Cover image of show MEnbar

MEnbar

Podcast by Middle East Council on Global Affairs

English

News & politics

Limited Offer

2 months for 19 kr.

Then 99 kr. / monthCancel anytime.

  • 20 hours of audiobooks / month
  • Podcasts only on Podimo
  • All free podcasts
Get Started

About MEnbar

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.

All episodes

25 episodes

episode What’s Next for Gulf Economies? artwork

What’s Next for Gulf Economies?

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.

28 Jan 2026 - 32 min
episode Media and the War of Narratives in MENA artwork

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.

7 Jan 2026 - 25 min
episode Africa’s Internationalized Conflicts and the Broken Crisis Response artwork

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.

31 Dec 2025 - 37 min
episode Rethinking Global Health Governance in a Changing World artwork

Rethinking Global Health Governance in a Changing World

In this special episode of MEnbar, recorded on the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2025, Marc Owen Jones speaks with Hanan Balkhy, Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean at the World Health Organization (WHO), about the increasing pressure on global and regional health systems amid deepening crises and declining international support. The discussion examines how recent funding cuts and shifting geopolitical priorities are affecting the WHO’s work across the Eastern Mediterranean region as it faces more conflict and displacement. Dr. Balkhy reflects on the challenge of maintaining health responses in Gaza and Sudan, the pressures on international health governance, and how countries are increasingly being pushed to rethink resilience, cooperation, and national ownership of public health in an uncertain global environment.

25 Dec 2025 - 21 min
En fantastisk app med et enormt stort udvalg af spændende podcasts. Podimo formår virkelig at lave godt indhold, der takler de lidt mere svære emner. At der så også er lydbøger oveni til en billig pris, gør at det er blevet min favorit app.
En fantastisk app med et enormt stort udvalg af spændende podcasts. Podimo formår virkelig at lave godt indhold, der takler de lidt mere svære emner. At der så også er lydbøger oveni til en billig pris, gør at det er blevet min favorit app.
Rigtig god tjeneste med gode eksklusive podcasts og derudover et kæmpe udvalg af podcasts og lydbøger. Kan varmt anbefales, om ikke andet så udelukkende pga Dårligdommerne, Klovn podcast, Hakkedrengene og Han duo 😁 👍
Podimo er blevet uundværlig! Til lange bilture, hverdagen, rengøringen og i det hele taget, når man trænger til lidt adspredelse.

Choose your subscription

Most popular

Limited Offer

Premium

20 hours of audiobooks

  • Podcasts only on Podimo

  • No ads in Podimo shows

  • Cancel anytime

2 months for 19 kr.
Then 99 kr. / month

Get Started

Premium Plus

Unlimited audiobooks

  • Podcasts only on Podimo

  • No ads in Podimo shows

  • Cancel anytime

Start 7 days free trial
Then 129 kr. / month

Start for free

Only on Podimo

Popular audiobooks

Get Started

2 months for 19 kr. Then 99 kr. / month. Cancel anytime.