Sign in

Faisal Al Yafai

@faisalalyafai.bsky.social
521 followers 601 following 95 posts
PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Who emerged stronger from the U.S.-Iran peace deal — and who was left worse off? On the podcast this week, Negar Mortazavi and @dannypostel.bsky.social join @faisalalyafai.bsky.social  to unpack the agreement’s geopolitical fallout. f.mtr.cool/dcnwkgcyxi
011
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Wonderful turnout last week for our conversation with Hannah Lucinda Smith, Suzy Hansen at Frontline Club - despite the heat and the first England game. (Kudos to the man who arrived in an England shirt, so he could talk Turkey then watch England vs Croatia. A true Balkans enthusiast.)
010
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
"Iran agreed because they finally got a pretty good deal." The brilliant Negar Mortazavi joined Danny Postel and I on @newlinesmag.bsky.social this week to discuss the winners and losers of the Iran peace deal. Listen in🎙️https://newlinesmag.com/podcast/the-winners-and-losers-of-the-iran-peace-deal/
011
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
ICYMI: Britain is in the midst of a political crisis. Yet behind the palace intrigue lies a bigger question — nobody seems able to explain what Britain is anymore, @faisalalyafai.bsky.social   argued in @newlinesmag.bsky.social in May.
f.mtr.cool
How To Lose a Prime Minister in Two Years
Britain is on the verge of changing prime minister once again, having cycled through leaders with alarming speed since the Brexit vote in 2016. One reason for the revolving door at the top of U.K. politics is the lack of a convincing story about where the country is going.
011
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
🎧: @hannahluci.bsky.social joins @faisalalyafai.bsky.social on The Lede to discuss the conflicts on the continent’s margins, from Transnistria and Syria to Crimea  f.mtr.cool/mtqkkcglph
012
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
It’s been a pleasure to interview both @hannahluci.bsky.social and Suzy Hansen on @newlinesmag.bsky.social's The Lede. Tonight, I get to speak to them in person in London. Come join us: 🎟️https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panel-discussion-the-long-reach-of-authoritarianism-tickets-1986437808960
010
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
Eric Reidy @ericreidy.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Good conversation between @faisalalyafai.bsky.social & Suzy Hansen, particularly on the "fundamental omission of so much information" in news coverage that leaves us with startling un-human understandings of places in headlines – from Turkey to Iran and beyond: newlinesmag.com/podcast/how-...
newlinesmag.com
How Authoritarianism Came to One Istanbul Street
Journalist and author Suzy Hansen joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss what one Istanbul neighborhood reveals about Turkey under Erdoğan, and her new book, "From Life Itself."
023
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
NEW: Looking forward to welcoming Suzy Hansen @hannahluci.bsky.social to Frontline Club next week for a conversation about their new books. Tickets here 👉https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panel-discussion-the-long-reach-of-authoritarianism-tickets-1986437808960
000
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Despite the heatwave, the audience at the Frontline Club @newlinesmag.bsky.social turned out for a fascinating conversation with Arwa Damon, Olesya Khromeychuk on Friday evening. @lsmwilson.bsky.social and I talked conflict, love, patriotism (and Italian socks). 👏
000
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
"The biggest social problem in Syria is that there is blood between us." @qunfuz.bsky.social, one of the most astute writers on modern Syria, joins me on The Lede to talk revolution, justice and anger. Listen @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/podcast/when...
0104
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
How to Lose a Prime Minister in Two Years newlinesmag.com/running-note... @newlinesmag.bsky.social
000
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
NEW: "In Silicon Valley, the adage is that technology doubles in power every two years. Britain has managed to find its own version, a new prime minister every couple of years, each somehow less powerful than the last." My latest in @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/running-note...
newlinesmag.com
How To Lose a Prime Minister in Two Years
Britain is on the verge of changing prime minister once again, having cycled through leaders with alarming speed since the Brexit vote in 2016. One reason for the revolving door at the top of U.K. pol...
100
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
The Iran war will change the #Gulf, in ways that are only now becoming clear. Next week I'll be at Frontline with a stellar panel - Sanam Vakil, Dina Esfandiary, Randa Ghazy and Michael Stephens. We'll talk security, strategy and life. Tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panel-disc...
eventbrite.co.uk
Panel discussion: The Gulf at a Turning Point
How war is changing security, strategy and everyday life across the Gulf.
000
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
I like these photos Louis James took of me. But I rather worry he's caught me in my auctioneer era. Anyway Tara Kangarlou and I will be there tomorrow with @khalidabdalla.bsky.social @jomanak.bsky.social and Farah Nabulsi. Last few tickets, so, going once... www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panel-disc...
000
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
Danny Postel @dannypostel.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
🎧 Why is the far right—from Russia to Serbia to the US—so titillated by the Eastern Orthodox Church's aura of medieval-ish darkness, its crusader fantasies fueled by the iconography of “Christendom”? @jasminmuj.bsky.social & @faisalalyafai.bsky.social discuss on the @newlinesmag.bsky.social podcast
133
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
The Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s cast a long shadow that looms over the current conflict. @dannypostel.bsky.social  and @faisalalyafai.bsky.social  explain how it gave rise to ideas and slogans like “sacred defense” that continue to shape Tehran's strategies.
tinyurl.com
The Long Shadow of the Iran-Iraq War
The bloody eight-year conflict continues to shape the strategic culture of the Islamic Republic, and might offer lessons for the present
052
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
NEW @qunfuz.bsky.social reviews five recent books on the Syrian revolution for @newlinesmag.bsky.social. Books by: Rime Allaf, Loubna Mrie, Anand Gopal, Nour Ghazal Aswad, and Patrick Haenni and Jerome Drevon newlinesmag.com/review/how-s...
newlinesmag.com
How Syria’s Revolution Was Misunderstood, by Its Rulers and the World
Across five books, a portrait emerges of an uprising shaped by division at home and blindness abroad
010
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
As the ceasefire begins, Lebanese around the world are thinking of home. On this week's podcast Nada Bakri and Zahra Hankir reflected on what it means to be, as Nada put it in her essay for @newlinesmag.bsky.social, "far from the land of good news". Listen here: newlinesmag.com/podcast/why-...
063
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
"The Trump paradox was always that he could be taken seriously without being taken literally. But that may no longer hold." Christin El Kholy and I in @newlinesmag.bsky.social today, on how Slopaganda came of age: newlinesmag.com/spotlight/sl...
newlinesmag.com
Slopaganda Comes of Age
The Trump paradox was always that he could be taken seriously without being taken literally, but that may no longer hold
011
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
This week on the Lede Rana Dasgupta joined me to discuss war, oligarchy, his new book After Nations and "the end of American hegemony". Listen to the full episode @newlinesmag.bsky.social: newlinesmag.com/podcast/how-...
011
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
#Bitcoin and #Satoshi are back in the news after @nytimes.com offered a new name. But NYT doesn't explain the central human question: why has $100bn remained untouched for years? And I think only Gabriel Gatehouse has offered a good answer. We discuss it here: newlinesmag.com/podcast/how-...
newlinesmag.com
How America’s Margins Became the Mainstream
Journalist Gabriel Gatehouse joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai to discuss how exploring America’s fringe movements is the key to understanding the modern United States.
032
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
The Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s cast a long shadow that looms over the current conflict. @dannypostel.bsky.social & @faisalalyafai.bsky.social  explain how it gave rise to ideas that continue to shape Tehran's strategies
newlinesmag.com
The Long Shadow of the Iran-Iraq War
The bloody eight-year conflict continues to shape the strategic culture of the Islamic Republic, and might offer lessons for the present
052
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
"War and oligarchy are not alien to the nation state." Rana Dasgupta joins me on The Lede for a wide ranging conversation about 'After Nations'; why the nation-state is failing its citizens; and a world in crisis from China to Iran. @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/podcast/how-...
031
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
We had a sold out audience at Frontline Club for a discussion about Rime Allaf's new book "It Started in Damascus: How the Long Syrian Revolution Reshaped Our World". The brilliant @halagorani.bsky.social joined us, offering insights on her trip back to Syria 👏 @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
010
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
Danny Postel @dannypostel.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Article on the Iran-Iraq War's long shadow w/ my @newlinesmag.bsky.social colleague @faisalalyafai.bsky.social drawing on insights from @amir-moosavi.bsky.social, Mehran Kamrava, @hbanai.bsky.social, Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Annie Tracy Samuel & @keshavarziana.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/essays/the-l...
newlinesmag.com
The Long Shadow of the Iran-Iraq War
The bloody eight-year conflict continues to shape the strategic culture of the Islamic Republic, and might offer lessons for the present
044
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
"There are contrasting definitions of freedom." Anand Gopal joins @faisalalyafai.bsky.social on The Lede to discuss two decades of war in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and his new book, "Days of Love and Rage." newlinesmag.com/podcast/less...
