A Syrian boy photographed at a refugee transit site in Arsal, Lebanon. UNHCR is urging countries to offer increased resettlement or other forms of admission, including scholarships, to Syrian refugees. Photo: UNHCR/M. Hofer

Here’s How the Middle East is Reacting to Trump’s Travel Ban

By now, you are well aware of President Trump’s sweeping ban on migrants from seven Muslim majority countries; the indefinite suspension of refugees from Syria and the suspension of all refugee resettlement into the United States for at least four months. The executive order is, of course, the subject of intense debate and discussion here in the United States, but I wanted to get a sense of how this executive order is playing out in the region so I called up one of my favorite scholars and public intellectuals who studies the politics of the Middle East, Marc Lynch.

Marc is a political science professor at George Washington University. He describes how different countries are reacting to the executive order and the implications it has for both domestic politics in the Middle East and those countries’ foreign policies. This is a useful conversation that puts into context the foreign policy and international relations implications of this executive order.

If you have 20 minutes and want to understand what this policy means for Middle East, have a listen.

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