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.

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.