032
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
NEW: Largely forgotten in the West, the "Sacred Defense" (Defa-e-Muqaddas) of the Iran-Iraq war shaped the ideas, people and institutions now fighting the #Iranwar. @dannypostel.bsky.social and I on the long shadow of a defining conflict. In @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/essays/the-l...
newlinesmag.com
The Long Shadow of the Iran-Iraq War
The bloody eight-year conflict continues to shape the strategic culture of the Islamic Republic, and might offer lessons for the present
045
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
NEW: The Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s cast a long shadow that looms over the current conflict. @dannypostel.bsky.social and @faisalalyafai.bsky.social explain how it gave rise to ideas and slogans like “sacred defense” that continue to shape Tehran's strategies. newlinesmag.com/essays/the-l...
newlinesmag.com
The Long Shadow of the Iran-Iraq War
The bloody eight-year conflict continues to shape the strategic culture of the Islamic Republic, and might offer lessons for the present
0105
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
"What does freedom mean? There are contrasting definitions of freedom." My convo with Anand Gopal was interesting because it's so broad - it starts in Manbij, Syria, but ranges across Iraq, Afghanistan and even modern America. Listen @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/podcast/less...
022
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
On March 22, 1945, Arab states met in Cairo to form the Arab League —an effort at regional unity whose legacies still shape Mideast politics today. Recently, @faisalalyafai.bsky.social & @chriselkholy.bsky.social explored how pan‑Arab ties shape debates over the Iran war
tinyurl.com
‘Those Who Wrap Themselves in America Are Naked’
As the Iran war intensifies, the Gulf Arab states are beginning to openly question the US role in the region
043
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
A packed audience at Frontline Club last night to hear @rallaf.bsky.social @halagorani.bsky.social discuss the Syrian revolution and life under the Assads. Especially pleased to have so many unfamiliar with Syria there - as Rime writes, what happened in Syria impacts the world 👏(Photo: Louis James)
010
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Sold out! Tonight, I'll be at Frontline Club with @rallaf.bsky.social @halagorani.bsky.social on Syria's first Revolution Day to discuss It Started in Damascus. We'll talk the new govt, the rise of Bashar, life under the Assad regime. All tickets are sold but the event will be online after👏
000
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
"What's revealed in the Epstein files is this tissue of exchanges and gifts." Sarah Chayes on the gift economy that held the Epstein class together. Listen to our fascinating conversation with Emran Feroz in @newlinesmag.bsky.social - out today: newlinesmag.com/podcast/what...
032
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
Dr Dion Georgiou 🇨🇾❤️🇬🇾 @drdiongeorgiou.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
'How the Iran War Came to the Gulf', w/ @faisalalyafai.bsky.social, Dina Esfandiary & @alamer.bsky.social, for @newlinesmag.bsky.social's The Lede podcast.
open.spotify.com
How the Iran War Came to the Gulf
043
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Very happy to have won Best Interview at this year's NYC Podcast Awards - and especially for this conversation with Omar El Akkad - it was an important, sometimes difficult, podcast about a vital subject: Gaza. Listen @newlinesmag.bsky.social: newlinesmag.com/podcast/coul...
013
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Scenes from our sold-out event at the Frontline Club in London last night on the Iran war and its implications for the Middle East. With Tara Kangarlou @renadmansour.bsky.social @lizsly.bsky.social, Tarek Ali Ahmad and a fantastically informed audience 👏
010
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
As the Iran war intensifies, Gulf leaders and Arab commentators are beginning to openly question America’s role in the region, write @faisalalyafai.bsky.social  and @chriselkholy.bsky.social .
newlinesmag.com
‘Those Who Wrap Themselves in America Are Naked’
As the Iran war intensifies, the Gulf Arab states are beginning to openly question the US role in the region
174
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
"Those Who Wrap Themselves in America Are Naked." How the behind the scenes conversations in the Gulf over the Iran war have burst into the open. An important read to understand Gulf thinking. By me and @chriselkholy.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/spotlight/th...
