What is the Muslim Brotherhood and how did it shape modern Islamist movements?

In this episode of the Fair Observer podcast, Egyptian author and political activist Cynthia Farahat joins us to explore the origins, ideology and evolution of the Muslim Brotherhood. Founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna in Egypt, the organization grew into one of the most influential Islamist movements in the world.

We discuss the historical context of its creation, the influence of thinkers like Sayyid Qutb and Syed Abul A'la Maududi, and how the movement expanded across the Middle East and beyond. The conversation also examines the Brotherhood’s political strategies, its role during the Arab uprisings and the presidency of Mohamed Morsi, and the broader debate about political Islam.

This discussion provides historical context and analysis of a movement that has influenced politics, security debates and ideological conflicts across the Middle East for nearly a century.

Watch the full conversation and join the discussion.

00:00 What is the Muslim Brotherhood?

07:00 The Concept of Jihad

12:30 Dawah vs Dawla

19:00 Evolution of the Muslim Brotherhood

31:30 London vs Istanbul

40:30 Today’s Muslim Brotherhood

44:00 A Peaceful Muslim Brotherhood?

For years, Washington framed its confrontation with Venezuela as part of the war on drugs — a narrative questioned by critics who argued that narcotics enforcement masked a deeper geopolitical objective. That debate has now reached its dramatic conclusion. The Trump administration has carried out a special operation in Caracas, capturing Nicolás Maduro and his wife and flying them to the United States to face drug-related charges.

Fair Observer’s Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh sat down with Benjamin Delile, Foreign Correspondent for the French Newspaper Liberation on December 15. Together, they examined Washington’s Venezuela policy through the lenses of geopolitics, military strategy and great-power competition.

Benjamin Delille explains why claims about fentanyl and drug trafficking do not align with available data, and why Venezuela’s strategic importance goes far beyond narcotics. From oil reserves and critical minerals to China’s growing influence in Latin America, the discussion reveals the deeper forces shaping US actions.

They also discuss Venezuela’s political crisis, the disputed 2024 election and the rise of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado Finally, the conversation situates Venezuela within the broader Trump-era revival of the Monroe Doctrine, raising uncomfortable questions about regime change, intervention and the future of US power in the Western Hemisphere.

00:00 America’s War on Drugs

09:30 America’s Arc of Influence

13:10 Maria Corina Machado’s Popularity

21:00 Hugo Chavez & Maduro

26:20 Trump’s Maximum Pressure Campaign

33:00 Trump’s Endgame in Venezuela

Myanmar is heading into elections on December 28 while the country remains trapped in a brutal civil war. More than 6,000 people have been killed, over 3.5 million displaced, and nearly half the population pushed into poverty since the 2021 military coup.

In this episode of FO Talks, Rohan Khattar Singh speaks with Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, Executive Director of the South Asia Project at the Millennium Project, to unpack why Myanmar’s military junta is holding elections at its weakest moment. The discussion examines the collapse of state control, the rise of resistance forces, ethnic armed groups, and why the opposition has been entirely excluded from the vote.

The conversation also explores China, India, ASEAN, regional spillover risks, illicit trade networks, and why this election is widely viewed as an attempt to manufacture legitimacy rather than restore democracy.

Is this election a step toward stability or a move that deepens Myanmar’s fractures? This episode explains what is really at stake.

00:00 Myanmar’s First Election Since 2021 Coup

05:30 Myanmar’s Junta Buying Time?

09:00 Opposition Silenced in 2025 Election

13:15 What Does the Junta Want?

16:00 What Do the Ethnic Groups Want?

20:00 Is the Election Fair?

24:00 Global Silence on Myanmar

27:30 Peace in Myanmar