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The Diplomat

Interviews with the people shaping Middle East foreign policy — from ambassadors to anonymous officials.

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"China Is Complicit in Killing Americans" | Bonnie Glaser on the Trump-Xi Summit
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episodes

Episodes

Who Controls Southern Lebanon? | Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon | The Diplomat

Israel and Lebanon have signed a US-brokered framework agreement that both governments are calling historic. But Lebanon’s parliament speaker has rejected it outright, warning…

Middle East: Oil and Turmoil

The war with Iran is in its fourth month. The Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. Energy prices are up worldwide. And Congress just voted…

Nothing Works Without Stability | Amb. Ryan Crocker & Amb. Susan Ziadeh

The war with Iran is paused, not closed. Gaza is at a stalemate. Lebanon is holding under a fragile ceasefire. And Washington just published…

The New Map: Who Is Actually Redrawing the Middle East? | Ambassador Tom Nides

The Middle East that existed before October 7th is gone. A new map is being drawn, and the question is who holds the pen.…

After Khamenei: Regime Change or Regional Collapse?

Khamenei is gone. The United States and Israel have struck Iran directly. Tehran has retaliated across the Gulf. And Washington is floating the words…

Who Can Run Iran Next?

The US is already in contact with Iranian Kurdish groups. But here’s the reality check: the Kurds can fight for autonomy in their regions.…

Bridge or War: U.S. and Iran in Oman

A negotiation is unfolding quietly in Muscat, and it may define the next chapter of the Middle East, or simply postpone the next crisis.…

Israel at a New Strategic Crossroad

Israel’s security pillars are under stress simultaneously. The Lebanon front, the Syrian disengagement lines, the UN buffer mechanisms, the Gaza model, and the Iran…

Partner or Problem: Turkiye’s Power Explained

Türkiye is everywhere: Syria, Libya, Gaza, Sudan, but what is its real endgame? In this episode, Soner Çağaptay explains how Erdoğan is rewriting Turkey’s…

The Middle East After the Wars: A Region Rewriting Itself

Dr. Kenneth Pollack — former CIA analyst and senior White House adviser — has spent decades interpreting the Middle East’s military and political shifts.…

Syria: Washington’s Bet and Risks on the Ground

Washington is betting on a new Syria. The question is whether Syria can survive the bet. In this episode of The Diplomat, Joe Kawly…

Host

Hosted by

Joe Kawly

Joe Kawly is Washington Bureau Chief for MBN and a global affairs journalist with more than twenty years covering U.S. foreign policy and Middle East politics.
A CNN Journalism Fellow and Georgetown University graduate, he reports from Washington at the intersection of power and diplomacy, explaining how decisions made in the U.S. capital shape events across the Arab world.

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