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The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer

News & Politics Podcasts

Dr. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, co-director of the University of Würzburg’s Institute for Fan Culture, and co-host of the New Books in Middle Eastern Studies podcast. James is the author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer blog, a book with the same title as well as Comparative Political Transitions between Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, co-authored with Dr. Teresita Cruz-Del Rosario and Shifting Sands, Essays on Sports and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa.

Dr. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, co-director of the University of Würzburg’s Institute for Fan Culture, and co-host of the New Books in Middle Eastern Studies podcast. James is the author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer blog, a book with the same title as well as Comparative Political Transitions between Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, co-authored with Dr. Teresita Cruz-Del Rosario and Shifting Sands, Essays on Sports and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa.

Location:

Singapore

Description:

Dr. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, co-director of the University of Würzburg’s Institute for Fan Culture, and co-host of the New Books in Middle Eastern Studies podcast. James is the author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer blog, a book with the same title as well as Comparative Political Transitions between Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, co-authored with Dr. Teresita Cruz-Del Rosario and Shifting Sands, Essays on Sports and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa.

Language:

English

Contact:

91138061

Episodes

Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads

11/25/2020
David Rundell brings to his book, Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads (I. B. Tauris, 2020), a granular analysis and insider’s understanding of the inner workings of the kingdom garnered as a US foreign service officer who served a total of 15 years in the country. Rundell skilfully weaves history into a multi-layered portrait of the transformation for good and bad that Saudi Arabia is experiencing under King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Duration:01:11:33

Saudi rushes to improve its image in advance of G20 and Biden

11/20/2020
Saudi Arabia has taken multiple steps to polish its tarnished image in advance of this weekend’s hosting of the virtual summit of the G20 that groups the world’s foremost economies and in anticipation of an incoming Biden administration in the United States that is expected to be critical of Riyadh and potentially more conciliatory towards Iran and non-violent Islamists.

Duration:00:09:12

Subtly, China pressures Gulf states to reduce regional tensions

11/18/2020
Public debates about China’s Middle East policy are as much internal Chinese discussions as they are indications of where Beijing’s thinking is going and efforts to nudge countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to accommodate potential policy changes.

Duration:00:08:12

UAE and Israeli settlers find common ground in Jerusalem

11/14/2020
Weakened by Joe Biden’s electoral defeat of US President Donald J. Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu risks being caught between a rock and a hard place as Jordan, the Palestine Authority and the United Arab Emirates manoeuvre for control of what is to Jews the Temple Mount and to Muslims the Haram ash-Sharif, the third most holy site in Islam.

Duration:00:09:10

Ceasefire in the Caucasus opens door to rebalancing of regional power

11/10/2020
A Russian mediated-ceasefire in the Caucasus cements a Turkish-backed Azerbaijani military defeat of Armenia but raises tantalizing questions.

Duration:00:07:40

Conflict in Ethiopia extends the Greater Middle East’s arc of crisis

11/5/2020
Ethiopia, an African darling of the international community, is sliding towards civil war as the coronavirus pandemic hardens ethnic fault lines. The consequences of prolonged hostilities could echo across East Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Duration:00:06:55

Michael Q. Morton, "Masters of the Pearl: A History of Qatar" (Reaktion Books, 2020)

11/4/2020
Michael Quentin Morton Nov 3, 2020 / James M. Dorsey Masters of the Pearl A History of Qatar REAKTION BOOKS 2020 History is not the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of young, energy-rich monarchies of the Gulf that often punch above their weight in geopolitics and geoeconomics. Yet, that is the rich, mostly unknown story of Qatar that Michael Quentin Morton tells in his book, Masters of the Pearl: A History of Qatar (Reaktion Books, 2020). It is a story that sheds light on a...

Duration:00:58:13

The Qatar World Cup-Dreaming of Bridging the Gulf Rift

10/31/2020
With the 2022 World Cup in Qatar only two years away, and a resolution of the three-year-old Gulf rift nowhere in sight, government officials, soccer governance executives, and pundits are playing with the notion that the tournament could serve as an icebreaker in the dispute between Qatar and its detractors, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain.

