Off The Hookah With Phil And Cooper

Recently, US forces in Syria have been exchanging fire with pro-regime militias. Phil and Cooper shed some light on these under-reported incidents and what everyone is fighting for. Also, a review of last week's terrorist attacks in Tehran, as well as Turkey's own Tinder app. 03:47 - Syrian rebel commander: 150 US troops at al-Tanf base (Mohammad Ersan) 14:25 - Iran struck by first Islamic State attacks (Rohollah Faghihi) 14:25 - Iran says IS attackers fought in Syria and Iraq (Arash Karami) 14:25 - Iran wakes up to Salafi recruitment in Kurdish regions (Fazel Hawramy) 14:25 - Rouhani to domestic critics: Peace more daring than war (Arash Karami) 14:25 - Road ahead unclear in aftermath of Tehran attacks (Ali Hashem) 22:34 - Turks don't click and tell on e-matchmaking (Nazlan Ertan) Song: Omar Souleyman - Warni Warni (iTunes | Spotify)

After this week's diplomatic brouhaha in which much of the Gulf cut off ties with Qatar, Phil and Cooper go behind the music on the small country, its background and the controversy. They also discuss "The Ottoman Lieutenant" and its box office flop status after producers spent half their budget getting Ben Kingsley on board and the other half paying screenwriters who would pen a drama that denied the Armenian Genocide. 03:26 - In wake of Trump visit, Saudi-led Sunni bloc already splintering (Bruce Riedel) 03:26 - 'Fake news' sparks real crisis in the Gulf (Giorgio Cafiero) 18:57 - 'The Ottoman Lieutenant' loses box office war (Riada Asimovic Akyol) Song: Ali Abdul Sattar - Hayya Taal (iTunes)

Phil and Cooper give a rundown on Trump's traveling travails, from Riyadh to Jerusalem. Also, a discussion regarding the tragic Manchester bombing and the extremist mindset. Seems like there's a lot of Tom Hanks references in this one. Can you find them all? 05:37 - Saudis trumpet Trump (Bruce Riedel) 12:12 - After Trump's Israel love offensive, will Bibi reach a deal with him? (Ben Caspit) 12:12 - Trump's peace process heavy on talk, light on details (Mazal Mualem) 15:33 - 20th-century Libyan jihadism's role in Manchester attack (Jason Pack) 23:13 - Lebanon's budding hashish business brings high returns (Fernanda van Tets) Song: The Wanton Bishops - Sleep With The Lights On (iTunes | Spotify)

This week, the podcast receives its first guest. Al-Monitor Columnist Ali Hashem joins Phil and Cooper to discuss the results of last week's Iranian elections, the mood on the ground in Tehran over the weekend, the path forward for President Hassan Rouhani and what the future holds for conservative hardliners. Phil and Cooper also talk about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's goon crew and their violence towards protesters on US soil. 01:18 - Ali Hashem's articles for Al-Monitor 17:13 - DC treated to Turkish-style crackdown on pro-Kurdish demonstrators (Amberin Zaman) 17:13 - McCain reacts to DC brawl: throw Turkey's ambassador 'the hell out' (Amberin Zaman) 17:13 - New voices join Washington clamor over beatdown by Erdogan guards (Amberin Zaman) Song: Arsames - Cyrus the Great

Phil and Cooper have an update on this week's Iranian elections, as well as an important race being overshadowed by the presidential election. They also discuss the Notorious R.T.E. (Recep Tayyip Erdogan), who traveled to the US this week, and his decade-long diss track against Fethullah "Makaveli" Gulen. Also, Egypt's own Punk'd is a real rabble-rouser during Ramadan. 02:53 - Polls put Rouhani in lead with one week to go (Matt Dabrowski) 02:53 - The upcoming Iranian elections you haven't heard about (Rohollah Faghihi) 08:30 - Expectations low as Erdogan arrives in DC (Amberin Zaman) 08:30 - Odds appear stacked against success of Erdogan-Trump meeting (Semih Idiz) 18:22 - How far can Egypt's prank TV shows go? (David Awad) Song: Farzad Farzin - To Che Baashi Feel free to email us at podcasts@al-monitor.com with any questions, comments, concerns, or feedback you may have!  

