{"podcast":{"title":"Middle East Focus","slug":"middle-east-focus-529488","podcast_index_feed_id":529488,"rss_url":"https://middleeastinst.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"http://www.mei.edu","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/a/4/a/8/a4a832f884ee9d9116c3140a3186d450/MEF_square-20250424-uf9f282kb1.png","author":"Middle East Institute","episode_count":100,"summary":"Weekly discussion of Middle East policy, arts, and culture, featuring experts from the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-18T08:19:26.403871+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/middle-east-focus-529488"},"episode":{"title":"MP Fouad Makhzoumi on Lebanon's Future","slug":"mp-fouad-makhzoumi-on-lebanon-s-future","published_at":"2026-05-28T14:50:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/middle-east-focus-529488/mp-fouad-makhzoumi-on-lebanon-s-future","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/middle-east-focus-529488","url":"https://middleeastinst.libsyn.com/mp-fouad-makhzoumi-on-lebanons-future","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/middleeastinst/Middle_East_Focus_5.28.26_mixdown.mp3?dest-id=531685","summary":"A fragile cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel is barely holding as military delegations from both countries arrive in Washington for a new round of direct talks scheduled for this Friday. But diplomatic success could mean new strategic opportunities for the Lebanese nation. Guest host and MEI Senior Fellow Brian Katulis is joined by Lebanese Member of Parliament Fouad Makhzoumi to unpack the challenges facing the Lebanese government today, Hizballah's influence over state institutions, and what all of this means for the country's future. Makhzoumi also reflects on his personal journey and what inspired him to transition from business to politics in an effort to help shape a better life for his granddaughters in Lebanon. Recorded on May 26, 2026.","meta_description":"A fragile cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel is barely holding as military delegations from both countries arrive in Washington for a new round of dire…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3360,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/middle-east-focus-529488/episodes/mp-fouad-makhzoumi-on-lebanon-s-future/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/middle-east-focus-529488/mp-fouad-makhzoumi-on-lebanon-s-future.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}