CMEC podcast
Episodes
CMEC at The Doha Forum 2025
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One year on from the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie reports from the 2025 Doha Forum. She talks to Michael Lawrence...
CMEC AT THE MANAMA DIALOGUE 2025
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie reports on Middle East current affairs from the 2025 Manama Dialogue and talks to Iain Lindsay OBE, former UK ambassado...
CMEC AT CPC25 Pt.3: The future of the Levant & its people
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Chairman The Rt Hon. Kit Malthouse MP chairs a panel of distinguished experts examining the future of the Levant & its people. The panel compris...
CMEC at CPC25 Pt.2 - The under-reach of UK soft power in the MENA region
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie chairs a distinguished panel of experts and asks them how does the UK tackle the chronic under-reach of its soft power ...
CMEC at CPC25 Pt. 1: Future of Christianity in a Changing Israel
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"The future of Christianity in a changing Israel" is the subject for the first of 3 CMEC debates at the 2025 Conservative Party Conference. CMEC Dire...
UK RECOGNITION OF PALESTINE
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Special: The UK joins 149 other countries in recognising the state of Palestine. CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie attends a raising of the flag at ...
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon gives a briefing on Israel-USA strikes on Iran
20 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, former MENA Minister, gives CMEC members a private briefing on the "12-day war" strikes by Israel and the USA, agains...
Lt Gen. Sir Simon Mayall & Professor Nader El-Bizri discuss Middle East
06 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie hosts a discussion between two distinguished MENA experts, the soldier & scholar, Lt. Gen. Sir Simon Mayall, and Lebane...
Tom Helm reports from Jerusalem
21 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to Tom Helm, Jerusalem Correspondent for The National Newspaper. Tom reports from his home in The Old City, in Je...
MENA expert Dr Lina Khatib talks about Lebanon to CMEC
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Damien McElroy, the London Bureau Chief for The National newspaper, introduces the distinguished MENA expert Prof. Lina Khatib (Chatham House, SOAS, K...
Baalbek under fire with Nayla De Freige
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to celebrated Lebanese journalist and editor Nayla de Freige, who is also president of the world-renowned interna...
Con Coughlin & Prof. Lina Khatib discuss Syria at CMEC
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Expert & insightful discussion on what happens next in post-Assad Syria
Explaining Sudan's civil war with Cameron Hudson
02 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director talks to Cameron Hudson about the civil war raging in Sudan. Cameron Hudson is Senior Fellow in the Africa program at the Center for Str...
Saudi women's boxing star, Rasha Al-Khamis, talks to CMEC
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to Saudi sports star, in the ring, on the pitch, and in management, Rasha Al Khamis about the success and popular...
CON COUGHLIN ON COLLAPSE OF SYRIA'S ASSAD
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks about the dramatic events in Syria and the sudden collapse of the 53-year old Assad regime to author and journali...
DOHA FORUM 2024
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie is at the 2024 Doha Forum and discusses latest events in the Middle East & North Africa, including the lightening colla...
What can the Middle East expect with Trump?
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Charlotte Leslie talks to renowned scholar and security specialist Dr H.A Hellyer FRSA FRHistS - Senior Associate Fellow in International Security Stu...
"THE COMING STORM - WHY WATER WILL WRITE THE 21ST CENTURY" WITH SIR LIAM FOX
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks Ex-Defence Secretary Sir Liam Fox about the growing global water crisis - the subject of Sir Liam's latest book, ...
Alistair Burt on the 1st anniversary of the October 7 attacks
06 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to The Right Hon. Alistair Burt, the highly respected former Foreign Office Minister of State for the Middle East...
CMEC AT CPC24 - ON TACKLING MIGRATION
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Conservative Shadow Foreign Secretary The Right Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP was a special panel guest at CMEC's second conference event in Birmingham for ...
CMEC AT CONSERVATIVE PARTY CONFERENCE
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie introduces a an impressive panel of Middle East experts at the Conservative Party Conference 2024 to discuss "The UK's ...
