MEnbar is a podcast by the Middle East Council on Global Affairs (ME Council) that offers diverse insights and research-based discussions on policy relevant topics in the Middle East and North Africa region. Hosted by Marc Owen Jones.
Oil Prices, regional conflicts, and the push for energy transition are redefining the Gulf states' economies as they enter 2026. Amid these shifts, how are these economies adapting to global uncertainty?
In this episode of MEnbar, recorded on the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2025, Omar Rahman talks with Karen Young, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University's Center of Global Energy Policy, and Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute about how Gulf states are navigating geopolitical pressures, economic diversification, and the accelerating energy transition and what these changes may mean for the region’s political and economic future. The discussion explores how Gulf states respond to fluctuating oil prices and shifting trade patterns, digging into the strategies governments are using to diversify their economies. Young reflects on the challenge of balancing immediate economic needs with long-term reforms, highlighting the difficult choices Gulf states face in a rapidly changing regional landscape.
7 Jan 2026
Media and the War of Narratives in MENA
The mainstream media has lost control of the narrative. Middle East Eye’s David Hearst joins MEnbar to explain why Western media narratives are collapsing.In this special episode of MEnbar, recorded on the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2025, Marc Owen Jones welcomes David Hearst, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Middle East Eye, to discuss how media and conflict have fundamentally reshaped each other across the MENA region. The conversation examines the erosion of trust in mainstream Western media, the rise of digital and ground-level reporting, and the collapse of long-standing narratives about Palestine. Hearst reflects on how geopolitical interests and editorial pressures shape conflict reporting, the growing power of social media in challenging and shaping narratives, and the broader impact of media coverage on public opinion and policy-making both regionally and globally.
31 Dec 2025
Africa’s Internationalized Conflicts and the Broken Crisis Response
In this episode of MEnbar, recorded on the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2025, Marc Owen Jones is joined by Comfort Ero, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group, to examine the rapidly changing nature of conflict across Africa and its wider implications. Ero reflects on why crises in Sudan and the Sahel have worsened rather than stabilized, how international crisis response and management are struggling amid worsening humanitarian conditions and funding cuts and why Sudan’s war has deteriorated with such devastating speed. She also considers the impact of regional and external actors and how mediation and conflict prevention are being reshaped in an increasingly fragmented geopolitical landscape.
Who has been a guest on MEnbar
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Adel Abdel Ghafar
Hamidreza Azizi
Nadim Houry
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
293,705
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 46 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
45
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
32
Contact MEnbar
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about MEnbar
Who hosts MEnbar?
Marc Owen Jones host the show. Published by Middle East Council on Global Affairs.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does MEnbar take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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