Phil and Cooper discuss a new Syrian ceasefire agreement drawn up in Astana, Kazakhstan by Russia, Iran and Turkey -- and its implications for the Trump Administration's foreign policy. They also discuss the new leadership of Hamas in Palestine, and the history behind the inter-party conflict there. In other news, Piers Morgan has a foot fetish. 04:18 - Syria to get civilian safe zones (Max Suchkov) 04:18 - US, Russia approach each other cautiously on Syria (Max Suchkov) 12:51 - What to expect from Hamas' newly elected leader (Adnan Abu Amer) 12:51 - Could Hamas' pragmatic new leader finally reconcile with Fatah? (Shlomi Eldar) 12:51 - Hamas defies charter, recognizes 1967 borders (Shlomi Eldar) Song: Bashar Murad - Voices (YouTube) Feel free to email us at podcasts@al-monitor.com with any questions, comments, concerns, or feedback you may have!

Tensions have been rising between the US and Turkey after strikes against the YPG in Syria, and Phil and Cooper are here to break it down. In addition, they discuss this week's Algerian elections (which no one there really cares about, since no one knows whether their president is alive). Also, Disney movies and the Met Gala. 05:38 - Kurds call on US to set up no-fly zone after Turkish attacks (Amberin Zaman) 05:38 - YPG, Turkish forces exchange fire on Syrian border (Amberin Zaman) 05:38 - White House still quiet on Turkish airstrike in run-up to Erdogan visit (Amberin Zaman) 05:38 - US move to protect YPG could push Turkey into Russia's arms (Amberin Zaman) 05:38 - Does Turkey plan to continue airstrikes in Iraq, Syria? (Metin Gurcan) 16:02 - Self-reliant Algeria cracks open the door to US influence (Julian Pecquet) 23:40 - 'Beauty and the Beast' romances Egypt despite controversial content (David Awad) Song: Cheb Khaled - C'est la vie Feel free to email us at podcasts@al-monitor.com with any quest

Phil and Cooper explain the purported plans of Trump administration honcho Sebastian Gorka to partition Libya, and why that's a bad idea. They discuss the candidates running for President of Iran as well as Aya Hegazy and Egypt's prisoner crisis. Also, Lee Greenwood's magnificent tracksuit and the Time 100 list. 5:12 - 3 reasons why partitioning Libya is a bad idea (Mustafa Fetouri) 15:31 - Is prominent conservative cleric really a threat to Rouhani? (Ali Hashem) 15:31 - Is conservative Iranian candidate reviving Ahmadinejad's Cabinet? (Arash Karami) 15:31 - Iran's Guardian Council announces presidential candidate list (Rohollah Faghihi) 21:17 - Aya Hegazy case spotlights Egypt's pretrial detention law (Shahira Amin) Song: Nasser el-Mizdawi - Mashina Feel free to email us at podcasts@al-monitor.com with any questions, comments, concerns, or feedback you may have!

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's constitutional referendum passed this past Sunday, and you may have heard some news about it. So what exactly does it do, and why are so many people so up in arms about it? Phil and Cooper break it down for you, and discuss Egypt's tourism troubles (and Jaden Smith's obsession with pyramids). 3:15 - Erdogan's referendum win no clean sweep (Barin Kayaoglu) 3:15 - Where does Erdogan's referendum win leave Turkey? (Cengiz Candar) 3:15 - Is calm transition possible after Turkey's referendum? (A correspondent in Turkey) 3:15 - Calls for referendum annulment rise in Turkey (Amberin Zaman) 17:15 - Why are Sylvester Stallone, Salma Hayek, Will Smith visiting Egypt? (Ahmed Aleem) Intro Music: Geto Boys - Still Song: Rashit - Teker Teker Feel free to email us at podcasts@al-monitor.com with any questions, comments, concerns, or feedback you may have!

Phil and Cooper kick off the inaugural podcast with a breakdown of the Syrian Civil War, as well as the fallout from last week's sarin gas attack and the subsequent US missile strike on a Syrian air base. Also, Turks angry with a candy bar give United passengers a run for their money. 9:03 - 3 Russian theories on why the US hit Syria (Maxim Suchkov) 12:47 - Russia 'furious' with Assad over gas attack (Laura Rozen) 13:58 - Iranian officials give 'muted' response to US missile strike in Syria (Arash Karami) 15:22 - After chemical attack, Turkey renews calls for Assad's ouster (Barin Kayaoglu) 17:00 - Saudis have high hopes for Trump following Syria airstrike (Bruce Riedel) 19:36 - Following gas attack, Israel reassesses Syrian threat (Ben Caspit) 23:36 - Turkish candy giant gets not-so-sweet reaction to April Fools' Day ad (Mustafa Akyol)  Song: Omar Offendum - Damascus

Diving into the top news happening around the Middle East each week, we’ll discuss the stories behind the headlines. Off the Hookah with Phil and Cooper is a production of Al-Monitor. Coming soon.