This Middle East Analysis podcast is a one-hour journey through a variety of countries and regional realities. It's a podcast of questions - and questions need answers. To provide them, we look to Dr Harry Hagopian. He frequently tells us he's NOT a prophet - the region has plenty of those - but he IS an international lawyer, commentator and consultant on the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf regions.

Here's what we're asking:

Who are the puppet masters in a country on the brink? Who's the kingmaker who could unlock an election stalemate? Who's brokering 'peace' in two violent conflicts that have paralysed two countries? 

What price victory - and what is 'victory' anyway? 

Listen to Dr Hagopian on:

Introduction (Start - 1m 51s)
10 years of the conflict in Syria (1m 52s - 15m32s)
Libya - dare to hope? (15m33s - 22m 36s)
Yemen - a supervised ceasefire and an end to the blockade? (22m 37s - 35m 22s)
Israel's elections - who's the kingmaker? (35m 23s - 50m 45s)
A sacred time for the three monotheistic religions (50m 46s - End)

Regional Realities - What Price Victory?

As the cold sets in here in the UK, we turn our attention to a region where something's always heating up. The three prongs to today's 'Middle East Analysis' podcast are the elections in Iraq, delayed from June, that have yielded some interesting results, the on-going, out-of-sight-out-of-mind conflict in Yemen - will the violence ever end and does the rest of the world care enough? Then we take a look at the eternally beleaguered Lebanon and some of the worst violence to hit the streets in the past ten years. 

But that's not all. A chunk of our hour-long podcast is given over to four reflections from the voice of 'Middle East Analysis', the international lawyer and MENA consultant Dr Harry Hagopian.

Harry reflects on the death of Sir David Amess MP, the mysterious re-appearance in Damascus of Rifaat Ali al-Assad, uncle of Syrian President Bashar after almost four decades in exile in France. In his third reflection, we hear Dr Hagopian lament the falling salty sea levels of the Dead Sea and finally, Harry offers a warm welcome to the new Jordanian Ambassador Manar Munther Dabbas.

Image: © Rod Waddington on Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Forgotten wars, street violence and delayed elections

Today's Middle East Analysis podcast sees resident contributor Dr Harry Hagopian don his jabot and peruke, the white bib and curly wig of a barrister-at-law, as we examine the three main components of power: government (Executive), parliament (Legislature) and the judiciary (Courts).

In the Middle East & North Africa, do we see a separation of these branches of power? How much authority can a judge lay claim to? Are presidents, prime ministers or monarchies above the law? Are there political solutions to legal problems and vice versa? This obviously varies from country to country so Dr Hagopian provides a number of examples to illustrate his thought-provoking arguments and to highlight what happens when these powers get entangled – or not.

Silence in court for today's Middle East Analysis...

Legal realities, political remedies?

In this Middle East Analysis podcast we're turning our attention to the on-going war in Ukraine and how the aftershocks are reverberating across Europe, down into the Middle East, across North Africa and through the Gulf States.

Dr Harry Hagopian delivers the analysis and comment as usual and as an international lawyer with conflict resolution and Second Track diplomacy on his CV, he's well placed to take a close look at the tragedies of war and the possible outcomes.

International relations get picked apart - how intercontinental superpowers engage with near neighbours whilst, as always, the people on the ground suffer.

But how is the conflict impacting on the countries of the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf?

Over to you Dr Hapopian...

Ukraine: Invasion Aftershocks felt in MENA

A sharp, thirty-minute podcast for June's 'Middle East Analysis' that takes a slightly different format. Having returned from a six-day visit to Jerusalem and the West Bank, host James Abbott discusses Holy Land realities with regular studio guest Dr Harry Hagopian. 

To use an English translation of a French phrase that Harry has used more than once, it's a serious case of "the more it changes, the more it stays the same”.

Relating regional experiences - limited on the part of the host, extensive on the part of the guest - we focus on the people behind the politics of Israel/Palestine.

Holy Land, Unholy Problems

It's more of a hot rather than warm welcome to this 'Middle East Analysis' podcast. We've 'enjoyed' record temperatures of over 40°C  in recent times here in the UK - far more in keeping with the Middle East, Gulf States and North Africa.

Here to cool us down with his usual stylish, sharp analysis is the voice of MEA, Dr Harry Hagopian. The topic? Well it can only be the four-day visit of US President Joe Biden to Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jeddah.

A trip pilloried in certain quarters as high on photo ops, low on substance, was it a charm offensive to bolster US relations with Israel? Motivated, with an eye on Saudi Arabia, by the energy crisis and energy security? Or, as President Biden stressed to Arab leaders, to affirm that the US will not walk away from the region leaving a void to be filled by China, Russia or Iran?

Dr Harry Hagopian takes a deeper look and gives us his opinion on whether there were any takeaways other than a rather uncomforable fist bump with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.

Fist Bumps and Formalities - President Biden in the Middle East

Ever clicked a link and hit a 404 "not found" error page? Happens a lot. It's also very frustrating. You think you've finally found that elusive content but it's a false dawn and you'll have to go back and search again. The image for this 'Middle East Analysis' podcast was taken on the West Bank side of the Separation Wall earlier this year. It seems rather appropriate for today's episode. 

Dr Harry Hagopian, our resident international lawyer and regional analyst, takes on a quick-fire five to being our podcast looking at a variety of regional elections, off-shore gas deals and - stand by your bunks - sportswashing in the context of the Qatar-hosted football World Cup.

The meat in the sandwich is the ongoing turmoil and violence in northern Palestine. Harry gives his take on the situation in Jenin and Nablus. The prevailing writing on the wall? It's a 404 - Solution Not Found.

All this and a few off-the-cuff afterthoughts from the good doctor.

404 Solution Not Found

Ending a long-running podcast is painful. It's also hard to let go - especially when the expert sitting opposite you has been a friend for 15 years.

This is the last ever Middle East Analysis and, as such, is something of a fond farewell - on this channel at least - to Dr Harry Hagopian. The man's a colossus with a brain to match and a bucket-load of integrity. He also delivers his views and analysis with a fair dollop of wit and panache.

So it's with a heavy heart we say goodbye, but not without saying a huge thank-you to all our listeners. Whether you've tuned in regularly, been listening for years, or are comparatively new to the podcast, we salute you.

The last word is for Dr Hagopian... You may not be a prophet, Harry, but you're a mighty fine fellow!

Walls are meant for climbing

We keep our firm focus on the Holy Land and whilst we continue to weep as we look on at the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and the suffering of all civilians caught up in this conflict, we're joined by Fr Fadi Diab to discuss the lived realities of the Palestinian people in the West Bank as well as in the decimated strip.

Fr Diab is from Ramallah and is the rector of St Andrew's Episcopal Church and also minister at St Peter's Church in Bir Zeit.

He is also Chair of the Holy Land Committee of Friends of the Holy Land, an ecumenical, non-political charity with a mission, together with other Christian charities is to secure a resilient and enduring Christian community in the West Bank, Gaza, Israel and Jordan.

Fr Fadi Diab | The Church's Prophetic Voice in the Holy Land

When Father Gabriel Romanelli travelled to the West Bank to get some urgently-needed medicine for a nun living with his community in Gaza, it never crossed his mind he'd be separated from his flock for over six months.
 
Father Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family Church in the north of the strip, had to watch from a distance as the horrors of the 7 October Hamas attack unfolded, before Israel's bombardment of Gaza led to the humanitarian crisis and suffering we now see in this torn land.

On this special episode of 'Middle East Analysis', we welcome to our podcast the shepherd of Gaza's tiny Catholic community - one that numbered only 135 people before the war.

Father Romanelli spent a week in the UK, in London and Glasgow, meeting with Christian leaders and politicians to highlight the plight of the near 500 people still sheltering in the compound of the Holy Family Church.

Regular studio guest Dr Harry Hagopian, an International lawyer and analyst who has long worked for peace between Israel and Palestine joins Fr Romanelli in conversation for this special podcast.

Harry was a Track II negotiator during the time of the Oslo Accords in the 1990s and a former Assistant General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches.

Middle East Analysis

Separated from Gaza's Catholic community

It's hard to put into words - let alone sensible ones - how one feels looking on at the multiple tragedies unfolding (rapidly) in the Middle East. Particularly in those lands referred to as 'holy'. It all seems rather unholy and, as usual, those caught in the eye of the storm of overlapping conflicts are the civilians trying to live their lives.

The voice of 'Middle East Analysis', Dr Harry Hagopian, is usually a man of good humour, even in the darkest times. As an international lawyer, consultant and man of dialogue, he recently shared a digital 'bubble', as he called it, expressing how the recent escalation in hostilities has created a hole in his soul. So that's the title of this podcast.

