As a result of the Iran war, Turkish thinking about nuclear weapons appears to be shifting. Iran’s emergent ability to threaten regional states (and possible determination to acquire a nuclear weapon itself), growing concern about Israeli aggressiveness, doubts about US security guarantees, and greater Saudi nuclear autonomy are all pushing Ankara to consider a future nuclear option.
In less than two decades, a string of offshore discoveries has turned the Eastern Mediterranean into a significant gas-producing region, making Israel an exporter, twice lifting Egypt into the ranks of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters, and giving Cyprus finds it has yet to bring to market. This backgrounder explores the potential and challenges of exploiting and managing LNG resources in the region.
The Mecca Joint Défense Agreement: A New Geometry of Middle Eastern Power?
On August 7, 2026, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Défense Agreement, a collective-defense pact widely compared to NATO’s Article 5. This essay argues that the comparison is misleading. Mecca borrows NATO’s language of solidarity without yet possessing NATO’s institutional machinery, and the Houthi offensive against Saudi Arabia in September 2026 provided an early and revealing test of what the agreement actually means in practice. Neither Pakistan nor Turkey automatically entered the fight on Saudi Arabia’s behalf, and Washington, despite an initial reluctance to strike directly, remained indispensable through intelligence support and a major proposed F-35 sale. Drawing on realist alliance theory — Hans Morgenthau, Kenneth Waltz, Stephen Walt, Glenn Snyder, and Steven David — and on the precedent of the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), the essay contends that the Middle East is not dividing into rival blocs but moving from hierarchy toward a looser, overlapping geometry of hedged partnerships, in which American exclusivity is eroding considerably faster than American primacy.
Panel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge? – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge?Volkan Bozkir, Grand National Assembly of TurkeySteve Heydemann, United States Institute of PeaceAnne Richard, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. Department of StateModerator: Robert Worth, New York TimesJune 14, 2013, 10:00am-11:30 am
Panel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge? – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge?Volkan Bozkir, Grand National Assembly of TurkeySteve Heydemann, United States Institute of PeaceAnne Richard, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. Department of StateModerator: Robert Worth, New York TimesJune 14, 2013, 10:00am-11:30 am
Panel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge? – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge?Volkan Bozkir, Grand National Assembly of TurkeySteve Heydemann, United States Institute of PeaceAnne Richard, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. Department of StateModerator: Robert Worth, New York TimesJune 14, 2013, 10:00am-11:30 am
Welcome, Keynote address – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on Turkey8:45am: WelcomeAmb. Wendy Chamberlin, President, