Get the Context: A History of Politics in the Middle East

  1. Iran and the U.S., Part One: Four Days in August

    JUN 24

    Iran and the U.S., Part One: Four Days in August

    The U.S. and Iran have had a tense relationship for decades — but when did that begin? This week, we feature our very first episode about an event from August 1953 — when the CIA helped to overthrow Iran's prime minister. This episode originally ran as Four Days in August. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    36 min
  2. Iran and the U.S., Part Two: Rules of Engagement

    JUN 28

    Iran and the U.S., Part Two: Rules of Engagement

    Military confrontations, early-morning attacks, and digital warfare: the story of Iran and the U.S. from the 1979 Iranian revolution to the fraught moment we're in today. This episode originally ran as Rules of Engagement. You can find more of Throughline's coverage into the origins of the conflict in the Middle East here. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    47 min
  3. Iran and the U.S., Part Three: Soleimani's Iran

    JUN 29

    Iran and the U.S., Part Three: Soleimani's Iran

    The Iran-Iraq war, 9/11, and the story of Iranian Revolutionary Guard general Qassem Soleimani, from his rise to power, to his assassination, by the U.S., to the power his legacy wields now. This episode originally ran as Soleimani's Iran. You can find more of Throughline's coverage into the origins of the conflict in the Middle East here. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    46 min
  4. A History of Hamas

    11/16/2023

    A History of Hamas

    On October 7th, the organization Hamas, which is also the ruling government of Gaza, perpetrated an attack just across the border in Israel. The Israeli government says that the attack killed around 1200 people, most of them civilians. And Hamas also kidnapped hundreds more, including women and children, and took them back to Gaza as hostages. In response, Israel has bombarded and invaded Gaza. More than 11,000 people have been killed, and many more displaced. Since that day we've heard from many of you, our listeners, with questions about Hamas. So we took a few weeks to talk to experts on all sides to answer those questions – people who know the history deeply, and have even participated in it. Today on the show: the origins of Hamas, the context in which it developed, and what it represents to Palestinians, Israelis, and the rest of the world. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    52 min
  5. A History of Hezbollah

    03/28/2024

    A History of Hezbollah

    Hezbollah is a Lebanese paramilitary organization and political party that's directly supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, and Israel's invasion of Gaza, Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging missile fire across the border they share, causing growing fears of a regional conflict with the U.S. and Israel on one side and Iran along with its allies in Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthi rebels of Yemen on the other. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    50 min
  6. The Rise of the Right Wing in Israel

    03/07/2024

    The Rise of the Right Wing in Israel

    For most of its early history, Israel was dominated by left-leaning, secular politicians. But today, the right is in power. Its politicians represent a movement that uses a religious framework to define Israel and its borders, and that has aggressively resisted a two-state solution with Palestinians. And its government – led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — is waging a war in Gaza which, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, has killed over 30,000 people, many of them children. The government launched the war in response to the October 7th, 2023 Hamas-led attack that, according to Israeli authorities, killed over 1,200 Israelis with an additional 250 being taken hostage.This is not the first time that tension has erupted into violence. But the dominance of right-wing thinkers in Israeli politics is pivotal to how the war has unfolded. On today's episode: the story of Israel's rightward shift. Correction: In a previous version of this episode, we said incorrectly that Benjamin Netanyahu was born in 1948. He was born in 1949. To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    53 min