General Sir Simon Mayall talks about Lebanon crisis
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to Lt. General Sir Simon Mayall CB KBE - also an author, historian and an expert on the Middle East - about the c...
Assassination of Hassan #Nasrallah with Gareth Browne
28 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to award-winning journalist and Arabist Gareth Browne who reports from #Beirut about the assassination of Hezboll...
Conflict Looms Over Lebanon - Gareth Browne reports from Beirut
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The assassinations on July 31st by Israel of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in southern Lebanon have ...
WiMENA Women in Sport Conference '24
03 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie introduces highlights from the inaugural WiMENA (www.wimena.com) Women in Sports Conference that took place on June 6th...
Climate change with the British Council
15 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to Amr Ramadan, a climate change young advocate and activist from Egypt who has been working with thew British C...
NAKBA 76TH ANNIVERSARY IN LONDON 2024
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie introduces the 76th anniversary commemoration of the Nakba from Methodist Central Hall in central London on May 15th 20...
GENERAL SIR RICHARD BARRONS ON CONFLICT
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks about global conflicts from Gaza to Ukraine to Sir Richard Barrons, one of the British Army's most distinguished ...
Israel and Gaza with Professor Yossi Mekelberg of Chatham House
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chatham House Associate Fellow, Professor Yossi Mekelberg, talks to CMEC director Charlotte Leslie about the Israel-Palestine conflict, six months on ...
DANIEL SEIDEMANN TALKS TO CMEC
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to renowned attorney Daniel Seidemann. Since 1991, Daniel Seidemann has focused on the geopolitics of contemporar...
How francophone north Africa is falling in love with English
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the second of CMEC's series of podcasts with the British Council - Charlotte Leslie discusses the growing prominence of the English language in fra...
CHRISTMAS IN JERUSALEM WITH CANON RICHARD SEWELL
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year, Christmas will be dark in Bethlehem. In a special Christmas edition of the CMEC podcast, CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie discusses the Isra...
CMEC AT DOHA FORUM 2023
17 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie attended the 2023 Doha Forum & discussed the Middle East's and the world's response to the Gaza crisis with Chris Doyle...
CMEC TALKS TO AIR MARSHAL MARTIN "SAMMY" SAMPSON CBE DSO
03 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to Air Marshal Martin "Sammy" Sampson CBE DSO, experienced fighter jet pilot and military-diplomat extraordinaire...
MANAMA 2023 with H.E Hossam Zaki & Baria Alamuddin
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie attends the IISS Manama Dialogue 2023 (@IISS_org) - at one of the gravest times of crisis for the Middle East- the Gaz...
Interview with Gershon Baskin
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Charlotte Leslie, the Director of CMEC, talks about the conflict in #Gaza to Gershon Baskin, distinguished former hostage negotiator with Hamas and Is...
View from The West Bank - with award-winning journalist, Gareth Browne
04 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie speaks to the award-winning journalist, Gareth Browne, from Ramallah, in the West Bank, the Occupied Palestinian Territ...
Cmec talks Israel & Gaza with Tom Helm of The National
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Charlotte Leslie, Director of CMEC, talks to Thomas Helm, the Jerusalem Correspondent for The National, the distinguished English language daily based...
CMEC AT CONSERVATIVE PARTY CONFERENCE PT 3 UK-GCC TRADE
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The UK government estimates that a UK-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) could increase trade by 16 per cent. But FTAs do not c...
CMEC AT CPC'23 - DEBATE 2: SYRIA -PEACE & ACCOUNTABILITY
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Charlotte Leslie, Director of CMEC, introduces the 2nd of a series of 4 debates at the 2023 Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. The Rt Hon A...
CMEC AT Conservative Party Conference '23
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Charlotte Leslie, Director of CMEC, chairs the first of of 4 of CMEC's CPC'23 debate series: "Who's BRIC-ing it? Can NATO and the West maintain releva...
