Neil MacFarquhar

Neil MacFarquhar, United Nations bureau chief for the New York Times, and author of The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East, talks about the issues on the table at the UN General Assembly this week, and what leaders will say about protests in the Middle East against the recent US and French-originated caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

As news of violence continues to pour out of Syria, we examine the role that music has played in the country’s ongoing uprising. Composer and musician Malek Jandali, who is of Syrian descent, joins us in the studio to discuss how his recent works, including the protest song “Watani Ana” (“I am my homeland”), have become part of the Arab Spring movement – and have attracted unwelcome attention from the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Plus: New York Times UN bureau chief Neil MacFarquhar joins us from Beirut to talk about other examples of creative revolt in Syria.

United Nations bureau chief for The New York Times, Neil MacFarquhar, talks about how representatives from countries affected by the Arab Spring are being received at the U.N. this week, and how the Palestine bid for statehood overshadowed that wave at the General Assembly this year.

As countries across the Arab World have been protesting in the streets and overthrowing decades-old regimes, Saudi Arabia has been trying to prevent the spread of unrest within its own borders. On today’s first Backstory, New York Times United Nations Bureau Chief Neil MacFarquhar explains how the Saudi royal family has spent billions of dollars to try to keep its people happy – and how well their efforts have paid off. He’s also the author of The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday.

Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times Cairo correspondent and author of The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East, gives an update on the turmoil in the Middle East.

Neil MacFarquhar, UN bureau chief for the New York Times, and Sheera Frenkel, special correspondent in Jerusalem for McClatchy Newspapers, talk about how the Israeli government is reacting both publicly and privately to the events unfolding in Egypt.

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This week will be a busy one for the world’s leaders. First, they’ll gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Neil MacFarquhar, UN Bureau Chief for the New York Times, joins us for a preview of the meeting and the issues that will be on the agenda ...

Iraq, like Iran, is one of the few the countries in the world with a Shi'ite Muslim majority. And though the two countries were long rivals, many of today's Iraqi leaders — especially Shi'ites — spent the Saddam Hussein years as guests of the mullahs in Tehran. On today’s first ...

Before he was the New York Times' UN bureau chief, Neil MacFarquhar spent years in the Middle East. Despite the regions difficult and bloody recent history, MacFarquhar’s new book The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday looks at a diverse cross-section of men and women ...