Middle East Focus
Hosted by Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj and Zeina Al-Shaib · Middle East Institute
4.4from 99 ratings
- 346
- Episodes
- 30
- Transcribed
- 99
- Ratings
- Daily
- Cadence
- 2018
- First episode
- 2M
- YouTube views
About Middle East Focus
Weekly discussion of Middle East policy, arts, and culture, featuring experts from the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.
- Publisher
- Middle East Institute
- Category
- news · news
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 17 Jul 2018
- Latest episode
- 8 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
30 of 346 episodes have a transcript.
8 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
The Americans Are Gone. Will Iraq's Militias Disarm?
1 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Special Episode: Saudi Oil After the East-West Pipeline Attack
24 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Old Rivals, New Alignments in North Africa
Inside a recent episode
The Americans Are Gone. Will Iraq's Militias Disarm?
Published 8 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Yes. They have a different problem, which is not the ISIS problem, and that is the problem of militias, most of whom are backed by Iran, who are a bigger threat now, I think, to the stability of the country than our small groups, 10, 15 ISIS fighters here and there. Robert, I want to turn next to that issue of popular mobilization force militia disarmament and kind of dig into that in a little bit more detail. A handful of the PMFs have pledged to disarm, to honor the government's push for that, while several others have pushed back to varying degrees. And we're already seeing signs of vacillation in Baghdad. […]
Read the full transcript with a Pod Engine plan.
See plansWho has been a guest on Middle East Focus
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Robert S Ford
- Colby Connelly
- Yesar Al-Maleki
- Intissar Fakir
- Nadwa Al-Dawsari
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- YouTube views
- 2,019,481
- Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.5 / 5
- 58 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.3 / 5
- 41 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 94 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 93
- Social presence
- 97
- YouTube
- 93
- Engagement
- 96
Contact Middle East Focus
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about Middle East Focus
Who hosts Middle East Focus?
Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj and Zeina Al-Shaib host the show. Published by Middle East Institute.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does Middle East Focus take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
30 of 346 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
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