This is a conversation with Kareem Shaheen, former Beirut- and Istanbul-based The Guardian correspondent for Turkey and the Middle East, current analyst on the region as well as a writer for satirical Arabic news publication Al-Hudood. He is currently based in Montreal, Canada.

We spoke about the importance of journalism given the lack of justice and accountability in Syria, the Middle East and beyond that should, in more ideal settings, come out of the kind of investigative and critical journalism that he does. We also spoke about his visit to Khan Sheykoun two days after the Assad regime’s 2017 chemical attack on the town as well as his reflections on what he called this ‘nightmare decare’ for the Arab and Muslim worlds.

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Music by Tarabeat.

You can find Kareem on Twitter here.

Referenced in the episode:

• Kareem’s interview on The Beirut Banyan podcast
• The Muslim World’s Nightmare Decade
• Kareem’s archives at The Guardian