Beyond the Headlines

What shape will US-Middle East affairs take post-midterm elections?

US President Donald Trump’s Republican party can no longer claim complete control of a two-branch Congress, after his rival Democratic party last week won control of the House of Representatives. The Senate, however, is still controlled by the Republicans.

Newly empowered Democrats are expected to take Trump to task on many issues domestically, but to what extent will Trump's foreign policy be affected? Specifically, how might Trump's agenda in the Middle East change?

We ask an expert on US-Middle Eastern affairs that question and more in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines.

Danielle Pletka, the senior vice-president for foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, spoke with The National's Naser Al Wasmi, and explained the influence of a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives on Trump's Middle Eastern agenda. Will his tough stance on Iran strengthen or wane? Will new checks to his Republican party hinder the administration's goals for the region?

A tale of two prime ministers in Sri Lanka

There's been political trouble in Sri Lanka over the past two weeks after President Maithripala Sirisena dismissed prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place.

It is not clear that the president had the authority to make such a decision though, and Mr Wickremesinghe has refused to vacate the prime minister's residence.

Which has left Sri Lanka in the unusual position of having two men claiming to be prime minister.

Lack of governance for migrants to be ratified by UN in Morocco

More than 10 per cent of the world’s migrant population live in the GCC, making it the highest citizen-to-migrant region in the world. A look at the demographics of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman shows that at least half of the population is non-citizen residents. In 2015, the Arab World as a whole hosted 32 million migrants, who sent home more than 100 billion dollars in remittances. However, despite their heavy presence not only in the Arab countries but around the world, international agreements on migration are practically non-existent.

Louise Arbour, the UN special representative for international migration, joins host Naser Al Wasmi to discuss the upcoming International Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Morrocco this December and how the compact will change migration in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines.

Taliban bombings in Afghanistan's election

For the first time in ten years, Afghans took to the polling stations to elect candidates to National Assembly and take part in the future of their country. But a series of violent attacks have put a damper on the democratic turnout. Afghan security forces claimed more than 100 attacks took place in the week leading up to the elections and on the day, killing 23 and wounding hundreds. The Taliban claimed most of the attacks, including bombing the office of one of the candidates in the south of the country.

The events represent a political reality in strife. The Taliban, who along with other insurgent groups control vast swathes of the country, attempted to curtail the elections. The attacks, which included suicide bombings, could be responsible for the low turnout. Of the 9 million registered to vote in the country, around 4 million showed up. Nonetheless, after years of delays and months of negotiations, the country has voted for the first time in a decade.

On this episode, we're joined by Ruchi Kumar to answer two questions: what does this mean for the future of the country? And how will this affect the ongoing US negotiations with the Taliban over a potential peace deal?

Syria-Jordan border restoration opens up many opportunities

This week, Jordan and Syria opened their border for the first time in three years. The move promises to restore the possibility for movement of both goods and people between the two countries.

Jordan plays host to a large number of Syrian refugees and migrants, many of whom fled the carnage when the war broke out 7 years ago. Others have worked for decades between the two borders, trading produce, medicine and other goods.

What does the border opening mean for both Syria and Jordan politically? How will this change the fate of the 1.4 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, and is this the first step towards the international Syrian diaspora returning home? 

We discuss these questions and more with Jordan-based journalist Taylor Luck in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines.

Scientists warn: Act now on climate change or it will be too late

The world’s leading climate change scientists warned governments to act on climate change today or face a catastrophic future. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is seen as the final warning. It says that if governments fail to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees by 2050, the world will witness significantly more violent drought, floods and extreme heat.

And the Middle East is especially at risk. So are the UAE and other regional leaders doing their part?

Tanzeed Alam, Managing Director of Earth Matters Consultancy,  joins host Naser Al Wasmi to break down the report and assess what needs to be done in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines.

Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change say that governments must act now, and that time is running out. We look to find out how the Middle East will change under global warming, and what steps we can take now.

Refugees trapped in Libya ask for mercy

Hundreds of men, women and children are being held in detention centres in Libya, just a stone’s throw away from clashes between rival militias, as journalist Sally Hayden has written for The National.

Campbell MacDiarmid spoke with Hayden, who has direct contact with some of the men and women trapped in these jails, in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines. 

Also this week, we look at the ongoing parliamentary elections in Iraqi Kurdistan. A year on from a failed attempt at independence, voters express a sense of disillusion in the region’s political elite. What will the results from this election portend for the region and its relationship with Baghdad? Mina Al Droubi joins host Sofia Barbarani to discuss.

At least on Iran, Trump has clear message

US President Donald Trump's second United Nations General Assembly was, to say the least, uneven.

It started off when he showed up late to his speech at the general debate, then 20 minutes late to the UNSC briefing that he chaired. He waffled on his stance toward the Palestinian-Israeli peace plan in the span of a day. He described his correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un as "beautiful". And then during his Security Council briefing on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, he seemed to claim that China was interfering in the US midterm elections against him.

However, during all of that, the US president was crystal clear on Iran, and he was dead-set on making the world know it. His speeches contained strong language on Tehran, saying that its leaders were adamant on destabilizing the Arab world.

We discuss Trump's impact at the UN General Assembly in this episode of Beyond the Headlines. Host Naser Alwasmi is joined by The National's Joyce Karam and Damien McElroy in New York. How will Trump's message affect US relations with foreign neighbours, and will it have any impact on the upcoming midterm elections?

A summer of reform in the UAE

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, announced the Tomorrow 2021 plan this week. It includes 50 initiatives to spur growth in areas such investment, jobs creation and improving the overall quality of life in the emirate.  

The announcement was the culmination of a summer full of reforms for the UAE. Mina Aldroubi and Rory Reynolds, The National's news editor, discuss what this means for the country's future in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines.

Also this week, we discuss the conflict in Syria, which has swung heavily in President Bashar Al Assad’s favour. If Idlib is taken by the government, it would leave the rebels with a few pockets of territory scattered across the country, effectively signalling their defeat. The National correspondent Richard Harris analyses the situation.

The cultural importance of rebuilding Mosul; Child mortality rates in Afghanistan on the rise

Iraq needs two billion dollars to revive its cultural heritage and renovate areas destroyed by ISIS. But the country says it does not have the capacity to rebuild without support from the international community. How are the UAE and other foreign allies helping? Mina Al Droubi joins us from the Unesco conference in Paris to tell us. 

And in war-torn Afghanistan, child violence is on the rise more than 15 years after the US war in the country began. Preethi Nallu tells us firsthand how dire the situation has become for Afghan children.

We discuss both stories in this week's Beyond the Headlines podcast.