This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Nadia Oweidat, a Middle East fellow at the Wilson Center and an assistant professor at Kansas State University. They talk about Russian disinformation efforts in Arabic media outlets, how authoritarian states in the region are amplifying those efforts, and how she thinks Western governments should respond. Then, Natasha Hall, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about how populations and states in the region think about the United States as the international system becomes more multipolar. 

Nadia Oweidat, “The Russian Propaganda in Arabic Hidden from the West,” Wilson Center, April 18, 2022.

Nadia Oweidat, “Supporting Youth Activists in the MENA Region: A Challenging Reality and Opportunities for a Bright Future,” Wilson Center, August 12, 2021.

Jon Alterman, "The Middle East’s Indifference to Ukraine Is a Warning," Defense One, May 12, 2022.

Natasha Hall and Will Todman, "Russia waged a cheap war in Syria. Here’s what those tactics might look like in Ukraine," Washington Post, March 11, 2022.

Transcript, "Disinformation in the Arab World," CSIS, June 14, 2022.