In episode 52 of Tahrir Podcast, Aaron Magid tuned in to discuss his book, The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan (Universal Publishers, 2025), as well as commentate on Jordanian politics.
Drawing on interviews with over 100 people—including King Abdullah’s classmates, former Jordanian ministers, and even CIA directors—Aaron offers a deeply reported portrait of one of the Middle East’s most enduring leaders. The first comprehensive biography on Jordans King Abdullah, the book traces his rise from a Massachusetts prep school and British military training to the Jordanian throne, and explores how he’s managed to stay in power for over 25 years amidst regional wars, economic pressures, and mass protests. It also examines his strategic alliance with Washington, his cooperation with the CIA, and the domestic controversies that have shaped his reign—from a $15 billion gas deal with Israel to Jordan’s quiet role in the 2003 Iraq War.
Aaron Magid is an analyst and former Amman-based journalist. His analysis on the Hashemite Kingdom has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, the Atlantic Council, France 24, Al-Jazeera, and the Middle East Institute. He hosts the podcast On Jordan.
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In episode 51 of Tahrir Podcast, Professor Vali Nasr joined to discuss his new book, Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History (Princeton University Press, 2025).
Drawing on decades of internal debates, foreign policy shifts, and national security doctrine, the book unpacks how the Islamic Republic has navigated threats and opportunities since 1979 — from the trauma of the Iran-Iraq War to proxy networks, backchannel diplomacy, and a complex posture toward the U.S. and its allies. In this episode, we explore the development of Iran’s strategic worldview, the balance between vigilance and pragmatism, and the high-stakes regional escalations that now test the durability of its doctrine.
Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he served as Dean from 2012 to 2019. He is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the South Asia Center of the Atlantic Council. From 2009 to 2011, he served as Senior Adviser to the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He has advised senior American policymakers, world leaders, and businesses, including the President, Secretary of State, senior members of Congress, and presidential campaigns.
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In episode 50 of Tahrir Podcast, Emmy-winning journalists Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud join us to talk about their book, Pegasus: How a Spy in Your Pocket Threatens the End of Privacy, Dignity, and Democracy (Henry Holt & Co. 2023) — a gripping account of the global investigation that exposed how governments have turned smartphones into tools of surveillance and control.
Based on their work leading The Pegasus Project, the book unpacks how military-grade spyware developed by NSO Group was used to target journalists, activists, and political figures across the world. In this episode, we explore the making of the investigation and the writing of the book — from leaked phone numbers and digital forensics to international collaboration, political pressure, and the high personal stakes of telling these stories.
Laurent Richard is an Emmy-winning investigative journalist, documentary filmmaker, and founder of Forbidden Stories, a network that continues the work of threatened or murdered reporters. Over two decades, he has exposed global corruption, arms deals, and surveillance. His work has earned the George Polk Award, the European Press Prize, the RSF Press Freedom Prize, and the 2024 Emmy for The Pegasus Project. He was also named European Journalist of the Year at the Prix Europa in 2018.
Sandrine Rigaud is an Emmy-winning investigative journalist and former editor-in-chief of Forbidden Stories. She led The Pegasus Project and The Cartel Project, uniting reporters worldwide to pursue silenced stories. Her reporting has been honored with the George Polk Award, the Maria Moors Cabot Prize, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize, and a 2024 Emmy for The Pegasus Project. She is currently a Neiman Fellow at Harvard University.
Episode on YouTube:
Sandrine & Laurent's book: https://www.amazon.com/Pegasus-Threatens-Privacy-Dignity-Democracy/dp/1250858690
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Erik Skare is a historian at the University of Oslo and the author of the award-winning "A History of Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Faith, Awareness, and Revolution in the Middle East" (Cambridge University Press, 2021). He specializes in Palestinian history with a particular focus on religion and secular politics.
In episode 48 of Tahrir Podcast, we discussed his most recent book, “Road to October 7: A Brief History of Palestinian Islamism,” (Verso Books, 2025). The book looks at Palestinian Islamist groups, their history, progressions, triumphs, and defeats from their inception up to this day, covering the Muslim Brotherhood, Hizb u-Tahrir, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Hamas, and more. Eric argues that Palestinian Islamism is far more complex and dynamic than generally assumed. The phenomenon has continuously developed through disputes between moderates and hardliners.
Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qXzbzbf4QuQ
Eric's website: https://erikskare.no/
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Ömer Taşpınar is a Professor at the National Defense University and Johns Hopkins SAIS in Washington, D.C. He is a scholar, author, and policy expert specializing in Middle East politics, U.S. foreign policy, and Turkish affairs. His research focuses on the intersection of political economy, nationalism, and security in the Middle East, with a particular emphasis on Turkey.
In episode 47 of Tahrir Podcast, we discuss his book "What the West is Getting Wrong about the Middle East: Why Islam is Not the Problem" (I.B. Tauris, 2020), where he challenges prevailing Western narratives about the region by highlighting weak states, economic underdevelopment, and authoritarianism—rather than religion—as the primary drivers of instability and extremism. The book delves into the historical and structural factors that have shaped the modern Middle East, arguing that Western policies often misdiagnose the region’s problems by overemphasizing Islam’s role. Taşpınar explores how economic stagnation, political repression, and weak governance fuel radicalization, while also critiquing Western interventions that have exacerbated these issues. Through a comparative analysis, he provides a nuanced perspective on why sustainable stability in the region requires addressing these root causes rather than relying on simplistic cultural or religious explanations.