Duration:00:05:04

US Secretary of State Pompeo set to boost Indonesian religious reform efforts

10/24/2020
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to boost efforts by the world’s largest Muslim movement to recontextualize Islam during a forthcoming visit to Indonesia as part of a three-nation Asian tour. The tour is likely to be the secretary’s last official trip prior to next month’s US presidential election.

Duration:00:10:11

War in the Caucasus-One more effort to shape a new world order

10/19/2020
Fighting in the Caucasus between Azerbaijan and Armenia is about much more than deep-seated ethnic divisions and territorial disputes. It’s the latest clash designed, at least in part, to shape a new world order.

Duration:00:08:20

Alan Chong, "Critical Reflections on China’s Belt and Road Initiative" (Palgrave MacMillan, 2020)

10/17/2020
ALAN CHONG AND QUANG MIN PHAM Critical Reflections on China’s Belt and Road Initiative PALGRAVE MACMILLAN 2020 October 16, 2020 James M. Dorsey Political scientists Alan Chong and Quang Min Pham bring with their edited volume, Critical Reflections on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (Palgrave MacMillan, 2020), originality as well as dimensions and perspectives to the discussion about the Belt and Road that are highly relevant but often either unrecognized or underemphasized. The book is...

Duration:00:54:07

The Battle for Jerusalem-Turkey’s Erdogan stakes his claim

10/14/2020
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan didn’t mince his words at this month’s opening of parliament. In his first assertion of a claim to a lost non-Turkic part of the Ottoman empire, Mr. Erdogan declared that Jerusalem is Turkish.

Duration:00:07:46

Changing attitudes towards religiosity-A double-edged sword for Arab rulers

10/10/2020
Public opinion polling in the Arab world suggests that autocratic leaders like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his UAE counterpart, Mohammed bin Zayed, have gotten some things right.

Duration:00:09:13

Saudi chairmanship of G20 proves to be mixed blessing

10/5/2020
Saudi Arabia’s chairmanship of the Group of Twenty (G20) is proving to be a mixed blessing.

Duration:00:18:29

Chinas Belt and Road pinpoints fundamental issues of our times

9/29/2020
Political scientists Alan Chong and Quang Min Pham bring with their edited volume originality as well as dimensions and perspectives to the discussion about the Belt and Road that are highly relevant but often either unrecognized or underemphasized.

Duration:00:10:20

Shaping Palestinian Politics - The UAE Has A Leg Up On Turkey

9/26/2020
The United Arab Emirates may have the upper hand in its competition with Turkey in efforts to shape Palestinian politics. Similarly, the UAE’s recognition of the Jewish state gives it a leg up in ensuring that its voice is heard in Israel and Washington irrespective of who wins the November US election.

Duration:00:08:27

The UAE-Israel deal’s historicity is in the fine print

9/23/2020
A close read of the agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel suggests that the Jewish state has won far more than diplomatic recognition. It won acknowledgement of its claim to historic Jewish rights. By the same token, the UAE has received a significant boost to project itself as a leader in inter-faith dialogue.

Duration:00:10:34

Controversial Israeli soccer club may be litmus test for UAE soft power ploy

9/20/2020
An Emirati offer to invest in Israel’s most controversial soccer club could serve as a figurative litmus test of hopes that Arab recognition of the Jewish state may persuade it to be more empathetic towards Palestinian national aspirations.

Duration:00:08:07

Will They or Won’t They? Saudi Recognition of Israel is the $64,000 Question

9/15/2020
Will the Saudis formalize relations with Israel or will they not? That is the 64,000-dollar question.

Duration:00:11:05

UAE Recognition of Israel Dents Emirati Religious Soft Power

9/9/2020
The United Arab Emirates’ establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel is damaging its efforts to garner religious soft power by projecting itself as a model of Islamic moderation and tolerance and a force for peace. The UAE move has sparked splits within a key group, created and nurtured by the Gulf state, to project its image as a moderate religious power.

Duration:00:09:44

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