Alhurra

Dear Colleagues, Iran is struggling at home. Gas prices are about to jump. There are signs that an increasingly anxious regime is looking for ways to release some of the steam that might lead to a new wave of nation-wide protests. There’s been a relaxation of strict hijab oversight in northern Tehran. The daughter of…

Colleagues, MBN faces off every day against Al Jazeera, France 24, the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Sky News Arabia, and Al Arabiya. Fierce competition includes a healthy and growing number of smaller, dynamic groups. The Chinese, Iranians, and Russians have their outlets. In muddy waters, we battle scores of podcasters, You-tubers, and influencers that pump out…

Dear Colleagues, Winston Churchill said, it’s been claimed, that “the Balkans produce more history than they can consume.” The same might be said of our region, and certainly these days. In Iran this week, drought turned to heavy rain and severe flooding across the country’s western provinces as authorities began cloud seeding to facilitate rain.…

Dear Colleagues, When I lived in Prague I traveled a lot for RFE/RL and used to see retired tennis star Martina Navratilova at the airport. I never had the courage to ask for an autograph. Navratilova’s rivalry with Chris Evert was legendary. At the height of her game Navratilova was so dominant that commentator Bud…

Colleagues, I’m always in awe over what you do under exceptionally difficult circumstances. Our editorial team leans into each and every challenge. This week’s material includes wide-ranging Sudan coverage (Aya and Rasha with support from Ezat and Yousef); fine reporting on Iraqi elections (Ghassan, Dalshad, Karim, Yousef); and terrific work on Emirati and Turkish competition…

Dear Colleagues, This week is another robust week with follow on from interviews with Frank Fukuyama and Ken Pollack; with work on Ankara’s ambitions and the prospects for conflict between Israel and Turkey; with a look at Mahmoud Abbas’s decree designating Hussein al-Sheikh as his (temporary) replacement if the 89-year-old Palestinian leader is unable to…

Colleagues, MBN keeps chipping away, most recently hard at work on: “Disarming Hamas” (Yehia), “Hezbollah’s Schools of Hate (Asrar), “When Sufism Confronts Extremism” (Randa) — on why the IAEA doesn’t trust Iran (Andres) and how Houthi cells operate inside government-held areas in Yemen (Ezat). Let’s keep spreading the word and building the MBN network. Aya…

Dear Colleagues, I’ve just reviewed an internal report on the competition; on Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, Sky News Arabia, France 24, Deutsche Welle, BBC Arabic, EuroNews Arabic— plus outlets and influencers sponsored by the Chinese, Iranians, Russians, and Turks. The resources of rivals are staggering. MBN is America’s only Arabic language voice for the Middle…

Dear Colleagues, Transformation continues. My tip of hat to all of you for your hard work, determination — and imagination. MBN has become a place of service, purpose, and relentless adaptation. I’m proud to be a part of this. Each and every week we undertake new measures aimed at improving efficiency, oversight, and accountability. We…

Dear Colleagues, This past Saturday, thousands of people — men, women, and children all wearing black — gathered at the burial site; many carried portraits of the slain leader Hezbollah leader. It was one year since the Israelis killed Hassan Nasrallah in an air attack in southern Beirut. Nasrallah’s successor Naim Qassem pledged that Hezbollah…