Research & Commentary Results

With Bashar al-Assad ousted and Syria entering a new political chapter, what comes next for a country ravaged by war, repression, and sectarian divisions? Gonul Tol speaks with Steven Heydemann (Smith College) and Radwan Ziadeh (Arab Center Washington DC) about the challenges of transitional justice, prospects for democratic reform, and the role of Syria’s new de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharah. Can a centralized government model provide inclusive governance? What kind of support—or interference—should Syrians expect from foreign powers?

The recent elevation of Gen. Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal is a thunderous declaration of the Pakistani military’s unassailable supremacy, a gesture that reverberates far beyond the barbed-wire perimeters of the Army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

Neoconservatives and MAGA isolationists are locked in a battle for the soul of Republican strategy. Nowhere is the split more glaring than over the Middle East: hawks view it as a proving ground for American power and allegiance to Israel, while isolationists see only endless wars that have bled America dry. Where does Trump fall in this tug-of-war?

The arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has sparked the largest wave of public protests in Turkey in over a decade, signaling a potential turning point in the country’s political trajectory. As the opposition rallies support and President Erdoğan intensifies his crackdown, what lies ahead for Turkish democracy, the Kurdish peace process, and the broader political landscape? MEI Senior Fellow Gonul Tol joins host Alistair Taylor to unpack the growing unrest, the strategic stakes for Erdoğan’s ruling coalition, and the mobilization of a new generation of political activists.

Ukraine faces a pivotal year in its fight against Russian aggression — and for its democratic future. With fears mounting that President Trump could abandon peace talks with Kyiv and Moscow, the risk grows that US disengagement could tip the balance toward Russia and fracture the global democratic order.

Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally, was convicted of embezzling EU funds and barred from running for office for five years, effectively disqualifying her from the 2027 presidential race. Meanwhile in Turkey, Ekrem İmamoğlu, mayor of Istanbul and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s most formidable rival, was arrested on corruption charges and jailed, just as he was poised to become the opposition’s presidential candidate. Both Le Pen and Turkish officials are now pointing to each other to justify their own actions.

Just days before Turkey’s main opposition party was set to select its next presidential candidate, the leading contender, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested and jailed, effectively removing him from the race.

The work of the Syria Strategy Project and the considerable policy recommendations found in this report present a realistic and holistic vision for Syria’s recovery and reintegration into the international system.

The Maximal Miniatures exhibition, a curated collection on display at MEI’s gallery until May 23, 2025, is interested in the ways in which contemporary artists have reinvented the Persian miniature genre with new questions in mind.

Renowned poet, producer, and New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander joins guest host Lyne Sneige to discuss the power of storytelling and the intersection of art and social change. Looking back on his recent experience speaking at the 2024 Riyadh International Book Fair in Saudi Arabia, Alexander shares his reflections on the Kingdom’s literary scene, the growing appetite for global narratives, and how books and poetry can serve as bridges between cultures.

Under former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Syrian security sector kept meticulous records of their crimes. The international community must now step up to help Syria’s new authorities secure and protect the documents, provide information to the loved ones of those who suffered in Assad’s prisons, and pursue justice.

Amid the ongoing calamity of war in Lebanon, the country’s cultural scene is determined to work against the odds to keep its heritage and art alive. Among the many projects that are determined to push ahead is the Beirut Museum of Art (BeMA), a museum long in the works whose mission is to preserve the country’s heritage and culture through modern and contemporary art.

Since the end of the civil war in Syria, government officials have inaugurated high-end tourist projects and upscale urban housing schemes, while at the same time preventing Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons from returning to their ruined neighborhoods or rebuilding their demolished homes. The focus on luxury housing in a country devastated by conflict and within a city suffering from massive destruction and housing shortages encapsulates the contradictions of the regime’s policy for reconstruction and early recovery not only in Damascus but in the whole country.

Last month marked the second anniversary of the death of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini and the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement born of her murder. The authorities’ subsequent brutal crackdown on the protesters is but one flagrant example of the government’s appalling human rights record. The regime’s disdain for international human rights norms is not the recent result of Iran’s transition from Islamic theocracy to nationalistic military-security state. Rather, it has been a feature of the regime from the beginning, as shown by (inter alia) the 1988 mass executions of Iranian prisoners.

US President Joe Biden will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Washington this week. The meeting provides an opportunity to double down on considerations of what a “day after” might look like and how best to promote moderate Palestinian voices in the effort to rebuild Gaza.