BICOM's Podcast

Episode 36 | Does the US have a Middle East policy?

James Sorene discusses Mike Pompeo’s Cairo speech with Ilan Goldenberg, Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for New American Security (CNAS). President Trump wants US forces out of Syria but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US will work with its allies to remove every last Iranian boot from Syria. Can both actually happen and what do US allies in the region do now?

Episode 35 | Splits, mergers and indictments

BICOM CEO James Sorene talks to Anshel Pfeffer about the latest twists and turns in the Israeli election campaign and how Benjamin Netanyahu’s possible indictment on corruption charges will alter the election result and formation of a Government. Anshel is the author of ‘Bibi – the turbulent life and times of Benjamin Netanyahu’ and the Israel correspondent for the Economist and the Times and a regular contributor to Haaretz and the Jewish Chronicle.

Episode 34 | Israeli Elections

BICOM's Israel based staff Richard Pater and Calev Ben-Dor discuss the announcement of Israeli elections in April and the main issues to look out for, including Netanyahu’s popularity, the Attorney General's timetable over whether to indict the Prime Minister, and the possibility of the ‘centre left’ bloc uniting behind one candidate.

Episode 33 | The Middle East in 2019

James Sorene talks to Calev Ben Dor and Richard Pater about BICOM’s forecast for the Middle East in 2019, a look ahead at the key trends and major events for the new year including - Israeli elections, Iran’s mission to upgrade Hezbollah missiles with precision guidance systems, Mohammad Bin Salman’s tarnished reputation and whether the US will ever publish its long awaited plan for Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Episode 32 | Terror returns to the West Bank

James Sorene speaks to Israel’s leading military and security analyst, Amos Harel, about this week’s shooting attacks in the West Bank, what steps Israeli security forces will take and what Hamas’s role has been facilitating the attacks.

Episode 31 | Hezbollah tunnels into Israel

James Sorene talks to Dr Daphne Richemond-Barak, assistant Professor at the IDC Herzliya and an expert in underground warfare, about Hezbollah tunnels and what they tell us about its wider operational strategy towards Israel. 

Episode 30 | British Middle East Strategy after Brexit

James Sorene and Dr Toby Greene discuss the highlights of BICOM’s new research study 'British Middle East Strategy after Brexit', UK relations with the UAE and Saudi and how Israel’s warming relations with Arab countries complements the UK’s role in the Middle East.

Episode 29 | The Israeli coalition survives and Jeremy Hunt’s shuttle diplomacy

James Sorene talks with Richard Pater and Calev Ben-Dor about the UK Foreign Secretary’s Saudi and Iran visits, crisis with the UAE and a full analysis of this week’s events in Israeli politics and the inside story of how the Israeli coalition survived. 

Episode 28 | Gaza Attacks, Lieberman Resigns

James Sorene talks to Yaakov Katz, Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief and co-author of two books: "Weapon Wizards - How Israel Became a High-Tech Military Superpower" and "Israel vs. Iran - The Shadow War". They discussed the fallout from the latest conflict in Gaza, the impact of Defence Minister Lieberman's resignation and early elections in Israel. 

Episode 27 | US sanctions on Iran

CEO James Sorene speaks to Katherine Bauer, an expert on sanctions and terrorist finance at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former official at the US Treasury. They discuss the latest US sanctions on Iran, what sectors they target, what their effects will be, and what measures Iran might take to avoid them.