For just over an hour, Dr Hagopian discusses the current maelstrom of violence, bereavement, loss, suffering and displacement. He even asks whether we stand on the threshold of Sykes-Picot Mark II. 

Even he hopes he's wrong.

NOTE: This MEA podcast was recorded prior to the escalation of regional hostilities on the evening of 1 October.

MENA Podcasts

A hole in the soul

Our studio guest for this special 30-minute Middle East Analysis podcast is the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

Born in northern Italy, the Patriarch, a Franciscan, has spent 35 years of his ministry in the Holy Land. In this time he has seen many episodes of war and tension. The current cycle of violence is particularly devastating.

However, it is the season of Advent and the eyes of the world slowly turn to Bethlehem. Hope prevails in the darkness, and the Patriarch clings to this when discussing the region’s Christians. 

Cardinal Pizzaballa talks about the intense and challenging situation facing the Catholics of Gaza, the West Bank and Israel. We talk in particular about the small community sheltering at the compound of the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City.

Our regular studio guest is the international lawyer, consultant and former Assistant General Secretary for the Middle East Council of Churches, Dr Harry Hagopian. Harry grew up in Jerusalem and his family has traditionally had close ties with the Patriarchate. He fondly reflects on how his father, a doctor, used to treat former Patriarchs at his GP surgery.

Cardinal Pizzaballa and Dr Hagopian share thoughts on a number of subjects in the half-hour podcast:

Gaza and the Christians sheltering at the Church of the Holy Family
Parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli and his joy at being back in Gaza 
Memories of engagement with the various Churches of the Holy Land
Hope and grassroots dialogue in the face of war and violence
The Patriarch’s meditation on Advent and faith

Latin Patriarch | Cardinal Pizzaballa

'Middle East Analysis' started in earnest in 2010-11 when a series of anti-regime uprisings took place across a large swathe of the Middle East North Africa region - what was termed the Arab Spring. Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer, regional analyst - and the voice of these podcasts - helped us to understand the context and long advocated for the voice of the people to be heard rather than supressed. 

A semi-constant topic in the early 2010s was the turmoil and civil war in Syria and the oppressive, often brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad, himself the successor of his father Hafez al-Assad who ruled with an iron fist from 1971. That dynasty held a stranglehold on the country for over half a century.

We spent years discussing government brutality, barrel bombing, international players, the descent into long-term civil war. Then, in 2014, we witnessed the rise of the violent, rampaging terror group IS, or Daesh, under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. IS shocked the world by setting up a caliphate across parts of Iraq and Syria. Once again, the Syrian people suffered and, somehow, Bashar al-Assad clung on.

Fast forward a decade and on 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed after opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept through Syria eventually taking the capital Damascus forcing the Assad family to flee to Moscow.

So the main sentiment percolating through this episode is what Harry terms 'pessoptimism' surrounding the seismic shift in Syria. We all know vacuums are dangerous and what fills them can be worse than what went before so caution is necessary.

Christmas cheer may be in short supply but we also have a segment on the Christians of the region and whether any peace or consolation can be found in these challenging days.

Assad time no more

Passing comment on the myriad of complex issues playing out in the Middle East North Africa region is challenging at the best of times. These are not the best of times. Whilst we see shards of light casting cautiously down on Syria and hesitantly over Lebanon, the metaphoric storm clouds are dense and impenetrable over Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. 

Add to the mix the incendiary and sweeping 'solutions' posited by the 47th President of the United States and you have all the necessary ingredients for trouble, termoil and tragedy. 

But what about the human beings trapped in the middle experiencing the horrors of war? With the insight of our regular studio guest Dr Harry Hagopian, we spend this Middle East Analysis podcast focusing on the humans caught between a rock and a hard place.

Rock - human - hard place

Being lost for words is no state to be in when preparing to record a podcast. This 50-minute 'Middle East Analysis' episode started with head-scratching on the presenter's part whilst grasping for the right questions to get us underway. 

Despite being somewhat fatigued, regular guest Dr Harry Hagopian takes on what we're terming the discombobulated realities of Israel-Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran. 

What are the rules of engagement? Are there any? Is mention of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict so fanciful as to be a waste of breath? Talk is cheap, says Dr Hagopian. When are the key players going to do the right thing and walk the talk?

Discombobulated Realities

A Papal death, conclave and election, in tandem with our key contributor's multiple regional travels have dented our once-a-month aspirations for Middle East Analysis but, at last, June sees a fresh podcast episode. 