Episode on YouTube:
Omer's book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/what-the-west-is-getting-wrong-about-the-middle-east-9780755655069/
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John Lechner is a writer and researcher specializing in security issues in Central Africa, the Sahel, Turkey, Russia, and the former Soviet Union. Fluent in Russian and several other languages, he has spent years analyzing Russia’s growing influence in Africa and its global military networks.
In episode 46 of Tahrir Podcast, we discussed his book, "Death Is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare," (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2025) which explores Wagner’s origins and its evolution into a key tool of Russian power projection. Lechner challenges the prevailing narrative that Wagner operates purely as a Kremlin proxy, offering a detailed analysis of its structure, motivations, and impact on global warfare. Through extensive fieldwork and exclusive interviews, he sheds light on the mercenary group’s role in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and Africa, revealing how it has shaped conflicts and influenced state-building efforts.
The book also delves into the personal and political dynamics within Wagner, examining the group’s financial incentives, ideological leanings, and its often-uneasy relationship with the Russian state. Lechner provides critical insights into the blurred lines between state and private military actors, the future of mercenary warfare, and what this means for global security.
Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/J3pStvWHKTk
John's book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/death-is-our-business-9781639733361/
John's website: https://www.johnlechnerauthor.com/
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Rusha Latif is an Egyptian-American researcher and author based in the San Fransisco Bay Area.
In episode 44 of Tahrir Podcast, we discussed her book, “Tahrir's Youth: Leaders of a Leaderless Revolution,” (American University in Cairo Press, 2022) which explores the role of the Revolutionary Youth Coalition (RYC) in the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Rusha challenges the prevailing narrative that the revolution was spontaneous and leaderless, offering a compelling ethnographic study that highlights the organizational strategies and leadership dynamics within the RYC. The book delves into the personal and political stories of key youth leaders, examining how their diverse backgrounds and shared commitment shaped the revolutionary movement in Tahrir Square. Through their experiences, Latif provides critical insights into the potential of horizontal leadership and participatory democracy in revolutionary organizing. Tahrir’s Youth not only preserves the voices of Egypt's youth revolutionaries but also offers lessons for future movements around the world, especially in understanding the complexities of leadership and the limits of grassroots mobilization.
Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tOBCbOXe7m0
Rusha's book: https://aucpress.com/9781649030207/
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جابر بكر كاتب وروائي وصانع أفلام وسجين سياسي سوري سابق.في الحلقة ال٤٣ من بودكاست التحرير و الثالثة باللغة العربية، انضم جابر بكر لمناقشة كتابه، "الجولاج السوري: سجون الأسد 1970 - 2020" متناولًا منظومة سجون الأسد والقمع في سوريا عبر الوقت وأفكار أخري في حلقة شديدة التعمق. YouTube - يوتيوب: http://youtu.be/9AxHoCstWRg
رابط الكتاب: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/syrian-gulag-9780755650224/
Special thanks to Gabe Gluskin-Braun for helping out with the episode.
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Anita R. Gohdes is a Professor of International and Cyber Security at the Hertie School in Berlin.
In episode 42 of Tahrir Podcast, we discussed her most recent book, “Repression in the Digital Age: Surveillance, Censorship, and the Dynamics of State Violence,” (Oxford University Press 2023) which theoretically and empirically investigates how governments use cyber controls to support their strategies of violent repression. The book received the 2024 Goldsmith Book Prize, awarded by the Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy.
Episode on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=NkF-B9hceXY
Anita's book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/repression-in-the-digital-age-9780197772614
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Jerome Drevon is a Senior Analyst in Jihad and Modern Conflict at the International Crisis Group, where he undertakes research and analysis on Islamist militancy across regions.
In episode 41 of Tahrir Podcast, we discussed his most recent book, “From Jihad to Politics: How Syrian Jihadis Embraced Politics,” (Oxford University Press 2024) which looks at why and how jihadis were able to take over the Syrian armed opposition, as well as why these very groups ultimately rejected domination by al-Qaeda (AQ) and the Islamic State (IS) and embraced a different action plan. The book builds on years of impressive field research, including multiple trips to northwest Syria, and interviews with the main leaders of the armed opposition, especially Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra/Nusra Front–now called Hayatt Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), including an interview with Abu Muhammad al-Jolani.
Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dS5ZLqDFJfw
Drevon's book (open access): https://t.co/uK4JfaAUVn
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Nadwa Al-Dawsari is a researcher and conflict practitioner with over twenty years of field experience in Yemen where she worked with tribes, civil society, local authorities, security actors, and non-state armed groups. Nadwa is currently a nonresident Scholar with the Middle East Institute and a fellow at the Center on Armed Groups. In episode 36 of Tahrir Podcast, Al-Dawsari joined me from Washington D.C to speak on Yemen‘s Houthis, their ideologies, origins, Iran links, and the Red Sea crisis.
Episode on YouTube: http://youtu.be/juHKqb-8gY4
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