Arab Tyrant Manual Podcast

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused global energy prices to spike, the US looked to its traditional gulf partners to increase supply. However, Mohamed bin Zayed and Mohamed bin Salman chose not to - refusing President Joe Biden's calls and even raising prices, whilst making overt gestures of support for Putin.In this episode, Iyad El-Baghdadi and Ahmed Gatnash discuss how the war in Ukraine has pushed a wedge between the US and its traditionally-close gulf allies, and what this means for the future of the Middle East.Episode timetags:02:40 - The economic context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine04:40 - Alternative sources of energy & autocracies08:00 - The gulf oil producers are acting differently09:30 - Why Saudi's reaction is a bad idea12:30 - Changing dictatorships through economic engagement14:00 - Europe's reaction to war & the dictators' underestimations18:20 - The shift in relationships from unconditional to transactional21:00 - MBS taking political changes personally23:55 - The Atlantic interview, disinformation, and MBS' continued self-owns27:30 - US security guarantee isn't in doubt, but it's not enough33:25 - The failure of dictatorship as a management system38:10 - Is Saudi Arabia maximising profit for its national budget?Support the Arab Tyrant Manual on Patreon: https://patreon.com/kawaakibiOur other podcast, Intergalactic Tarboush: http://tarboush.co/

In this episode, Ahmed Gatnash speaks to Elham Saudi, co-founder and director of Lawyers for Justice in Libya, about the fight for accountability and how human rights defenders can work towards accountability in areas that are ordinarily pushed to the sidelines.Elham can be found on Twitter (@elham_lfjl) and at libyanjustice.org (@LibyanJustice). They publish the Libya Matters podcast, and created the Ali Nouh fund, which provides emergency assistance to human rights defenders who are at risk due to their work. You can donate to the fund here: https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/15937#!/DonationDetailsSupport the Arab Tyrant Manual on Patreon, where you can find a bonus clip from this conversation: https://patreon.com/kawaakibi

In this episode, Iyad and Ahmed interview each other about their own book, The Middle East Crisis Factory. They discuss the origin and context of the book, detail various struggles that were overcome through the writing process, and share their reflections on the project 12 months on from its publication.Buy The Middle East Crisis Factory: https://menacrisisfactory.com/Support the Arab Tyrant Manual on Patreon: https://patreon.com/kawaakibiOur other podcast, Intergalactic Tarboush: http://tarboush.co/Episode timetags:03:15 - What was your motivation in writing the book?13:40 - Were you trying to influence policy?19:35 - Why was this difficult to write for you?20:20 - A quick summary of the "Vicious Triangle"29:40 - What do you like about the book and what did you dislike?34:50 - Which part of the book was most important to you?38:15 - What would you do differently if you wrote it again?40:00 - Who do you want this book to be read by?41:50 - What do you want the reader to walk away having understood?45:30 - If this book is the start of a conversation, what would you want that conversation to be?49:00 - What worries you about this book, as the author?

This is a repost of an interview on the Gaslit Nation podcast, hosted by Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa. Iyad discusses the origin of the Middle East Crisis Factory book, the context of the Middle East's struggle for democracy in the world, and how that shapes the work of Kawaakibi Foundation.Find the Gaslit Nation podcast online: https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/ and on Twitter: @sarahkendzior, @AndreaChalupa and @gaslitnationBuy The Middle East Crisis Factory: https://menacrisisfactory.com/Support the Arab Tyrant Manual on Patreon: https://patreon.com/kawaakibi

Iyad and Ahmed discuss human rights and political activism around the world, and why it seems to fail so often.Follow us on Twitter @ArabTyrantMan, and join our Patreon to support our work and gain access to exclusive clips and pre-release episodes: https://patreon.com/kawaakibiEpisode Time tags:2:00 – Feelings of pointlessness in human rights activism4:30 – "Folk politics"6:00 – Trump, pandemic & a new phase in geopolitics10:00 – How do we continue human rights work into the future16:30 – Creating solutions & tools20:00 – Incrementalism vs radical change26:00 – Centring people, not policy31:30 – Outdated outlooks & ineptitude36:00 – Climate change as a global crisis41:00 – Changing politics & spheres of influence43:00 – Legal challenges, boycotts & sanctions50:00 – Establishing a theory of change56:00 – Raising awareness vs creating change59:00 – Thinking systemically rather than specifically 1:01:00 – Demonstrating leadership in human rights

