Five Minutes to Midnight

Iran: Between conflict and stagnation

Iranian analyst Behrouz Turani discusses the current status of talks to revive the nuclear deal, and the political, economic, ethnic, sectarian and social fissures in Iranian society.

Libya: The curse of the militias

Libyan activist and popular rapper Assem Mihirig shares with us a deeply insightful analysis, derived from direct experience, of the workings and power of the militias blighting Libya and the thinking of their leaders, and offers a view of how they can be dealt with.

Libya: Whither peace, democracy and stability?

Libyan diplomat and writer Giuma Bukleb looks at how the legacy of chaos and the political vacuum seeded by the regime of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, coupled with Libya’s geostrategic location and its oil wealth, turned the country into “a battleground for competing local and foreign interests” and “led to the emergence of new opportunistic political elites lacking the necessary qualifications and tools, helped by militias”. “The way out,” he argues, “is not impossible if the international community paid Libya the necessary attention and provided the desperately needed help, by forcing the competing foreign interests to withdraw, and by disarming the militias.

Social media as a weapon in the Syrian civil war

Amira Galal, a specialist in online harmful speech, discusses the role of social media in the Syrian civil war, from fake news and images disseminated by both the opposition groups and the government, to recruitment for the pro- and anti-government militias, to the promotion of sectarianism — the latter often hidden in the comments sections of social media postings.

“The Iranian threat”: Real or imagined?

Dr Farhang Jahanpour, an Iranian academic and journalist living in the UK, sheds light on the reasons for the chequered relations between Iran and the West, primarily the United States, and highlights the main drivers behind Iran’s regional policy.

Introduction to Five Minutes to Midnight

Five Minutes to Midnight seeks to explain some of the intractable issues in international politics.
We do not shock or skirt around sensitive subjects. We offer expert, unique analyses of the Arab world, Iran, Israel, the British media and other topics and regions, giving you in-depth insight you’re unlikely to find in the mainstream media.
All our interviewees are experts in their fields. Unlike mainstream broadcasters, we are not afraid of governments or advertisers cutting our funds or bullying us, or of political lobbies terrorising us. We ask hard questions and seek honest answers.
My name is Mohamed El-Doufani. I am a retired editor of 30 years experience working for the BBC, and I hold a doctorate in Politics from Lancaster University.