The Beirut Banyan

Ronnie Chatah
The Beirut Banyan

Storytelling and conversations, from Beirut and beyond. Subscribe from your preferred podcast platform. Support us through Paypal or Patreon.

  1. NADIM SHEHADI - The Real Question (Ep.414)

    2D AGO

    NADIM SHEHADI - The Real Question (Ep.414)

    Nadim Shehadi returns to The Beirut Banyan. In this episode we discuss the 2020 Eurobond default and the controversy surrounding that decision. We also look at fault lines formed between the banking sector and restructuring-advocacy groups and the wider story of the economic direction of the country. Nadim Shehadi is an economist and regular contributor to Arab News. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:47 The bigger story 2:58 Any banking sector 5:39 Individual action 12:45 Default 18:49 Fault line 24:08 The banks 33:11 A clear dichotomy 36:04 The Central Bank 43:23 The real question

    55 min
  2. ALBERT KOSTANIAN - A Final Word (Ep.413)

    FEB 22

    ALBERT KOSTANIAN - A Final Word (Ep.413)

    Albert Kostanian returns to The Beirut Banyan. In this short episode he candidly discusses a campaign to discredit his economic views and media reputation, debunks accusations of shadow funding and behind-the-scenes government orchestration regarding Kulluna Irada, dispels smear tactics increasingly used to sideline reform-minded advocates in government and civil society, and conveys a firmly held belief in solution-based policies - in particular the ongoing debate surrounding banking restructuring plans and fiscal policy. Albert Kostanian is an economist and journalist, and hosts LBCI's Vision 2030. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:12 Why are you here? 1:59 Why is there an increased discrediting campaign happening now? 5:23 Conspiracy theories & Kulluna Irada 8:42 Orchestrated attacks & social media misinformation 10:42 Reform-minded credibility

    12 min
  3. A Wedding, a Commemoration & a Funeral

    FEB 10

    A Wedding, a Commemoration & a Funeral

    On a wedding, a commemoration & a funeral. And holding Nawaf Salam’s incoming government to a higher standard.

    3 min
  4. Nawaf Salam, Joseph Aoun & Rafic Hariri commemoration with Michael Young & Bashshar Haydar

    FEB 7

    Nawaf Salam, Joseph Aoun & Rafic Hariri commemoration with Michael Young & Bashshar Haydar

    POINT COUNTERPOINT - Episode 3 An exchange on political affairs impacting Lebanon and the Middle East, with a unique vantage point from Beirut. Co-hosted by Michael Young (senior editor at Carnegie’s Middle East Center and editor of Diwan) and Bashshar Haydar (professor of philosophy at AUB) - both Beirut-based analysts sharing their nuanced perspectives while honing in on disagreements. Episode 3 covers three topics: (1) Nawaf Salam's cabinet formation process, a perception dilemma that has left his allies frustrated and Amal Movement's continued insistence on the Ministry of Finance; (2) the presidency so far, Joseph Aoun's mandate and the security reality dictated by the Israelis with international support that has allowed for the enforcement of 1701; and (3) the upcoming twenty year commemoration of Rafic Hariri's assassination, and how 'Sunni' and 'Shia' politics will play out with a diminished Iranian sphere of influence. Michael Young's article discussed during this episode: "Hezbollah Tries Making a Comeback": https://carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/diwan/2025/01/hezbollah-tries-making-a-comeback?lang=en Bashshar Haydar's articles referred to can be accessed via his new column in Nidaa al Watan: https://www.nidaalwatan.com/author/1883-بشار-حيدر Stay tuned for more episodes. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:38 Cabinet formation process 15:48 Presidency, security & ceasefire 42:14 Twenty year Rafic Hariri commemoration

    58 min
  5. A New Duo with Sarah Yassine (Ep.412)

    FEB 1

    A New Duo with Sarah Yassine (Ep.412)

