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Paul Salem is a former Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI). He previously served as MEI’s president and CEO and as vice president for international engagement. His research focuses on political change, democracy and governance, social and economic policy, as well as regional and international relations in the Middle East.

Prior to joining MEI, Dr. Salem was the founding director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, Lebanon (2006–2013). From 1999 to 2006, he served as director of the Fares Foundation, and earlier founded and led the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (1989–1999), Lebanon’s premier public policy think tank.

Dr. Salem is the author and editor of several books and reports, including Escaping the Conflict Trap: Toward Ending Civil Wars in the Middle East (Middle East Institute, 2019), Winning the Battle, Losing the War: Addressing the Conditions that Fuel Armed Non-State Actors (Middle East Institute, 2019), and From Chaos to Cooperation: Toward Regional Order in the Middle East (Middle East Institute, 2017). His earlier works include Broken Orders: The Causes and Consequences of the Arab Uprisings (in Arabic, 2013), Bitter Legacy: Ideology and Politics in the Arab World (1994), and Conflict Resolution in the Arab World (ed., 1997).

Dr. Salem is also a musician and composer of Arabic-Brazilian jazz, with his music available on iTunes. He writes regularly on his Substack blog, Thinking Middle East.

He holds a BA, MA, and PhD from Harvard University.

The Latest from Paul Salem

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تداعيات الانتخابات الأمريكية على الشرق الأوسط 
  • Commentary
  • تداعيات الانتخابات الأمريكية على الشرق الأوسط 

    بول سالم
    رئيس معهد الشرق الأوسط
     
    من المرجح أن يقتصر التغيير الرئيسي في سياسة بايدن الخارجية على إيران، بالرغم من أنه حتى في هذا الشأن، فإن استعادة الوضع السابق وإيجاد مسار أفضل للمضي قدمًا قد يكون أصعب مما نتصور.
     
     

    November 9, 2020

    الاستعداد ليوم الثلاثاء الكبير والمرحلة الانتقالية التي ستليه
    Middle East Institute
  • Commentary
  • الاستعداد ليوم الثلاثاء الكبير والمرحلة الانتقالية التي ستليه

    “إذا ما تعرضت التجربة الديمقراطية للرفض في أحد أوطانها الرئيسية، فمن المؤكد أن ذلك سيجلب السلوى لكل من المستبدين والإسلاميين في الشرق الأوسط.”

    November 2, 2020

    Monday Briefing: Bracing for Tuesday and the interregnum
  • Commentary
  • Monday Briefing: Bracing for Tuesday and the interregnum

    This week’s briefing on recent news and upcoming events in the region featuring Paul Salem, Michael Sexton, Alex Vatanka, and Gerald Feierstein.

    November 2, 2020

    Heart-wrenching Lebanon deserves a better future
  • Commentary
  • Heart-wrenching Lebanon deserves a better future

    I expected that coming back to my homeland would be heart-wrenching. As I stood amid Beirut’s devastation, I watched shell-shocked citizens sweep up the remains of their homes and businesses. The cataclysm of the August 4 blast that destroyed the port, took or ruined the lives of multitudes and laid waste to much of the city, coincided almost exactly with the 100th anniversary of modern Lebanon’s founding in 1920. I wondered if history was now conspiring to bury Lebanon, or if there was still a path forward beyond survival, towards revival and renewal.

    October 7, 2020

    Election 2020: Challenges and Opportunities for US Policy in the Middle East
  • Analysis
  • Election 2020: Challenges and Opportunities for US Policy in the Middle East

    In a new briefing book released ahead of the U.S. elections in November, entitled Election 2020: Challenges and Opportunities for US Policy in the Middle East, MEI scholars lay out key issues across the region, highlight the U.S. interests at stake, and provide policy insights and recommendations for the path forward. 

    Special briefing: Regional reactions to the Israel-UAE deal
    Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • Special briefing: Regional reactions to the Israel-UAE deal

    On Aug. 13, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reached an agreement for “full normalization of relations,” ostensibly in return for an Israeli suspension of formal annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the deal, which he called “a significant step towards building a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous Middle East.” To better understand the agreement and how it is being perceived across the region, we asked seven MEI experts to weigh in with their thoughts.

    August 17, 2020

    Monday Briefing | Lebanon: The twilight of an impotent government
  • Commentary
  • Monday Briefing | Lebanon: The twilight of an impotent government

    This week’s briefing on recent news and upcoming events in the region featuring Paul Salem, Hafsa Halawa, Marvin G. Weinbaum, Anne-Linda Amira Augustin, and Gerald Feierstein.

    August 3, 2020

    The Layers and Limits of Diplomacy With Iran
  • Analysis
  • The Layers and Limits of Diplomacy With Iran

    While the relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia is important for de-escalating some tensions in the region, is not the decisive conflict involving Iran in the region.

    Lebanon needs emergency action
    Photo by IBRAHIM CHALHOUB/AFP via Getty Images
  • Commentary
  • Lebanon needs emergency action

    The state is teetering on the brink of collapse as salaries to the public sector dwindle into insignificance.

    June 29, 2020

    Message from the President
  • Commentary
  • Message from the President

    Dear MEI Community,

    Like so many of you, I was horrified by the killing of George Floyd, and I share this message to reflect on the meaning of this crisis and what has become a pivotal moment for the United States in the world. Many of you have been deeply shaken by recent events, and spurred to action. This crisis heralds the need — and opportunity — for positive change.

    June 8, 2020