International Edition with Levy & Counsell

Hosted by Judith Levy and Damian Counsell

Welcome to The Levy-Counsell Show. Our show is hosted by Judith Levy and Damian Counsell. You can find all episodes, new and old, here.

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Episode 12: Michael Totten

May 21, 2013

Direct link to mp3 file.

This week on International Edition, Judith Levy and Damian Counsell interview prize-winning foreign correspondent and policy analyst Michael Totten, who has reported extensively from the Middle East, the Balkans, and the Caucasus. Sohrab Ahmari of Commentary wrote of Michael that he "practices journalism in the tradition of Orwell: morally imaginative, partisan in the best sense of the word, and delivered in crackling, rapid-fire prose befitting the violent realities it depicts."

Michael Totten

Michael's work has appeared everywhere from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic to Beirut's Daily Star. He is the author of The Road to Fatima Gate: The Beirut Spring, the Rise of Hezbollah, and the Iranian War Against Israel; In the Wake of the Surge; and Where the West Ends: Stories from the Middle East, the Balkans, the Black Sea, and the Caucasus. He has also recently published a novel called Taken. Michael talks with Judith and Damian about Syria's descent into sectarian chaos, the American response to the escalating crisis, the Russian angle, and the Lebanese wild card. Join us for a candid and eye-opening discussion of one of the most dangerous hotspots in the world today.

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Episode 11: Julie Lenarz

April 2, 2013

Damian Counsell talks with polyglot and policy geek Julie Lenarz, Executive Director at Humanitarian Intervention Centre and a Fellow of the Institute of Middle Eastern Democracy. Their wide-ranging conversation covers her recent visit to Iraqi Kurdistan to mark the 25th anniversary of Saddam Hussein's genocide against its people; why the survivors viewed Allied action as a liberation; the surprising preference of many Kurds for Turkey over the United States as a future partner; the meaning of humanitarian intervention 10 years after the Iraq War; and the activities of the think tanks she works for.

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Episode 10: Super Heroes

March 5, 2013

This week on International Edition with Levy & Counsell, Damian and Judith take on the subject of conservative values in superhero movies. They postulate that the vast popularity of superhero movies reflects a kind of geek cultural apotheosis; and that conservatives could really use some candidates with a sense of humor. Tell us what you think in the comments.

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Episode 9: Dr. Adam Woolfe

February 5, 2013

This week, Damian and Judith welcome Dr. Adam Woolfe of the Institut Curie in Paris, France. They discuss human genetics/genomics, touching on race, health, and some new start-up companies working on related therapies.

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Episode 8: Election Day

January 25, 2013

Judith Levy is joined by Allison Kaplan Sommer, a journalist and blogger for Haaretz to give an insider's view on the recent Israeli election.

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Episode 7: Energy In Israel with Amiram Barkat

January 9, 2013

This week on The Levy & Counsell Show, Judith and Damian welcome Amiram Barkat, an energy issues reporter for Globes (an Israeli business publication) for a fascinating discussion on the prospect of Israel becoming a major supplier of energy in the Middle East.

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Episode 6: Start Me Up

December 26, 2012

This week on The Levy and Counsell Show, Judith and Damian talk to Israeli based Pando Daily tech writer Mick Weinstein on the vibrant Israeli internet start-up culture.

The Levy-Counsell Show is now free for everyone to hear. Listen in above or subscribe in iTunes. Direct link here.

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Episode 5: Gun Control

December 11, 2012

This week on the Levy & Counsell Show, a fascinating conversation about required military service in Israel and what it's like raising children knowing they may very likely end up fighting in combat, living in an area with a high probability of experiencing a terrorist attack, and gun laws abroad (specifically in Israel and Great Britain) versus gun laws here in the U.S. Grab a drink and a sandwich, you're going to want to listen to this one in one sitting and come back here and comment.

The Levy-Counsell Show is now free for everyone to hear. Listen in above or subscribe in iTunes. Direct link here.

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Episode 4: The Politics of Petulance

December 4, 2012

In the week the Palestinian Authority won non-member observer status at the UN, Judith and Damian try to draw some comparisons between the respective public manners of natives of the US, the UK, and Israel and the way the diplomats of those countries go about their business.

Is "Israeli diplomacy" an oxymoron? And, if so, are there cultural reasons for Israel's clumsiness? During the podcast, you'll hear the
difference between being run over by a driver in Tel Aviv and one in New York and learn about a British MP with a Hitler haircut who had a problem with Britain having a Jewish ambassador to Israel.

The Levy-Counsell Show is now free for everyone to hear. Listen in above or subscribe in iTunes. Direct link here.

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Episode 3: Planet Claire

November 26, 2012

She's been scarce around these parts of late, but long time Ricochet members know Claire Berlinski as one of the world's foremost authorities on Turkey, the Middle East, the view of America from overseas, and…cats. This week, she joins Judith Levy and Damian Counsell to discuss the situation in Israel and the view of all of it from her (pardon the expression) catbird seat in Istanbul.

The Levy-Counsell Show is now free for everyone to hear. Listen in above or subscribe in iTunes (coming soon). Direct link here.