In our first story this week, we give our take on Thomas Friedman’s controversial column, “Saudi Arabia’s Arab Spring, at Last.”
Next, we discuss the attack on the al-Rawda mosque in the Sinai peninsula that occurred on 24 November 2017 and killed more than 300 worshipers. We’ll discuss what makes this attack particularly tragic and why Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s inadequate counterterrorism strategies in the Sinai failed to prevent this attack.
Middle East Weekly, JMEPP’s news podcast, goes behind the headlines on the region, explaining and analyzing the pressing issues of the week. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and follow our Soundcloud page. This episode of Middle East Weekly is hosted by Blaire Byg, and includes reporting and analysis from Mariam Ghanem, Anna Boots, Nick Norberg, and Andrew McIndoe.