Podcast: Protest, Transition, and Conflict in the MENA region

Mark Jacobson, a senior transatlantic fellow at GMF, interviewed Benedetta Berti, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, during the 8th meeting of the Mediterranean Strategy Group in Genoa.

Berti discusses the positive outcomes from the Arab Awakening, the effect of the Arab Spring on the Mediterranean region, how the conflict in Syria has become a magnet for some Americans and Europeans to join Syrian opposition forces, how Syria has become a proxy battleground for its neighbours in the region, and approaches to combatting growing violent extremism in the Mediterranean region. According to Berti, decision-makers need to look beyond counter terrorism policies and examine the embedded problems in the region such as social and economic issues.