A continuation of the previous episode, Iyad and Ahmed discuss new changes in world politics, human rights activism and the podcast!Follow us on Twitter @ArabTyrantMan and join our Patreon to support our work and gain access to exclusive clips and pre-release episodes.Episode timestamps:0:30 - The growth of Arab Tyrant Manual5:00 - Overhauling the western democratic paradigm10:00 - Evolving from defensive human rights work into active powerbuilding14:30 - Understanding & targeting trauma in the MENA17:20 - The scope of ATM; looking back, looking forward21:00 - Updates on podcast releases and publications23:00 - Redefining 'long-term' objectives27:10 - Developments in our content; shifting to visual media29:20 - A message of gratitude to our audience

Iyad and Ahmed kickstart the podcast again after a long hiatus - with updates on various developments at the Kawaakibi Foundation, in their personal lives and in global human rights.Follow us on Twitter @ArabTyrantMan and join our Patreon to support our work and gain access to exclusive clips and pre-release episodes. Episode timestamps:0:30 - Intro to episode1:30 - Changes to ATM, plus Intergalactic Tarboush, a new podcast!3:00 - Why we went off the radar - being hunted by MBS7:55 - New book - 'The Middle East Crisis Factory'8:45 - Personal updates - graduating PTSD10:00 - Growing from small team to organisation - financial sustainability15:15 - Changes in global politics - Trump, Israel, Sudan23:55 - Mohammad Bin Salman and changes in perception25:15 - US withdrawal from the Middle East32:00 - Updates on China - socioeconomics and power33:00 - Looking forward - global crises and revolutions - maintaining momentum

Iyad El-Baghdadi and Ahmed Gatnash discuss the release of the ODNI report confirming US intelligence's conclusion that MBS directly ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Now that two years of gaslighting by the Trump administration are finally over, we can turn to the important question: what does justice for Jamal look like? Iyad's article in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/26/saudi-arabia-jamal-khashoggi-mbs-biden-freedom-of-expression/?arc404=true Find us on Twitter at @iyad_elbaghdadi, @gatnash and @arabtyrantman. Support our work: www.patreon.com/kawaakibi

In this episode, Ahmed talks to Gene Bunin, founder of the Xinjiang Victims Database - a unique initiative to track the crimes being committed against individuals in the western region of China and investigate the fate of those missing. Find the database online at: https://shahit.biz/ https://twitter.com/shahitbiz Find us on Twitter at @gatnash and @arabtyrantman. Support our work: www.patreon.com/kawaakibi

Ahmed Gatnash and Iyad El-Baghdadi reflect about the podcast, how far it's come, and plans for the future, as well as discussing Joe Biden's election victory and Trump's defeat, and what they mean for the MENA region and the global struggle for human rights. Support our work on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/kawaakibi

In September, Ahmed spoke to Joey Ayoub, Lebanese writer and researcher, about tankies, genocide denial, red-brown alliances and the uncomfortable affinity between large parts of the political left and authoritarianism. Find Joey on Twitter @joeyayoub, and us at @gatnash and @arabtyrantman. Support our work: www.patreon.com/kawaakibi For full show notes, including all mentioned articles and links, go to: https://arabtyrantmanual.com/atm-033-the-lefts-tribal-anti-imperialism/

Ahmed talks to Timour Azhari and Joey Ayoub about the massive popular movement against the entire political order which has rocked Lebanon for over 2 weeks. It has led to the end of the government already, but can it achieve the real goal - total systemic change? Catch our guests on Twitter: https://twitter.com/timourazhari https://twitter.com/joeyayoub Support us on Patreon: http://patreon.com/kawaakibi

Ahmed Gatnash speaks about the recent protests in Egypt, which surprised almost everyone but show that the lessons of 2011 have still not been fully absorbed. For a text version of the article: https://arabtyrantmanual.com/9-lessons-from-egypt/ Support our work: https://www.patreon.com/kawaakibi

Human Rights Foundation and Arab Tyrant Manual present this panel from this year's Oslo Freedom Forum, in which Iyad el-Baghdadi and Karen Attiah discuss the Saudi government's use of surveillance software. They go into detail on Jamal Khashoggi and his legacy, as well as the hack of Jeff Bezos and what activists can do to keep safe. Support us for more: patreon.com/kawaakibi You can find our partners the Human Rights Foundation here: hrf.org

