The Inside Story Podcast

Iran warns that any conflict with the US would have no geographical limits, as fears grow of a return to all-out war. With tensions rising across the region and President Donald Trump warning of possible attacks on Iran, mediators are working to bring Tehran and Washington closer to a peace deal.
In this episode:
Abdulla Banndar Al Etaibi , Assistant Professor in International Relations at Qatar University
Ali Akbar Dareini ,Researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies
Sina Azodi ,Director of the Middle East Studies Program at George Washington University
Host: Imran Khan
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Millions of South Africans are voting in the country’s seventh municipal elections since the end of apartheid, in what many see as a referendum on the African National Congress. The party that helped defeat white minority rule has dominated politics for three decades, but its support has steadily eroded, and two years ago it lost its parliamentary majority for the first time. That raises questions about what’s driving the ANC’s decline, and whether it can reverse it.
In this episode:
Oscar Van Heerden, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership, University of Johannesburg
Alex Vines, Africa Programme Director at the European Council on Foreign Relations
Sandile Swana, Principal Consultant at the Centre for Strategic Leadership
Host: Imran Khan
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing alliance has fallen short of a majority after a historic election, while the opposition also lacks enough seats to govern alone. Palestinian Israeli parties have made unprecedented gains, raising questions about whether the opposition will work with them as Israeli military assaults on Gaza and the Occupied West Bank continue.
In this episode:
Mairav Zonszein, Senior Israel Analyst at the International Crisis Group
Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative
Phyllis Bennis, Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and author of Understanding Palestine and Israel
Host: Sami Zeidan
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With the US and Israel signalling possible attacks, and Iran promising to respond, top officials from the Mecca pact nations – Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye – have sat down with Iranian leaders in Tehran. It’s being viewed as the last chance to defuse tensions in the Gulf. Diplomacy has so far failed to secure a peace agreement between Iran and the US. So, with fighting in Yemen spilling over into Saudi Arabia, can the Mecca alliance work with Iran to help secure the region?
In this episode:
Hamid Reza Gholamzadeh, Director of DiploHouse, a Tehran-based think-tank
Khaled Batarfi, Saudi political analyst and academic
Joey Hood, former Acting Director for the Office of Iranian Affairs at the State Department
Host: Folly Bah Thibault
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Another weekend - another wave of protests in many European countries. But it's in France where some of the largest demonstrations have taken place. It's a similar story across other parts of the continent. So, what would it take for governments to enact the changes protesters are demanding?
In this episode:
Jack Eisner, public law student at Science Po Paris
Rainbow Murray, specialist in French politics and Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London
Petros Fassoulas, Secretary General of European Movement International and a European policy analyst
Host: James Bays
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