Regular studio guest, Dr Harry Hagopian, who brings more than three decades of experience of the ever-complex Israel/Palestine conflict to the table, brings us up to date with the tragic realities of the situation in Gaza. 

For this episode, he sits alongside a special guest, the Right Reverend Jim Curry. Bishop Curry has long been a passionate supporter of the Christians and peoples of the Holy Land. He is a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre and the Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. 

Dr Hagopian talks politics, Bishop Curry talks pastoral realities. It's an interesting mix.

In this Middle East Analysis podcast, we look at the necessary ingredients for a ceasefire, the desperate need for 'dignified' humanitarian aid and an end to the suffering, Pope Leo's calls for peace, the situation regarding international law and war, Palestinian self-determination - viability of two-state or single state solutions, the small Christian community in Gaza, hope in the darkness, and more.

Gaza and the Holy Land

Ordinarily, a disclaimer would be bolted on at the end of the introductory blurb. However, one of the key talking points in this podcast - Palestinian self-determination and the recognition of Palestine as a state - has taken on a whole new dimension since recording.

On Tuesday, 29 July, our resident studio guest, Dr Harry Hagopian, sat down to discuss the headline topic of the human cost of the war in Gaza. Just an hour after the faders went down, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UK's intention to join France in recognising the state of Palestine dependent on whether Israel, and indeed Hamas, meet certain conditions.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney then made a similar move saying Canada will also, under certain conditions, recognise a Palestinian state in September - the third G7 nation to make such a pronouncement in the past week.

With that context in mind, this Middle East Analysis podcast spans a bumper 68 minutes, exploring many varied subjects, so to make things easier for our listeners, here are the topics and time codes: 

Start - 3m 46s
Introduction.

3m 47s - 7m 15s
Pre-analysis topic.

7m 16s - 42m 29s
ISRAEL/PALESTINE: Gaza, humanitarian devastation, patriarchs' visit, Palestinian statehood, settler attacks in the West Bank and more.

42m 30s - 47m 39s
LEBANON: De-militarisation, funeral of renowned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, son of legendary Lebanese singer Fairuz.

47m 40s - 54m 55s
ARMENIA: An unholy spat between Church and State.

54m 56s - 1h 1m 41s
SYRIA: Armed conflict between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes in Sweida.

1h 1m 42s - End
AFTERTHOUGHT: Book recommendation on Contemporary Arab Thought.

Gaza: Walk the Talk?

On occasion, Dr Harry Hagopian, the voice of Middle East Analysis, offers a personal reflection on a key regional topic. This piece focuses on the political story of his family - from his grandparents in Ottoman Turkey, to his parents during the British mandate of Palestine. The story also weaves across Lebanon and Jordan. 

But then 1967 happened, the six-day war, and it was downhill from there. Harry concludes with the current horrific war in Gaza.

Israel-Palestine: A Personal Armenian Story

There are two ways of looking at every subject covered in this 'Middle East Analysis' podcast. Recorded just after US President Donald Trump presented his 20 (or 21) point framework for peace in Gaza, resident studio guest Dr Harry Hagopian grapples with the viability of the deal and whether it's one that offers any sort of hope for lasting peace whilst allowing for Palestinian self-determination.

Symbolism is a word that can be associated with the other topics on our radar – recognition of the State of Palestine by the UK (and 10 other states) and the aid flotilla - or Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) - that attempted to reach Gaza with Greta Thunberg and other activists onboard before being intercepted by authorities and transferred to an Israeli port.

Dr Harry Hagopian is joined by Bishop Jim Curry who is the Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. Bishop Curry provides the pastoral, Dr Hagopian the political as our guests explore the fading chances of a two-state solution and whether peace is but a distant dream.

Pessoptimism is certainly the word, but Dr Hagopian is more pessimist than optimist with only a few crumbs of comfort to be found.

Pessoptimism on the path to peace

It's hard to be still and take stock when you're standing on shifting sands. Equally it's impossible to build anything meaningful or lasting when the ground under your feet won't stop moving. That's why the title of this 'Middle East Analysis' podcast feels very appropriate in these uncertain times for the region and its people. Conflicts and wars - proxy or otherwise - come and go from the news headlines and the value and dignity of human life is degraded with every man, woman or child killed in the crossfire. Not much is solid, certain and reliable.