newlinesmag.com
‘Those Who Wrap Themselves in America Are Naked’
As the Iran war intensifies, the Gulf Arab states are beginning to openly question the US role in the region
010
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
NEW: Ten days into this war, the Gulf Arab states are already asking what their neighborhood will look like after it ends: Khamenei 2.0, Iraq 2.0, or Pahlavi 2.0. None of them are favourable 👇@newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/running-note...
newlinesmag.com
The Real Questions for the Gulf May Start the Day After the War Ends
Ten days into this war, and the Gulf Arab states are already asking what their neighborhood will look like after it ends. No answer is good. For the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the biggest questio...
000
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
We had a full house at the Frontline Club for Victor Mallet's new book. With Anna Gross and Matthew Holehouse. This week, we'll be back for an emergency sitrep event on the war in #Iran. We're expecting another sold-out event. Last few tickets available: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sitrep-war...
021
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Tomorrow @newlinesmag.bsky.social podcast, we'll be looking at the current war in Iran and the war on the Gulf. In the meantime, listen again to this fascinating conversation with @arashtehran.bsky.social and Negar Mortazavi. Full ep: newlinesmag.com/podcast/in-t...
011
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
"You won't see 1979-style revolution. But the revolutionary regime built out of 1979 will be gone." Almost a week into the war, what might a new #Iran look like? @arashtehran.bsky.social tells me and Negar Mortazavi on the @newlinesmag.bsky.social podcast. Full ep: newlinesmag.com/podcast/in-t...
045
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
"Not everyone who is happy about the killing of Khamenei is also welcoming the entirety of this foreign intervention." Negar Mortazavi on the mixed feelings of Iranians about the war. With @arashtehran.bsky.social. Full ep @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/podcast/in-t...
0126
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
"Many ordinary people have a joke view of the world in which Trump comes in, takes out Khamenei - and whatever they want will occur." @arashtehran.bsky.social speaks to me and Negar Mortazavi about the aftermath of the #IranWar | Full ep @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/podcast/in-t...
054
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
NEW: "No to the Islamic republic, no to Israel and no to the United States" — many Iranians are weighing contradictory truths as war hits their country. @negarmortazavi.bsky.social and @arashtehran.bsky.social join @faisalalyafai.bsky.social on The Lede. newlinesmag.com/podcast/in-t...
newlinesmag.com
In the Shadow of the Ayatollah’s Death, War Comes to Iran
Journalist Negar Mortazavi and historian Arash Azizi join Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the future of the Islamic republ...
086
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
🧵"He isn't the president of peace, but he's also not the president of war." Just finished recording an emergency podcast with Negar Mortazavi and @arashtehran.bsky.social Full episode coming @newlinesmag.bsky.social but here are three things worth noting. 1, this is likely to be a short war 👇1/4
251
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
"The gulf continues to grow wider between India and Pakistan. Yet they were one country within living memory." A second clip from my conversation with Sam Dalrymple on The Lede. Listen to the full ep @newlinesmag.bsky.social: newlinesmag.com/podcast/the-...
021
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
"We're moving out of an era of mass globalization where it seemed like all these borders were gonna disappear and that we were all gonna have freedom of movement and freedom of trade, etc." Sam Dalrymple joins @faisalalyafai.bsky.social on The Lede. newlinesmag.com/podcast/the-...
011
Faisal Al Yafai @faisalalyafai.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Tonight! I'll be at the Frontline Club in conversation about the global far right - Le Pen, Farage, MAGA (and Trump, of course Trump), and the rise of a new generation of far-right leaders in Europe. With Victor Mallet, Anna Gross @matthewholehouse.bsky.social 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panel-disc...
042
Reposted by Faisal Al Yafai
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
🎧 Listen now: Loubna Mrie speaks with @faisalalyafai.bsky.social  about her early family life in Syria, her role in the uprising against Bashar al-Assad and the painful memories revisited in her new memoir, "Defiance."
newlinesmag.com
How Defiance Began at Home in Assad’s Syria
Loubna Mrie joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss her experience of authoritarianism at home, obedience to the Assad regime, and joining the revolution, as detailed in her new memoir, “Defiance.”
052