Almost 50 days after the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a 10-day ceasefire has been brokered by the United States. As hopes grow that this pause could pave the way for a lasting end to the fighting, Lebanon remains at a crossroads.

Beyond the war, the country appears unable to break free from its overlapping internal and external crises. The government in Beirut, in power for over a year, has sought to address these challenges, but the obstacles remain immense: from Hezbollah’s unresolved role within the state to continued interference by external actors, an enduring economic collapse, and a population exhausted by decades of instability.

Is Lebanon capable of escaping what increasingly appears to be a permanent state of crisis?

To explore these questions, in this episode of MED Insights, Nicola Missaglia – Curator of the MED Dialogues and Head of Communications and Publishing at ISPI – speaks with Lina Khatib, Associate Fellow at the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatam House and also Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative, Aurélie Daher, Assistant Professor at Paris Dauphine University, and Luigi Toninelli, Junior Research Fellow at ISPI.

Four weeks into the war, uncertainty continues to prevail. Following a 48-hour ultimatum threatening strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, US President Donald Trump announced the start of negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement to end the conflict. However, Iranian officials have denied that any talks are underway, while the country continues to face ongoing bombing.

With a fragile diplomatic window, US objectives in the war remain difficult to grasp, and a number of pressing questions persist: What does the US Administration aim to achieve through this war? What is Trump's endgame? And, more broadly, what kind of Middle East does he envision?

In this episode of MED Insights, Nicola Missaglia – Curator of the MED and Head of Communications and Publishing at ISPI – speaks with Daniel Kliman, Senior Vice President for Global Power Shifts at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Three weeks after the US–Israel attacks on Iran, there is still no sign of de-escalation. Instead, Israel’s strikes on Iran’s gas infrastructure and Iran’s retaliation targeting Gulf energy assets are turning what began as a military confrontation into a broader crisis with global implications for energy markets and economic stability, well beyond the Middle East.What strategic objectives are driving this escalation? What scenarios may unfold in the coming weeks? And what could this war mean for the region – and for the global order?

To explore these questions, in this episode of MED Insights, Nicola Missaglia - Curator of the MED Dialogues and Head of Communications and Publishing at ISPI - speaks with Vali Nasr, Majid Khadduri Professor of Middle East Studies and International Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

In recent months, a growing rift has emerged between two of the Middle East’s powerhouses: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. What began as an escalation in Yemen rapidly evolved into a broader diplomatic and political crisis between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. Yet the divide extends far beyond Yemen, revealing a deeper geopolitical competition unfolding across the Middle East, Africa, and the Red Sea. How did this rift emerge? And what consequences might it hold for the region?

In this second episode of MED Insights, Nicola Missaglia - Curator of the MED and Head of Communications and Publishing at ISPI - speaks with Firas Maksad, Managing Director, Middle East & North Africa at Eurasia Group and Eleonora Ardemagni, Senior Associate Reaseach Fellow at ISPI.

As negotiations between the US and Iran get underway in Oman, the threat of a US attack on Iran continues to loom. At the same time, the protests of late December and early January have brought into sharp focus the Islamic Republic’s deep-rooted, systemic, and multifaceted crisis. What is happening in Iran? Are we truly on the verge of a new agreement, or heading toward a renewed confrontation between Washington and Tehran? And what future lies ahead for the Islamic Republic?

In this first episode of MED Insights, Nicola Missaglia - Curator of the MED and Head of Communications and Publishing at ISPI - speaks with Ali Vaez, Director of the Iran Project and Senior Adviser to the President at the International Crisis Group, and Sanam Vakil, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.

MED Insights is ISPI’s new podcast navigating a region under pressure. From shifting powers to emerging crises, each episode unpacks what’s shaping the Middle East and North Africa – and why it matters far beyond it.