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    • Special Episode: Saudi Oil After the East-West Pipeline Attack
  • Podcast

    • Special Episode: Saudi Oil After the East-West Pipeline Attack

    Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline is back in operation after a drone attack from Iraq, blamed on Iran-backed militias, shut it down for nearly two weeks. The pipeline is the kingdom’s main way to export oil while the Strait of Hormuz is closed, so the shutdown dealt another blow to global energy markets. How vulnerable is this route, and what does that mean for the kingdom and the world economy? This episode of Middle East Focus features a recent MEI Virtual Briefing in which Director of Communications Zeina Al-Shaib is joined by MEI Senior Fellow Colby Connelly and MEI Affiliate Yesar Al-Maleki. They examine the new geopolitical risks facing the oil market, what further losses of global supply could mean for Saudi Arabia and the world economy, and which buffers outside the Persian Gulf could ease the pressure.

    October 1, 2026

    Alistair Taylor, Matthew Czekaj

    The Middle East Beyond the Iran War
  • Report

    • The Middle East Beyond the Iran War

    This article is part of a collection of short essays written by the Fellows of the Middle East Institute to explore aspects of the ongoing war with Iran. The intent of the collection is to help readers see new and unexpected elements of the dynamics and impact of the ongoing hostilities and to think harder, deeper, and broader about the implications of the conflict.

    September 28, 2026

    Yemen: The Houthis’ Role in the Next Evolution of the Axis of Resistance
  • Analysis

    • Yemen: The Houthis’ Role in the Next Evolution of the Axis of Resistance

    The outbreak of the war with Iran demonstrated the strategic value of maritime chokepoints in the Islamic Republic’s confrontation with the United States. But as Tehran’s strategy of using the Strait of Hormuz to pressure Washington seems to be backfiring, Iran is working with the Houthis to strengthen its leverage over another strategic chokepoint: the Bab el-Mandeb. The recent escalation in Yemen should be viewed within this context.

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    Bonus Episode: Can Yemen Hold Together?
  • Podcast

    • Bonus Episode: Can Yemen Hold Together?

    This bonus episode of Middle East Focus features an excerpt from a recent MEI Virtual Briefing recorded on January 20. Director of Communications Zeina Al-Shaib is joined by MEI Affiliate Fatima Abo Alasrar and Associate Fellow F. Gregory Gause III to discuss the dramatically changing dynamics in Yemen’s civil war. Last month, Yemen emerged as a focal point of rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Southern Transitional Council, a UAE-backed southern separatist movement, has disbanded in recent weeks, following fierce clashes with Saudi-backed forces. In the conversation, Alasrar and Gause analyze the political, security, and socio-economic shifts affecting Yemen’s internal dynamics and what all this means for regional stability.

    January 23, 2026

    Alistair Taylor, Matthew Czekaj

    Can Yemen hold together?
  • Virtual Briefing Series

    • Can Yemen hold together?

    January 21, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

    Virtual Briefing

    Held Hostage by Iran’s Militias: Where Are They Now?
  • Event

    • Held Hostage by Iran’s Militias: Where Are They Now?

    The Middle East Institute invites you to an in-person panel with Elizabeth Tsurkov, Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the New Lines Institute. It will be moderated jointly by Charles Lister, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, and Benjamin Wittes, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution

    January 21, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

    Middle East Institute 1763 N St NW Washington, District of Columbia 20036

    Brian and Behnam Shake the Magic 8 Ball on Iran
  • Podcast

    • Brian and Behnam Shake the Magic 8 Ball on Iran

    Brian sits down with Behnam Taleblu, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to unpack the ongoing protests in Iran and what this moment reveals about the long struggle between the state and the street. They discuss the regime’s brutal crackdown, the prospect of US intervention, and what both could mean for the future of the Islamic Republic. The episode centers on agency, imagination, and the possibilities facing Iranians at a critical juncture in the country’s history.

    Iran’s coming reckoning: Regime collapse is likely — democracy is not
  • Commentary

    • Iran’s coming reckoning: Regime collapse is likely — democracy is not

    The collapse of the Iranian regime in its present form now seems more plausible than its survival as a functioning state. Yet the emergence of a democratic Iran remains far from certain. Between these two outcomes lies a volatile and dangerous middle ground. But much will depend on four factors.

    January 20, 2026

    Siamak Namazi

    What Ankara sees in Riyadh — and why it still needs Abu Dhabi
    Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua via Getty Images
  • Analysis

    • What Ankara sees in Riyadh — and why it still needs Abu Dhabi

    As the rivalry between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi sharpens in Yemen and beyond, Turkey has begun edging closer to Saudi Arabia, sparking claims that a new regional order is taking shape: a Turkey-Saudi axis backed by a NATO-like defense architecture, implicitly aligned against Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This reading overstates the case.

    Potential US military strikes on Iran: This won’t be another 12-Day War
    Photo by Zachary Pearson- U.S. Navy via Getty Images
  • Analysis

    • Potential US military strikes on Iran: This won’t be another 12-Day War

    President Donald Trump has sharply warned the Iranian regime to halt its brutal crackdown on protesters. Amid speculation that the US is preparing for military action in Iran, Washington should take the lessons and fundamentally different context of its successful June 2025 operation against the Islamic Republic into account as it plans for how to respond.

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