Today Dr Harry Hagopian looks at:

Israel/Palestine - a fragile ceasefire in Gaza and the Kairos II statement.
Lebanon - how can its government disarm Hezbollah and at the same time avoid civil war?
Sudan - the horrors of el-Fasher and a tragedy that has left millions in need of humanitarian aid
Syria - Interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to the White House and an easing of sanctions.
Saudi Arabia - Crown Prince MBS, Mohammed bin Salman - another leader visiting President Donald Trump - and the small matter of the F35s.

All this and more on the shifting sands of the MENA and Gulf region (and Sudan).

Shifting Sands

You cannot totally divorce the political and the spiritual in the Middle East North Africa region, so for this special Christmas edition of 'Middle East Analysis' we are splitting the podcast into two parts. 

Leading the way with the political analysis is our regular guest Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer and consultant on the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf States. Harry takes us to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Sudan (yes, pushing briefly a little further south into Africa again this month) and Israel/Palestine. 

The latter allows us to segue seamlessly into the second part of this episode. This is the 'Christ in Christmas' bit and who better to reflect on the true meaning, and in fact geography, of the season, than Bishop Jim Curry. Bishop Jim is a Catholic bishop who holds the Holy Land brief for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. Light in the darkness, hope in times of despair, all embodied by Jesus Christ born in a stable in Bethlehem in the West Bank. 

There's no ducking the realities this Christmas but our two guests do find reasons to cling to hope in tumultuous times.

Hope is merely staying alive

In this, the concluding episode of our four-part series on the tough realities facing Christians in the Middle East North Africa region and the Gulf States, we turn our attention to the heart-breaking humanitarian disaster that Syria has become. How do the Christians cope living between a rock and a hard place?

Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer and analyst on the Middle East North Africa region and the Gulf States, provides the commentary.

Assad, ISIS and Seven Years of War in Syria

Next it's off to the Gulf states - those small, oil-rich countries bordering the Persian Gulf that have become popular tourist destinations in recent years. 

Christians have designated places of worship but is there an apparent gulf between faiths? Are Christians embraced or tolerated?

Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer and analyst on the Middle East North Africa region and the Gulf States, provides the commentary.

Gulf Between Faiths

Part Two sees us take a closer look at the 'majority minorities' - the large Christian communities in countries like Lebanon and Egypt. It's not just the Maronites in the former and the Copts in the latter. Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer and analyst on the Middle East North Africa region and the Gulf States, provides the commentary.

Majority Minority

With tensions in Israel and Palestine rising alarmingly, we ask how Christians would deal with a third Palestinian Intifada. Will it even happen? Are the Christians the pacifists on the periphery? How do the Arab Christians live with the ongoing conflict? 

Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer and analyst on the Middle East North Africa and the Gulf States, provides the commentary.

Christians and a Third Palestinian Intifada

To Be or Not to Be! Or in this case, To Deal or Not to Deal! As the US Administration reportedly gets ready to announce the "Deal of the Century" that addresses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, International lawyer & MENA observer Dr Harry Hagopian - who often reminds listeners that he is Armenian but not a prophet! - discusses with James Abbott the possible parameters of this deal.

Deal or No Deal (of the Century) for Israel and Palestine

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

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?

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

Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, makes an historic visit to Iraq - the first by a Pope - from 5-8 March 2021.

From Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda to ISIS, the footage beamed onto our screens has often been of terrorist attacks, conflict and destruction - all played out with the people of Iraq trying to survive in the middle. This is the first topic we cover on this 'Middle East Analysis' podcast with our guest Dr Harry Hagopian. Will it be a positive visit that not only supports the country's Christians but all Iraqis?

Our second subject sees us call on the legal brain of Dr Hagopian to analyse the International Criminal Court's 5 February ruling of stating that it has jurisdiction over war crimes committed in the Palestinian territories - a ruling broadly welcomed by Palestinians and criticised by Israel and the US.

Finally we look to the stars and delve into the role the United Arab Emirates is playing in global endeavours to explore space. As the famous David Bowie song might go if re-released 'Ground Control to Hazzaa Ali Almansoori'.

As we're running to space mission durations today, here are the timecodes to help you pick your topic: 

Introduction
Start to 3m 4s

Pope's historic visit to Iraq
3m 5s to 26m 52s

International Criminal Court on Palestinian Territories
26m 53s to 51m 24s
 
UAE's role in space exploration
51m 25s to end

Reaching for the stars: Historic visit, historic ruling

The Middle East North Africa region is complex - hardly breaking news. There are complicated religious, political and socio-economic realities. 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.

Middle East North Africa: An Analysis

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