Founded in 1946, the Middle East Institute is the oldest Washington-based institution dedicated solely to the study of the Middle East.  Its founders, scholar George Camp Keiser and former US Secretary of State Christian Herter, laid out a simple mandate: “to increase knowledge of the Middle East among the citizens of the United States and to promote a better understanding between the people of these two areas.”

MEI has earned a reputation as an unbiased source of information and analysis on this critical region of the world, a reputation it has meticulously safeguarded since its creation.  Today, MEI remains a respected, non-partisan voice in the field of Middle East studies.  

 MEI fulfills its mission by:

• Publishing The Middle East Journal, the oldest and most prestigious US scholarly publication covering the contemporary Middle East.
• Organizing lectures and conferences featuring regional experts from around the world.  These experts offer diverse and sometimes opposing points of view on countless issues.
• Instructing hundreds of students annually in fully accredited Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Turkish classes, and seminars highlighting the history and cultures of the region.
• Providing valuable source materials in the George Camp Keiser Library, which houses one of the most significant collections of English language materials on the Middle East.
• Hosting regional experts as Adjunct Scholars.  These former diplomats, government officials, academics and journalists help dispel misperceptions about the Middle East through their writing and appearances in the media.