy, might be diplomacy’s most underused tool.Joe Kawly brings extensive experience from conflict zones in the Middle East to the power corr...
2025-06-0224 min
The Diplomat | ديبلوماتOn Gaza, Assad, and The Truth They Didn’t Want to HearFrom the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon in 2000 to the looming famine in Gaza in 2024, Ambassador David Satterfield has been in the room where decisions are made—but rarely discussed. In this first episode of The Diplomat, Satterfield reveals how Hafez al-Assad tried to sabotage Israel’s withdrawal by leveraging Hezbollah, how Syria blocked Lebanese cooperation with the UN, and why the crisis in Gaza is not just humanitarian—but political.Joe Kawly brings extensive experience from conflict zones in the Middle East to the power corridors of Washington. As a journalist, he’s seen how words can esca...
2025-05-2628 min
Bukra with GinoJoe Kawly: A Conversation about LGBTQI+, Journalism and more with the Arab World's First Openly Gay AnchorJoe Kawly is the Arab World's first openly queer news anchor and a passionate defender of all human rights when not on the air. In this heartfelt conversation, we talk about what it's like being the "first" to openly come out, the responsibility that comes with that and how Joe Kawly sees the LGBTQI+ community situation in the Arab World and Lebanon.In the second part, we discusses journalism today and how we imagine it in the future.
2022-07-311h 07