MEI Senior Fellow Brian Katulis engages friends, colleagues, and policy experts in casual conversations on the most important happenings in the Middle East.
America's "War on Terror" after Iraq and Afghanistan
The Middle East Institute is pleased to invite you to a lecture and discussion with Mark N. Katz examining the impact of the current and future US withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan on Islamic radicals. Katz argues that the US withdrawals from both countries will lead radicals to conclude they have defeated the US in the "War on Terror" and that US regional strength is on the decline. This, he argues, will spur Islamic radicals to seek further gains elsewhere.
The Impact of Changing Market Forces and Policies on Middle East Oil
The Middle East Institute is pleased to invite you to a lecture and discussion with MEI Scholar Herman Franssen examining the impact of changing market forces and policies on Middle East Oil.Oil from the MENA region represents close to 70 percent of global conventional oil reserves and close to 40 percent of global conventional gas reserves.
Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us, and Why It Matters
The Middle East Institute is pleased to invite you to a lecture and book signing by James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute. The Arab world has been vastly misunderstood in the West. Zogby's Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us, and Why It Matters asks the questions, collects the answers, and shares the results that will help readers better understand the Arab world. The book brings into stark relief the myths, assumptions, and biases that prevent many from understanding the greater Middle East region and its people.
The Realities of Power Sharing in the Next Iraqi Government
MEI is proud to host Reidar Visser of the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs for a discussion on the current political situation in Iraq based on his latest publication, The United States and the Iraqi Transition, 2005-2010 (Just World Books, 2010). The book examines Iraq's process of democratization over the last five years and the impact of regional and international players, not least the US government, in shaping Iraq's new political system.
Oman Emerges: An American Company In An Ancient Kingdom
MEI is proud to host author Lois Critchfield for a discussion about her new book, Oman Emerges: An American Company In An Ancient Kingdom. When Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said deposed his father in 1970, he inherited a neglected country with a modest oil income, but virtually no one qualified to advocate for his interests to the executives of Shell Oil – until he met James Critchfield, the author's late husband.
Turkey's Engagement in Iraq: Challenges and Opportunities for US Foreign Policy
The Middle East Institute's Center for Turkish Studies is proud to host Qubad Talabani, Charles Dunne, Can Oguz, and Gonul Tol for a discussion on Turkey's engagement in Iraq and its ramifications for US policy. In the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Iraq, vital US interests – including improving regional stability, limiting Iranian influence, maintaining an independent Iraq and preventing Iraq from becoming a haven for international terrorists – are still at stake in Iraq and the region.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host the IMF's Masood Ahmed for a discussion about the economic prospects in the MENA region. Specifically, he will discuss the prospects for the Middle East and North Africa region in light of the global economic recovery that has begun to gain traction after the deepest downturn in recent history. The region's oil-exporting countries are benefiting from solid oil prices, and oil importers are recovering from last year's economic slowdown.
Deja Vu in the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Economic Activity; Political Despair
Amira Hass is an award-winning correspondent for the Israeli daily, Ha'aretz. In her over 20 years covering Palestinian affairs in the occupied territories for Ha'aretz, Ms. Hass has lived three years in Gaza, and thirteen in Ramallah, the West Bank. She is the author of the highly acclaimed book "Drinking the Sea at Gaza" (Henry Holt, N.Y.) and "Reporting from Ramallah: An Israeli Journalist in an Occupied Land" (Semiotext). She also wrote the foreword and afterword of "Diary of Bergen Belsen 1944–1945 by Hanna Levy Hass (Haymarket Books).
Private Contractors in Conflict Zones: The Good, the Bad and the Strategic Impact
In Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States has vastly expanded its use of contractors in conflict zones without serious consideration of their strategic impact. While the presnece of contractors is not new, the number and types of tasks they are executing is. This discussion will examine what is good about contractors, what problems they cause and then the largely unexamined strategic impact of contractors — both armed and unarmed — on current and future conflicts. It concludes with policy recommendations for the use of contractors in future conflicts.
The Israei-Syrian Conflict over the Occupied Golan Heights: Myths and Realities
Dr. Yigal Kipnis, an Israeli author, geographer, historian, and leading expert on the Israeli-Syrian conflict over the Golan Heights will discuss the current state of Israeli settlements on the Golan, and related topics.