CMEC's September delegation to Jordan
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Charlotte Leslie, Director of CMEC, leads a delegation of 5 British parliamentarians to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a bastion of stability in the...
PALESTINE & ISRAEL - PROSPECTS FOR PEACE?
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The prospects for peace and a two state solution for Palestinians and Israelis have never looked so bleak. Benjamin Netanyahu leads a controversial go...
The Triumph of Tyranny - Assad's war on Syria
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Con Coughlin, The Telegraph's Defence Editor and author, talks to CMEC's Director Charlotte Leslie about his new book The Triumph of Tyranny. This fas...
Shakespeare in Yemen
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast tells the remarkable story of how a theatre company - the Khaleej Aden theatre troupe - brought William Shakespeare's Hamlet to war-torn ...
#NAKBA 75 Commemoration in London
14 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast covers the #NAKBA 75 Commemoration at Westminster Central Hall on May 12th 2023 that was led by H.E Dr Husam Zomlot, the Palestine Ambass...
Iran's threat to journalists overseas
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC's Director Charlotte Leslie talks to Roger Macmillan, Director of Safety & Security at Iran International, an independent Persian speaking news s...
CMEC AT THE IISS MANAMA DIALOGUE
26 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie - at the IISS Manama Dialogue '22 - talks to CMEC's Honorary President, Lord Soames, (pictured, left) to Sir Alan Dun...
UNRWA & The Palestinians
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC`'s Director Charlotte Leslie interviews Matthias Burchard, the Representative to the EU of the UN Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA), about the critic...
CMEC Conservative Party Fringe 2022
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie chairs the 2022 CMEC Party Conference Event on the impact on the Middle East of Russia's illegal war against Ukraine - ...
Interview with Lt. General Sir Simon Mayall on Middle East
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lt General (Ret.d) Sir Simon Mayall KBE CB reflects on his childhood in Yemen and a remarkable military career that was interwoven with the last tumul...
NEOM - THE DAWNING OF A FUTURE SAUDI ARABIA
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the third in a series of CMEC podcasts on Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy – being done in conjunction with the King Faisal Centre for ...
Cmec Interviews Dr Ziya Meral from RUSI on Turkey
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the third of a series of CMEC podcasts on Turkey, CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks Turkey with Dr Ziya Meral, a senior associate fellow at RUS...
INTERVIEWS CHRIS DOYLE OF CAABU
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Doyle has - for 20 years - been the Director of Caabu, the Council for Arab-British Understanding. An Arabist by education and background, Chris...
EX-UK TO LIBYA AMBASSADOR PETER MILLETT CMG TALKS TO CMEC
13 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to Peter Millett CMG, who was, from 2015, for 3 years, the UK's Ambassador to the troubled and war-torn country o...
Prime Minister Theresa May praises CMEC's "vital" work
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Prime Minister Theresa May praises CMEC's "vital" work by CMEC
Prime Minister Theresa May praises CMEC's role in promoting peace & prosperity
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Prime Minister Theresa May congratulates CMEC on its forthcoming 40th anniversary and "its vital work" in the region, and its role in creating a more ...
H.E Mr Mohamed Al-Daraji talks to CMEC about Iraq's security
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Almost 19 years after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, CMEC's Charlotte Leslie interviews senior Iraqi official Mr Mohamed al-Daraji about the necessity of ...
WOMEN'S ROLE IN SAUDI ARABIA'S VISION 2030 STRATEGY
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC'S Director Charlotte Leslie explores the central role of women now and in the future in Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom evolves away from its depend...
CMEC at the 17th Manama Dialogue in Bahrain 2021
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Charlotte Leslie reports from the IISS Manama Dialogue and talks to Tobias Ellwood, Conservative MP and Chairman of the Defence Select Committee, Bari...
CMEC AT CONFERENCE '21
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC's fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference at Manchester, on "Global Britain and the Middle East - Challenges and opportunities." Chaire...
Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 Strategy
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the UK hosts COP26, CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie speaks to Dr Hoda Al-Helassie - a member of the Kingdom's advisory Shura Council, and Dr Yousef ...
Sir David Logan on Turkey
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For the second in our series of podcasts on Turkey, CMEC interviewed Sir David Logan, from the Centre for Turkey Studies and a distinguished former UK...
Turkey's moment of crisis or opportunity?
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This CMEC Podcast is part of CMEC's new Turkey series. Turkey is living through tumultuous times. 2021 started with student protests at Istanbul’s ...
What are the prospects for Palestinian elections in 2021?
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Palestinian legislative council elections are taking place on the 22nd May this year, for the first time since 2006. This precedes the Presidential el...
The UK and Iran: beyond the JCPOA?
21 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 2018, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action reached between Iran and the five permanent mem...
On the ground in Lebanon: the voice of youth with Paula Naoufal
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“On the Ground” In Lebanon: The voice of youth with Paula Naoufal “I know that I am graduating with no future in this country” Lebanese j...
Through the wardrobe: Arab culture, history and future as told through dress
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with Dr. Reem El Mutwalli of The Zay Initiative (www.thezay.org) In the week we celebrate International Women’s Day, CMEC Director, ...
The Arab Spring a decade on: Syria
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie presents the second podcast in a series marking the 10th anniversary of the Arab Spring. In this podcast, Charlotte exa...
The Arab Spring a decade on: Tunisia and Egypt
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A decade on from the day Tunisian man Mohamad Bouazizi set himself on fire in despair and protest, instigating a movement that would become known as '...
Yemen's floating time-bomb: FSO SAFER with Dr. Ian Ralby
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An oil-spill 4x larger than the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 threatens Yemen's red-sea coast. The FSO SAFER is a 1200 footer tanker, holding more than ...
Defence Series: Karin von Hippel in conversation with Tobias Ellwood
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In an exclusive CMEC three-part series this week, former UK Defence Minister and Foreign Office Minister and Chair of the House of Commons Defence Sel...
Defence Series: Professor Michael Clarke in conversation with Tobias Ellwood
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In an exclusive CMEC three-part series this week, former UK Defence Minister and Foreign Office Minister and Chair of the House of Commons Defence ...
Defence Series: Lt Gen Sir Simon Mayall in conversation with Tobias Ellwood
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In an exclusive CMEC three-part series this week, former UK Defence Minister and Foreign Office Minister and Chair of the House of Commons Defence Sel...
CMEC Podcast: COVID-19: Lessons From Bahrain
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On February 24, the island Kingdom of Bahrain recorded its first COVID-19 case when a school bus driver tested positive for the coronavirus. A few we...
CMEC Women's Programme: H.E Sheikha Haya Rashed al Khalifa
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
CMEC’s women’s programme has been slowly building, and we are pleased to present the launch of a schedule of podcasts, webinars and articles which...
CMEC annexation series: Alistair Burt in conversation with Ian Black
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, former UK Middle East minister Alistair Burt concludes his series on the issue of annexation with historian and journalist Ian Black,...
CMEC annexation series: Alistair Burt in conversation with Nickolay Mladenov
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, former UK Middle East minister Alistair Burt discusses with Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Proce...
CMEC annexation series: Alistair Burt in conversation with HE Mark Regev
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, former UK Middle East minister Alistair Burt discusses with HE Mark Regev, Ambassador of the State of Israel to the UK, Israeli persp...
CMEC annexation series: Alistair Burt in conversation with HE Dr. Husam Zomlot
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, former UK Middle East minister Alistair Burt discusses with HE Dr. Husam Zomlot, Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, Palestini...
The UK And The Gulf: Security Priorities For 2020
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday 4th March, CMEC hosted a Parliamentary discussion on The UK and the Gulf: security priorities for 2020. We were delighted to have Andrew ...