The Middle East Forum cordially invites you to this week's podcasts.
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Islamism's Tightening Grip on Bangladesh
with Ahnaf Kalam |
Bangladesh’s political landscape is unraveling after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s regime in August 2024, with rising Islamism threatening the nation’s secular fabric. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, once celebrated as a global icon for microfinance, has faced criticism for enabling extremist parties like Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam, whose growing influence—marked by attacks on Hindus, Ahmadis, and secular traditions—has shattered initial optimism about his leadership. Yunus’s decision to lift bans on these groups, alongside moves to erode secularism from the constitution, has fueled fears of Sharia-driven governance, while his foreign policy has tilted toward China and Pakistan. How did Bangladesh’s democratic hopes spiral into extremist resurgence? Can Yunus curb the Islamist tide? What are the implications for Western interests in South Asia? |
Monday, April 21, 2025
1:00PM Eastern Time |
Ahnaf Kalam is the digital media specialist and podcast producer at the Middle East Forum, where he has been a writer and researcher since 2017. He writes regularly on issues of national security, counter-Islamist extremism, and politics. His work has appeared in The American Spectator, The Gazette, Daily Wire, The Daily Caller, and other publications. He holds a B.A. in political science and international studies from the University of Colorado, Denver. |
Israel Insider
with Ashley Perry |
There are increasing differences between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Iran. Is Israel's window of opportunity to act against the Islamic Republic closing? |
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
3:00PM Eastern Time |
Ashley Perry is an advisor to the Middle East Forum’s Israel office. He served as adviser to Israel's minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister in 2009-15, and has also worked with Israel's Ministers of Intelligence, Agriculture and Rural Development, Energy, Water and Infrastructure, Defense, Tourism, Internal Security, and Immigrant Absorption and as an advisor to The Negev Forum. Originally from the U.K., he moved to Israel in 2001. He holds a B.A. from University College London and an M.A. from Reichman University (IDC Herzliya). |
The Forum Roundtable: Failed and Failing States in the Middle East |
In 2010, the Arab Spring, involving anti-government protests and armed uprisings across much of the Arab world, led to civil war, rulers being deposed, and domestic violence. Fast forward to 2025 and the world continues to see instability across the Middle East. The decade-long civil war in Syria suddenly ended with the Assad regime’s toppling; Turkey, facing its own civil unrest as millions take to the streets, has hegemonic aspirations that extend far beyond Syria; Iran’s economy is tumbling in a downward spiral while it faces pressure from both Israel and the United States to relinquish its quest for nuclear weapons lest war become imminent; Lebanon’s new president appears to wish to take advantage of Israel’s successful attacks on Hezbollah and implement true change; and Iraq remains in limbo after the U.S. withdrew forces and Iran became embroiled in post-10/7 regional turmoil. Unpacking this complex and volatile regional reality in this month’s Forum Roundtable are the esteemed Cliff May, Founder and President of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Michael Doran, Senior Fellow and Director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, and the Middle East Forum’s Jonathan Spyer, moderated by Lauri Regan, host of the Forum Roundtable. |
Friday, April 25, 2025
11:30AM Eastern Time |
Michael Doran is a senior fellow and the director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute. Clifford May is the founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Lauri Regan, host of the Forum Roundtable podcast series, serves as the vice president, treasurer, and board member of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East and as a board member of Polaris National Security. Jonathan Spyer is director of research at the Middle East Forum. |
The Middle East Forum, an activist think tank, deals with the Middle East, Islamism, U.S. foreign policy, and related topics, urging bold measures to protect Americans and their allies. Pursuing its goals via intellectual and operational means, the Forum recurrently has policy ideas adopted by the U.S. government. |
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