Dear Colleagues,

To deter China, Russia, and North Korea, Donald Trump should accelerate the modernization of America’s arsenal, two former nuclear officials argue — one Democrat and one Republican — in Foreign Affairs last week.

This while Iran is activating a “substantial number” of advanced centrifuges, increasing the rate of Iranian uranium enrichment — and  threatening to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, reports the Institute for the Study of War.

Henry Sokolski joined us recently to discuss the new proliferation problem — and threat of an Iranian-Israeli nuclear exchange.

To be sure, a growing Iran problem awaits the new administration. Our colleague Mohamed D. Otay is preparing a piece on Elon Musk. Musk met Iran’s ambassador to the UN, a day before Musk was announced as joint head of Donald Trump’s new cost cutting group. The meeting took place on November 11 at Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani’s residence in New York.

Iranian diplomacy has been active. We’ve discussed the recent Saudi-Iranian rapprochement on our show Gulf Talk. Israel may have placed a bet that a wider war with Iran and its proxies would push Arab states, Saudi Arabia in particular, into a proper alliance with the Israelis. Thus far this has not been the case. China has been mediating the Saudi-Iranian detente.

Meanwhile, there’s been growing concern in Democratic circles about the richest man’s involvement in American foreign policy. U.S. military branches — in particularly the Navy — have been integrating and becoming more dependent on satellite internet from SpaceX and Starlink while Musk — the man running both companies — has apparently developed a close relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Last Friday, two Democrats — Senator Jack Reed, D-R.I., chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., a senior member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees — called on the Pentagon and the Justice Department to investigate Elon Musk.

I’ve just finished Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk. We’ve invited Walter to join us for a discussion. Here’s The Economist on the world’s most famous bromance.

Alhurra Investigates

On human rights in Iran, there are plenty of threads to pull. Our investigative team is doing remarkable work. The second episode of a two-part program on child marriage in Iran by Randa Jebai will air on December 5. There’s a law going back to the early days of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 — and a fatwa from Iran’s first Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini that legitimized the marriage of girls as young as nine years old. Iraq follows in the Mullah’s footsteps.

Then there’s strategic competition. Joelle Alhaj Moussa is preparing a two-part program for mid-December on Houthi naval attacks in the Red Sea. Iranian-sponsored disruption of international sea lanes goes back to 2015.

Otherwise, Ahmed Monem reports on how Beijing conceals the identity of Chinese goods that enter the U.S. through Mexico; Nisrine Ajab investigates the role of China in cyber scams plaguing the U.S. Houda Elboukili examines ever tightening censorship in Russia. And Ghalia Bdiwe is focused on Egypt selling off national assets to foreign bidders in a manner that is hardly transparent. There’s rich and impactful content in all this. I’m grateful to Hussein Elrazzaz for his leadership of our investigative unit.

Dubai and Company

I’m grateful to our COO Deirdre Kline. Deirdre has agreed to extend her stay in the UAE. She’ll work closely with Omar Alsukkari and Valia Chami and colleagues in knitting together programming and news and finding new ways to connect more effectively our regional operations and Springfield headquarters. Plans are starting for a 2025 symposium in Dubai with MBN correspondents from different countries. Deirdre will also take time to enhance our ties to other media in the UAE and to U.S. embassy officials in Abu Dhabi.

After Thanksgiving, we’ll release data from Billy Sabatini’s staff survey. My thanks to Billy, Leila Loudaya, and the colleagues in HR. We’ll do better in support of J1 visas and Green Cards, employee evaluations, and opportunities for professional development. There will be no fast fixes. I can assure you, though, we’ll improve step by step. We’ll make time to discuss survey results.

There are plans to add to our dedicated, understaffed HR team in 2025. To security, too. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank at this time Mohammed Sediqi’s financial team. They’ve completed our FY23 audit, closing books on time, bringing greater efficiency, accountability and transparency across the organization. If I told you all the ways Anne Noble and her deputy Nick Little in legal help this company, you’d be reading for days. My tip of hat to Anne and Nick.

We’re striving to improve our journalistic game. I remain grateful and impressed by the energy Leila Bazzi brings to the role of acting editor-in-chief.

Carla Robbins joins us for a workshop after Thanksgiving. Carla is a gem, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter now with the Council on Foreign Relations after serving in news and editorial roles with The Wall Street Journal and New York Times. You may recognize Carla’s husband’s name, too. Guy Gugliotta covered Congress for a decade and a half for the Washington Post. We’re in good company. We’ll keep growing the MBN network.

Thanksgiving

On Friday, I had lunch with CNN’s Emma Lacey-Bordeaux. Some of you had a chance to meet Emma when she came to Springfield earlier this fall. She’s a terrific editor, journalist, and documentary maker. She’s also an avid foodie. She gave me a tip on a Filipino bakery (her sister-in-law is from the Philippines). Rose Ave Bakery is on Connecticut Ave near Woodley Park Zoo.

For the somewhat highbrow inclined, Emma flagged for me The New Yorker’s recent profile of celebrity Ina Garten. Garten ran a food store in the exclusive Hamptons for twenty years called the Barefoot Contessa. In 1999, she began publishing bestselling cookbooks and started a show on the Food Network. We appreciate entrepreneurs. I was intrigued by Emma’s storytelling about local chef Seng Luangrath and her Laotian cooking at Baan Mae in DC’s Shaw neighborhood.

Last week, I was bowled over by our Middle Eastern-Mediterranean Thanksgiving in Springfield. The potluck included grape leaves (wariq duwally), zucchini (mashi) stuffed with rice, hummus, fantastic bread, molokhiya, okra — plus Turkey and mashed potatoes. The canteen was packed.

If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving read this week, try Melanie Kirkpatrick’s wonderful book on the holiday central to the American experience. If you’re thinking about music for Thanksgiving, here’s (once again, I believe) clarity and beauty with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and singer Alison Kraus. And something from UK cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason that exudes charm and cheer.

Staying with strings, here’s Croatian classical guitarist Anna Vidovic with meditative and familiar melodies.

I’m fond of John Fahey, born in Takoma Park, Maryland. Fahey played folk, borrowed from classical, Portuguese, and Indian influences, and was fascinated by American blues, especially Delta blues musician Charlie Patton.

Here’s guitarist Glenn Jones, in a song dedicated to his friend and mentor, John Fahey. This is music that will absolutely grow on you. Here’s the man Rolling Stone ranks one of the great guitarists of all time.

Thank you for your important work and colleagueship. MBN is a privilege. Be safe.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Jeff