    An episode on a new and unexpected duo: President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam. Covering the dramatically shifting security climate that brought about rapid political change, Joseph Aoun's leadership and the consensus that ushered in his presidency, Nawaf Salam's clean slate and the majority vote that guaranteed his prime minister-designation, and freeing local governance from the Doha Agreement's forced national unity paralysis. With Sarah Yassine, architect and political activist. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:45 Joseph Aoun 6:58 Nawaf Salam 10:33 Current climate 17:03 Clean outsider 22:11 Constant pressure 28:25 Majority coalition 32:58 Unlocking the stranglehold 38:05 Dismantling the ‘Blocking Third’ 40:58 Freeing the Ministry of Finance 43:01 Continued violence in the South 48:20 Independent voters & the South 57:15 A different Hezbollah

    1h 2m
  6. Decades Apart - An interview by Marie Jo Sader on the End of the Assad Regime

    12/21/2024

    Decades Apart - An interview by Marie Jo Sader on the End of the Assad Regime

    An interview by the gifted Marie Jo Sader, a Paris and Beirut-based independent journalist and 2023 Lokman Slim Prize winner for her investigative work on the circumstances of Lokman Slim's assassination. A discussion on the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, a retrospective on anti-Assad protests that shaped Lebanon in 2005 and wider implications for Lebanon, Syria and the region. Follow Marie Jo Sader on X [at]mariejosader The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:22 Decades apart 3:17 Post Syria occupation journey 5:01 Signature elimination 6:59 Political reasons & calculations 8:27 Coordination between Syria & Iran 9:47 The Lebanese 'state' 12:38 Emotions of the moment 15:10 Notions of justice 17:14 Mohamad Chatah today

    19 min
  7. To Aaliya's - with Nadia Tabbara, Brother Michael, Wael Taleb, Ronnie Chatah & William Dobson

    12/21/2024

    To Aaliya's - with Nadia Tabbara, Brother Michael, Wael Taleb, Ronnie Chatah & William Dobson

    Words shared on the closing evening of Aaliya's Books. With Nadia Tabbara, Brother Michael, Wael Taleb, Ronnie Chatah & William Dobson. For Niamh Fleming-Farrel, William Dobson & the Aaliya's community. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:09 Nadia Tabbara 5:59 Brother Michael 12:45 Wael Taleb 17:57 Ronnie Chatah 28:31 William Dobson

    35 min
  8. The Fall of the Assad Regime with Bashshar Haydar (Ep.411)

    12/18/2024

    The Fall of the Assad Regime with Bashshar Haydar (Ep.411)

    An episode on the fall of the Assad regime and its implications on Syria and Lebanon. Covering the rapid collapse of the Assad regime, identity formation in the wake of over half a century of minoritarian rule mired by tyranny, where Iran stands in the near future and a wider ambition for the region carried by hope. With Bashshar Haydar, professor of philosophy at The American University of Beirut. The Nidaa al Watan article mentioned is accessible here: https://www.nidaalwatan.com/article/297082-الهوية-الوطنية-لسوريا-ما-بعد-الأسد The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:37 Carried by hopes 6:50 Many reasons for Assad’s end 11:31 The last stretch of the regime 20:29 Turkish ambition 24:58 Dictatorial security machine 28:07 Minority rule 31:05 Intervention 38:07 Arab nationalism & myth 41:51 We are people who suffered 48:40 Forced identity 55:00 Political Islam 1:06:51 Druze border villages & Golan Heights 1:08:27 Israeli military measures 1:12:34 The problem of peace & Israel 1:14:02 Back to Lebanon 1:21:55 The Iranian regime moving forward 1:26:23 Less pessimistic than usual

    1h 29m
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4.8
out of 5
49 Ratings

About

Storytelling and conversations, from Beirut and beyond. Subscribe from your preferred podcast platform. Support us through Paypal or Patreon.

Information

  • Creator
    Ronnie Chatah
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    481
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The Beirut Banyan

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