Trump’s Family Business Deals Risk Further Undermining the Credibility of US Middle East Policy
President Trump’s family businesses are once again in the spotlight as a new financial disclosure showed they earned $2 billion in income in 2025 — a dramatic increase on the year before, with much of it coming from Gulf entities, raising emoluments concerns. Mounting perceptions of corruption, combined with unresolved crises in Iran and Israel-Palestine, are eroding trust among key partners in the Middle East. With the 2026 midterms approaching, these entanglements could represent a major political vulnerability and further undermine America’s already-strained standing in the region.
After the US-Israel-Iran war — and the strikes that followed the cease-fire — the Gulf states find themselves dangerously exposed. Host Alistair Taylor is joined by MEI Associate Fellow Gregory Gause to discuss the war’s impact on the Gulf, their partnership with the United States, and whether the turmoil of recent months will push Gulf leaders to reassess their alliances and international engagement.
The Houthis are a political-military faction and Zaydi religious movement founded in northwestern Yemen in the 1980s. A key member of Iran’s Axis of Resistance with links to other militant organizations in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, the group has continued to pose a threat to Western interests on a global scale.
تقدم هذه الوثيقة المعلوماتية لمحة عامة عن كيفية التوصل إلى اتفاقيات أبراهام، والمصالح الأمريكية المعنية، وعواقبها الاقتصادية والاستراتيجية، وآفاق التوسع في المستقبل.
After a decade of post-Arab Spring isolation, Turkey’s leaders have recognized that their ambition to position the country as an agenda-setter on the world stage requires active engagement in all directions. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s consolidation of executive authority has centralized foreign policy decision-making and tied it to his domestic political priorities, transforming the country’s revisionist approach to one shaped primarily by personal and pragmatic interests.
مع دخول نزاع الصحراء الغربية عقده الخامس، لا يزال النزاع الإقليمي دون حل وغير معروف إلى حد كبير. تحلل إنتصار فقير من معهد الشرق الأوسط (MEI) التاريخ المعقد للصحراء الغربية والمطالبات المتنافسة من قبل المغرب والجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية. وتبحث في التطورات الأخيرة، مثل اعتراف الرئيس ترامب بسيادة المغرب على الإقليم وانهيار وقف إطلاق النار الذي دام 30 عامًا، بالإضافة إلى الأسئلة الجوهرية التي لا تزال دون إجابة بعد نصف قرن.
المدونات الصوتية
التركيز على الشرق الأوسط
البودكاست الأسبوعي الرائد لمعهد الشرق الأوسط حول السياسة الخارجية الأمريكية والقضايا السياسية والاجتماعية المعاصرة في الشرق الأوسط.
Before 3 July 2013 enters the annals of U.S.-backed anti-Islamist coups[1] it is worth noting that Mohamed Morsi’s ill-fated presidency differs from prior cases. Whereas the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) and Hamas posed a threat (however chimeric) to Washington, Morsi quickly won plaudits from U.S. officials. Meanwhile, he menaced the domestic opposition with an autocratic panache. When Morsi exceeded his elected mandate and refused to share power, secularists and Salafists rose against him—while the U.S.
Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi addressing violence in Egypt's streets, followed by reaction from political satirist Bassem Youssef. January, 2013.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Mona Makram-Ebeid for a discussion about the state of affairs in Egypt in the wake of the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi. Dr. Makram-Ebeid is a prominent Egyptian academic and former member of the Shura Council, who recently resigned in support of the Tamarod movement. She will provide a first-hand perspective on the challenges ahead for Egypt following the recent military takeover of the government and the ensuing violence and unrest.
Announcement: Paul Salem Joining as Vice President of Middle East Institute to Lead Initiative on Arab Transitions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to announce that Paul Salem will join the Institute as a vice president in October to direct the Arab Transitions initiative. Dr. Salem comes to MEI after having served as the founding director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, Lebanon since 2006.
The sun is beating down and it isn’t even midday. Clutching the all-important paperwork that will get them coveted UN food vouchers, Syrian refugees look harried. The women pull at their children to hurry through the litter-filled yard of the sports club in the town of Bar Elias that serves as a distribution center for the UN’s hard-pressed World Food Program (WFP). Unlike their men, who head for the shade to smoke and exchange news, the women don’t dally, making for the snaking lines into a crowded hall where they will be called in groups by registration numbers.
A white bed sheet had been strung between two trees on a median just opposite the Sayeda Aisha mosque in a working class area of Cairo. Everything had been arranged by volunteers under the protection of Ahmed, a well-known personality in the neighborhood. He helped them pick a spot to set up the projector, screen, and speakers. All that was missing was a functioning street lamp to power the equipment, but those nearby had been disconnected. A generator that was usually rented out to street vendors was used instead.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Mona Makram-Ebeid for a discussion about the state of affairs in Egypt in the wake of the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi. Dr. Makram-Ebeid is a prominent Egyptian academic and former member of the Shura Council, who recently resigned in support of the Tamarod movement. She will provide a first-hand perspective on the challenges ahead for Egypt following the recent military takeover of the government and the ensuing violence and unrest.Bios:Dr.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Mona Makram-Ebeid for a discussion about the state of affairs in Egypt in the wake of the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi. Dr. Makram-Ebeid is a prominent Egyptian academic and former member of the Shura Council, who recently resigned in support of the Tamarod movement. She will provide a first-hand perspective on the challenges ahead for Egypt following the recent military takeover of the government and the ensuing violence and unrest.Bios:Dr.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Mona Makram-Ebeid for a discussion about the state of affairs in Egypt in the wake of the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi. Dr. Makram-Ebeid is a prominent Egyptian academic and former member of the Shura Council, who recently resigned in support of the Tamarod movement. She will provide a first-hand perspective on the challenges ahead for Egypt following the recent military takeover of the government and the ensuing violence and unrest.Bios:Dr.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Mona Makram-Ebeid for a discussion about the state of affairs in Egypt in the wake of the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi. Dr. Makram-Ebeid is a prominent Egyptian academic and former member of the Shura Council, who recently resigned in support of the Tamarod movement. She will provide a first-hand perspective on the challenges ahead for Egypt following the recent military takeover of the government and the ensuing violence and unrest.Bios:Dr.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Mona Makram-Ebeid for a discussion about the state of affairs in Egypt in the wake of the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi. Dr. Makram-Ebeid is a prominent Egyptian academic and former member of the Shura Council, who recently resigned in support of the Tamarod movement. She will provide a first-hand perspective on the challenges ahead for Egypt following the recent military takeover of the government and the ensuing violence and unrest.Bios:Dr.
The U.S. Needs to Walk the Walk on Egypt's Human Rights
Originally published July 10, 2013 in U.S. News and World Report
Assertions and opinions in this publication are solely those of the above-mentioned author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Middle East Institute, which expressly does not take positions on Middle East policy.
تُعد المجلة الرئيسية لمعهد الشرق الأوسط أقدم مطبوعة محكّمة مكرّسة لدراسة الشرق الأوسط الحديث، وتغطي المجلة الرئيسية في المعهد السياسة والمجتمع والثقافة في المنطقة.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to announce that Paul Salem will join the Institute as a vice president in October to direct the Arab Transitions initiative. Dr. Salem comes to MEI after having served as the founding director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, Lebanon since 2006. 
