Welcome to ROPESCAST, where the future of the Middle East is debated, reimagined, and brought into focus.
Hosted by Ksenia Svetlova, ROPES CEO, this platform champions pioneering regional dialogue, peacebuilding, and cooperative strategy. Moving beyond crisis commentary, we explore politics, economics, culture, and society with those shaping everyday realities.
From diplomatic realignments to genuine civil society peacebuilding, ROPESCAST connects you with an influential network of regional scholars, opinion-shapers, and changemakers for fresh analysis you won't hear anywhere else.
Blue Wave, Shifting Ties: US & Israel Relations After the Democratic Sweep
Host Ksenia Svetlova is joined by Ido Dembin, expert on Israel-US relations and director of the Two States Coalition, to break down the political earthquake of the Democratic landslide and what it means for the future of the US-Israel relationship.
They examine the long-standing bad blood between Benjamin Netanyahu and the Democratic Party, the steady deterioration of Israel’s image among American voters and elites, and the growing political cost of that shift. More importantly, they look forward: What concrete steps must Israel and its supporters take now — while the new political reality is still taking shape — to arrest the decline and rebuild sustainable bipartisan support?
Chapters:
0:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrYf5NHjLEs) The Midterm Earthquake: What Just Happened in America?
4:29 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrYf5NHjLEs&t=269s) Who Is Abdul El-Sayed?
10:02 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrYf5NHjLEs&t=602s) A Rejection of Trump
13:51 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrYf5NHjLEs&t=831s) How Much More Critical of Israel Will Washington Become?
16:52 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrYf5NHjLEs&t=1012s) Israel Needs More Than a Change of Government
21:57 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrYf5NHjLEs&t=1317s) The End of U.S. Military Aid?
27:46 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrYf5NHjLEs&t=1666s) Could America Stop Protecting Israel at the UN?
34:33 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrYf5NHjLEs&t=2073s) Can Israel Rebuild Its Relationship With the US?
38:03 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrYf5NHjLEs&t=2283s) Why Israel's Future May Depend on Its Arab Partners
42:31 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrYf5NHjLEs&t=2551s&pp=0gcJCWMAwfN6Pr3D) Can Civil Society Succeed Where Politicians Cannot?
🌐 Learn more about ROPES: ropes.org (ropes.org)
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25 Oct 2026
Is Israel on the Brink of Unprecedented Isolation?
In this high-stakes episode, host Ksenia Svetlova sits down with Dr. Ephraim Sneh, former senior IDF officer, long-serving Member of Knesset, and former Deputy Minister of Defense. With Israel approaching pivotal elections, Dr. Sneh delivers a stark warning: without a fundamental political change, Israel risks deepening international isolation and losing the core character of the state as we know it today.
During their conversation, Dr. Sneh details the concrete strategy the opposition must pursue to avert this trajectory and offers a sharp critique of Israel's past failed policies regarding Iran. He also examines the strategic realities and emerging possibilities along Israel's northern borders in Lebanon and Syria. Most importantly, despite years of conflict, Dr. Sneh makes a compelling case for why a negotiated peace between Israelis and Palestinians remains not only possible, but essential for the nation's future.
Chapters:
00:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2REASxRtnA) – Why Israel’s Next Election Could Change Everything
03:49 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2REASxRtnA&t=229s) – The Arab World Is Watching Israel
07:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2REASxRtnA&t=420s) – Is Israel Becoming an International Pariah?
09:33 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2REASxRtnA&t=573s) – The Real Cost of Israel’s Growing Isolation
13:25 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2REASxRtnA&t=805s) – The Iran Threat: Warnings Ignored
18:05 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2REASxRtnA&t=1085s) – Is America Losing Its Influence in the Middle East?
19:18 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2REASxRtnA&t=1158s) – Iran, Netanyahu, and the Politics of War
28:33 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2REASxRtnA&t=1713s&pp=0gcJCWMAwfN6Pr3D) – The Missed Opportunity for Israel-Lebanon Peace
35:47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2REASxRtnA&t=2147s) – Gaza, the West Bank, & the Urgent Need for Change
43:18 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2REASxRtnA&t=2598s) – Can Young Israelis and Palestinians Build Peace from the Ground Up?
🌐 Learn more about ROPES: ropes.org (ropes.org)
✉️ Don't forget to subscribe to the ROPESCAST for more stories of peace, dialogue, and impact across the Middle East.
18 Sept 2026
Jordan, Israel, & the Long Road to Regional Peace with Dr. Marwan Muasher
In this episode of ROPESCAST, ROPES CEO Ksenia Svetlova sits down with Dr. Marwan Muasher - former Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan and current Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment - for a wide-ranging and candid conversation.
Dr. Muasher draws on decades of diplomatic experience, including opening Jordan's first embassy in Israel and helping shape the Middle East roadmap, to reflect on the current state and future of Israeli-Jordanian relations. The conversation covers the enduring relevance - and limitations - of the Arab Peace Initiative, whether a two-state solution remains viable today, and how the recent war with Iran has reshaped Jordan's strategic calculations and regional security concerns.
This extraordinary episode offers a rare, ground-level perspective from one of the region's most experienced diplomatic minds.
Listen now on ROPESCAST — the independent voice of the Middle East.
Chapters:
00:47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt36-qmkKgc&t=47s) Meet Dr. Marwan Muasher
03:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt36-qmkKgc&t=180s) What Was the Arab Peace Initiative?
05:24 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt36-qmkKgc&t=324s) Why Israel Rejected the Initiative
07:27 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt36-qmkKgc&t=447s) Why the U.S. Looked Away
09:42 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt36-qmkKgc&t=582s) The Road Map to Peace
14:49 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt36-qmkKgc&t=889s) Did Israel Lose Its Peace Camp?
21:48 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt36-qmkKgc&t=1308s) Why Isn’t the Arab Peace Initiative Moving?
27:03 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt36-qmkKgc&t=1623s) Is a Two-State Solution Still Possible?
37:23 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt36-qmkKgc&t=2243s&pp=0gcJCWMAwfN6Pr3D) A New Regional Security Architecture
43:38 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt36-qmkKgc&t=2618s&pp=0gcJCWMAwfN6Pr3D) Does Geography Still Protect Israel?
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Inside a recent episode
Beyond the Shadows: Zahra Amanpour on the Future of a Free Iran
Published 14 Jan 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] So for that, a lot of things need to change in Israel, in the Arab countries that need to be more engaged, of course, and so on. And yes, a lot of things need to change in Iran. How do you see this change? How do you see this opportunity? How do you see the Iran of tomorrow? Absolutely. […]
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