Celebrities are notoriously shy of politics, advised to stay neutral for the sake of their careers. But what do you do when you can no longer be silent? Denise Ho, a singer and actress from Hong Kong, and Amr Waked, an Egyptian actor, discuss their journeys into activism, what it meant for their careers, the regimes they fight against and how their art plays a role. Denise and Amr can be found on Twitter (@hoccgoomusic and @amrwaked). Support us: http://patreon.com/kawaakibi

At the Oslo Freedom Forum last year, 7 activists from the Arab region found ourselves in a room together. This is the discussion which followed - on identity, exile, activism, trauma and healing, whether the Arab Spring failed, and different visions of what the future holds. It was nuanced and surprisingly self-critical, but there was no cynicism or defeatism in the room - just the maturity of taking the long term view, as we recalibrate for the future. Mentioned in this episode: Asma's OFF speech https://oslofreedomforum.com/talks/what-happened-to-libyas-revolution Wael Ghonim's OFF speech https://oslofreedomforum.com/talks/the-future-of-egypt Ahmed's blog on what the OFF means to us https://www.patreon.com/posts/27117847 Remember, listener support is our main source of backing and it means far more to us than any institutional grant ever could, because it enables us to stay independent as activists and unbeholden to anything but our principles. Make your pledge: www.patreon.com/kawaakibi

This episode is a recording of Iyad El-Baghdadi's recent press conference, in which he speaks about the recent revelations from intelligence agencies that the Saudi government potentially poses a threat to his life. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/07/cia-warns-arab-activist-of-potential-threat-from-saudi-arabia You can find a video version of the press conference and a transcript here: https://arabtyrantmanual.com/videos/iyad-el-baghdadis-statement-in-press-conference-about-saudi-threats/ If they want to kill us, we must be doing something right. Our NGO is small and volunteer-driven, but incredibly impactful, and every dollar of your help counts - our audience are our primary funders, and that helps us stay independent. To support us, go to patreon.com/kawaakibi or donate on Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=efUnmQWmPsjyUiQtW6_QDVckQg_jsZermMDSmq_kxR6ViZjTri_Ur_JZKdF2arTv-hmDo0

What is the purpose of nonviolence? What are its limits? Surely it couldn't work against someone as brutal as the Nazis...could it? In this episode, Iyad and Ahmed speak to Jamila Raqib, Executive Director of the Albert Einstein Institution - an organisation dedicated to advance the worldwide study and strategic use of nonviolent action. She tells us about working with Professor Gene Sharp, what issues are on the cutting edge of nonviolence, and future problems for nonviolent movements. You can find Jamila on Twitter @JamilaRaqib. If you enjoyed this episode, we have plans for a lot more on this topic. Support us on Patreon and be the first to hear about them! www.patreon.com/kawaakibi

Ahmed Gatnash (@gatnash) discusses Libya with Nadine Dahan (@NadineDahan), a journalist and independent analyst focussed on Libya, human rights and transitional justice in the MENA region. As well as analysing the current crisis, started by Haftar's attempt to invade the capital Tripoli, they also provide a run-down of what's happened Libya since 2011 and how it came to be this bad - armed militias, terrorist groups, coups, rival parliaments, allegations of slavery, a dozen international parties and a UN-sponsored diplomatic reconciliation initiative. Support us on Patreon, where you can also access a bonus recording discussing disinformation on traditional and social media in Libya: www.patreon.com/kawaakibi

Abderrahmane Weddady, the brother of regular Arab Tyrant Manual contributor Nasser Weddady, has been charged with "spreading fake news" and jailed pending trial in his home country of Mauritania. His crime? Revealing a massive Ponzi scheme which cost 7000 families their homes, and uncovering direct links to the president's family. In this episode, Nasser tells us about his brother and what he uncovered. For updates to the case, follow Nasser on Twitter - @weddady. You can also find out more from his writing on our website: https://arabtyrantmanual.com/articles/a-medieval-trial-for-whistleblowers/ Our podcast depends on our listeners' support - help us keep doing what we do, amplifying voices of liberty and human rights in the region and beyond: www.patreon.com/kawaakibi