East and West

19/05/2021

Mustafa Akyol of the Cato Institute talks about his new book, Reopening Muslim Minds, the value of questioning Muslim theology, fixing the crisis in Islam, the wrong-headed approach of leaders like French President Macron and much more.

“I see a lot of people becoming ex-Muslims, bitter ones, because of the terrible things they see in the name of Islam," Mustafa Akyol told me. "I do see Islam in a crisis and as a Muslim who feels some responsibility, I want to take my umma out of this:”

Mustafa Akyol of the Cato Institute talks about his new book, Reopening Muslim Minds, and the value of questioning Islamic theology (1:30), the problematic thinking of some Islamist leaders contradicts the early days of Islam (9:20), the majestic moral failure of Turkish Islamists and the AKP (22:30...

07/03/2021

Why the name Mental Klitoris for your podcast on s*x and gender issues?

“I was using this term w/my best friend, like if somebody said something really clever, we would say, ‘Oh, my mental cl****is is touched again'," Hazal Sipahi told me. "I also want to open people’s minds on these issues, so it was a good fit."

The name scared some people off -- like her great uncle, who left the family Whatsapp group in a huff after she shared the initial episode.

“He didn’t even listen to it. Probably it was kind of shaking his authority," says Hazal, who didn't mind at all. "That’s why I was doing my podcast, so when I got this reaction I was really happy."

Journalist Hazal Sipahi recalls the origin story of her podcast Mental Klitoris, and the term's meaning (6:10); why a family member’s negative reaction was a good thing (7:25); making a s*xual revolution (12:47); being called a slt at age 7 (16:45); how abortion is semi-banned in Turkey (30:00); ...

05/02/2021

NEW EPISODE!

“Some people argue that we ourselves have not managed to uphold democracy, how can we ask other countries to do that? I don’t fully agree. I don’t think there is such a thing as a flawless or perfect democracy," says analyst Mohamed Zeeshan on promoting democracy abroad. He's talking about whether India should be doing it, but his view might also apply to the US.

We also discussed the India Story and how it is under threat, US terrorism policy, why Kashmir is taboo, protests as the next great international crisis and much more.

Indian affairs analyst Mohamed Zeeshan talks about his new book, Flying Blind, examines how India underestimates its own international standing (2:00); how India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was ahead of his time yet spread India too thin (9:20); India’s shockingly low diplomatic presen...

08/12/2020

In the early 2000s an older Turk told Koru and his friends to vote for the up-and-coming Islamist party, the AKP, “because they’re Muslims, so they can’t steal."

“To some people that might have seemed controversial, but if you were a religious conservative that would have been a strong argument -- that religious people were more likely to be moral than non-religious people," Selim said. “That argument, these days, you could not make in a mosque, in a religious setting.”

This is largely because the AKP has now been in power for nearly two decades and is suspected of vast corruption. “That has dispelled quite a bit of the mystique and the power that religious practice had in Turkey."

Full episode: https://bit.ly/2VRXyPx

04/12/2020

Energy analyst John V. Bowlus explains why EU sanctions on Turkey would be a bad idea, reveals a possible objective of Erdogan’s Canal Istanbul project (5:20), why Eastern Mediterranean gas is superfluous (10:55), when we can expect to enjoy a more amiable renewables era (14:15), the new shape of regional energy after the Abraham Accords and Turkey’s possible return from the dead (21:45) and how Turkey has emulated China’s approach to maritime energy (30:00).

“Imagine the solar power that could come from the Middle East -- could feed the whole region," Bowlus told me. 'In Africa you could literally power the whole continent w/hydro power from the Congo River. The abundance of renewable energy is there."

Energy analyst John Bowlus explains why EU sanctions on Turkey would be a bad idea,  reveals a possible objective of Erdogan’s Canal Istanbul project (5:20), why Eastern Mediterranean gas is superfluous (10:55), when we can expect to enjoy a more amiable renewables era (14:15), the new shape ...

17/11/2020

Episode 2: Shadi Hamid of the The Brookings Institution on holding alarmist American commentators to account; whether Trumpism will get revenge in 2024 (7:35); failures of the Democratic Party (15:15); French leader Macron’s offensive statements on Islam (29:00); how France could accommodate, rather than alienate, its Muslims; and why Turkish leader Erdogan’s rhetoric is beyond the pale (43:30).

“I see this close result as an indictment of the Democratic Party. Trump was a uniquely weak candidate. The fact that it was this hard & Trump almost won...The Democratic Party sucks. It’s a joke," said Hamid.

Buy Shadi’s book Islamic Exceptionalism on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IgaRWz

Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institution on the ways in which alarmist American commentators were wrong; whether Trumpism will get its revenge in 2024 (7:35); failures of the Democratic Party, despite victory (15:15); the most important takeaway from this election (24:30); French leader Macron’s a...

17/11/2020

Episode 1: Erdi Öztürk of London Metropolitan University on Turkey's projection of Islam at home and abroad, the extent to which Turkish exiles are in the crosshairs of the state they fled and how Turkish imams in the EU spread propaganda & spy on Turkish dissidents, Gulenists, Kurds, journalists.

“Their mission is much more valuable in the eyes of the Erdogan regime than the diplomats," says Ozturk.

Ahmet Erdi Ozturk of London Metropolitan University details how the projection of Islam emerged as a key element of Turkish policy at home and abroad, the extent to which Turkish exiles are in the crosshairs of the state they fled, and how Turkish imams in the EU do the bidding of Turkey. 

15/11/2020

Turkey is ubiquitous these days: warring in the Maghreb and the Levant, popping up in your Netflix, weaponizing its diaspora in Europe and peddling its perspective in DC. Inside the country we see democracy drifting toward dictatorship. Women in the crosshairs. The Kurdish movement crushed. An economy in shambles and a ruling party facing its stiffest test yet.

On East and West, veteran journalist David Lepeska talks to analysts, activists, authors, artists and officials to get the real story. The name of the show refers to that cliched bridge between civilizations, Turkey, to the supposed clash between the Christian and Muslim worlds, and to his peripatetic foreign correspondent's life, yo-yoing between his U.S. home and half a dozen locales on the other side of the world. So he'll also tackle any subject that strikes his fancy and interview a variety of guests suggested by fans and subscribers.

New episodes will be posted here, and can always be found wherever you get your podcasts, like Spotify or Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/east-and-west

Turkey is ubiquitous these days: warring in the Maghreb and the Levant, popping up in your Netflix, weaponizing its diaspora in Europe and peddling its perspective in DC. Inside the country we see democracy drifting toward dictatorship. Women in the crosshairs. The Kurdish movement crushed. An econo...