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.
Along with countries such as Syria and Iraq, Pakistan has become a theater of doctrinal differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims, signifying that rifts between local groups have become linked to the wider violent sectarianism in the Middle East.
The Asia-Pacific in the "Golden Age of Gas": Implications for Middle East LNG Exporters
Qatar, as the world’s largest single LNG exporter, will be at the forefront of competition with key players in both the European and Asian markets. As an infra-marginal producer with all major capital investments already in place and in the process of being amortized, Qatar occupies a privileged though by no means entrenched competitive position.
Japan’s Unfinished Democracy: Lessons for Democratic Transformation in the Middle East
Stability in the Middle East is essential for Japanese prosperity. Japanese investment and aid has already made significant contributions to the region’s socio-economic stability. The next step is for Japan to contribute its lessons learned as a successful case of democratic transformation.
Interview with Dr. Yiyi Chen on Hebrew/Jewish Studies in China and Sino-Israel Relations
Some might find it surprising to learn that China was never hostile or belligerent towards Israel. China never rejected or even questioned the State of Israel’s right to exist. Premier Zhou En Lai criticized Palestinian terrorism and categorically rejected the idea of ‘throwing the Israelis into the sea.’
The Middle East Institute, The Foundation for Middle East Peace and Just World Books Present:A cookbook and more than a cookbook, The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey brings together traditional recipes from the Gaza Strip based on extensive interviews with home cooks, and uses profiles of these cooks as well as beautiful documentary photography to explore the history, economy and daily life of the territory.
The Middle East Institute, The Foundation for Middle East Peace and Just World Books Present:A cookbook and more than a cookbook, The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey brings together traditional recipes from the Gaza Strip based on extensive interviews with home cooks, and uses profiles of these cooks as well as beautiful documentary photography to explore the history, economy and daily life of the territory.
The Middle East Institute, The Foundation for Middle East Peace and Just World Books Present:A cookbook and more than a cookbook, The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey brings together traditional recipes from the Gaza Strip based on extensive interviews with home cooks, and uses profiles of these cooks as well as beautiful documentary photography to explore the history, economy and daily life of the territory.
The Middle East Institute, The Foundation for Middle East Peace and Just World Books Present:A cookbook and more than a cookbook, The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey brings together traditional recipes from the Gaza Strip based on extensive interviews with home cooks, and uses profiles of these cooks as well as beautiful documentary photography to explore the history, economy and daily life of the territory.
The Middle East Institute, The Foundation for Middle East Peace and Just World Books Present:A cookbook and more than a cookbook, The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey brings together traditional recipes from the Gaza Strip based on extensive interviews with home cooks, and uses profiles of these cooks as well as beautiful documentary photography to explore the history, economy and daily life of the territory.
Withdrawal from Afghanistan: Next Steps and Challenges
Wed, 3/20/2013 12:00 pm to 1:30 pmLocation: The SEIU Building1800 Massachusetts Avenue, NWWashingtonDistrict of Columbia20 036 The Middle East Institute is proud to host Lieutenant General (Ret.) David W. Barno and Dr. Michael E.
تُعد المجلة الرئيسية لمعهد الشرق الأوسط أقدم مطبوعة محكّمة مكرّسة لدراسة الشرق الأوسط الحديث، وتغطي المجلة الرئيسية في المعهد السياسة والمجتمع والثقافة في المنطقة.
