GeoSpace Ep. 32 with Dania Arayssi: The Four Seas Initiative and the race to reshape Middle East connectivity

This week on GeoSpace, Mohammed A. Salih spoke with Dania Arayssi, program head and senior analyst at New Lines Institute, about the Four Seas Initiative, a proposed connectivity project linking the Gulf to Europe through Syria and Turkey, its strategic goals, and the obstacles standing in its way.

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GeoSpace Ep. 31 with Akeel Abbas: Iraqi militia disarmament in the era of Zaidi and Barrack

In the latest episode of The New Region’s GeoSpace podcast, host Mohammed A. Salih spoke with Akeel Abbas, a nonresident senior fellow at the Iraq Initiative within the Atlantic Council’s Middle East programs, regarding the efforts of new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's government to bring militias under state control, the appointment of Tom Barrack as US Envoy to Iraq, and external actors that will influence Baghdad's drive for reform.

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GeoSpace Ep. 30 with Elizabeth Threlkeld: Pakistan seizes a moment of opportunity in the Middle East

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, host Mohammed A. Salih sat down with Elizabeth Threlkeld, senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center, to discuss Pakistan's growing role in Middle Eastern affairs, its mediation between Washington and Tehran, and what its deepening ties with Saudi Arabia mean for the region's shifting security landscape.

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GeoSpace Ep. 29 with Randa Slim: Gulf states divided as post-war order takes shape

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, host Mohammed A. Salih hosted Randa Slim of the Stimson Center to discuss how Gulf states are navigating a fractured post-war landscape and reassessing their relationships with Iran, Israel, and the United States.

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GeoSpace Ep. 28 with Ayub Nuri: Kurdistan endures war's disruption while charting a greener future

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, host Mohammed A. Salih sat down with veteran journalist and environmentalist Ayub Nuri to discuss what life looked like in the Kurdistan Region during the US-Israel war with Iran and why the Region drew little international media attention despite absorbing over 700 attacks, while also highlighting the Region’s gradual shift toward solar energy and environmental renewal.

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GeoSpace Ep. 27 with David Schenker: Iraq's militia problem demands decisive action as sovereignty hangs in balance

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted David Schenker, Taube Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute and former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, discussing why Iran-backed militias' attacks during the Iran war exposed Iraq's forfeited sovereignty, how Washington can recalibrate its relationship with Baghdad, and whether decisive Iraqi leadership can emerge to confront groups embedded in every state institution.

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GeoSpace Ep. 26 with Dr. Kamran Bokhari: US-Iran deal likely as regional order reshapes

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Dr. Kamran Bokhari, Senior Director of the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy and Senior Fellow at the Middle East Policy Council, discussing the imperatives driving both Washington and Tehran toward a deal following their 39-day conflict, why Turkey emerges as the war's biggest beneficiary, and how the US strategy of burden-sharing is fundamentally reshaping Middle Eastern order.

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GeoSpace Ep. 24 with Arash Saleh: Iranian Kurds navigate hope and fear as regime faces existential crisis

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Arash Saleh, former representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran and scholar at George Mason University, discussing how Iranian Kurds are positioning themselves amid the US-Israel military campaign against Iran and why mere regime survival could prove disastrous for regional stability.

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GeoSpace Ep. 23 with Lawk Ghafuri: Kurdistan under attack: Iran-backed militias and regional conflict

n the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Lawk Ghafuri, a political analyst specializing in Iraqi affairs, discussing the unprecedented wave of attacks on the Kurdistan Region following the US-Israel military campaign against Iran, the involvement of Iran-backed militias, and the prospective roles played by Kurds in the ongoing conflict.

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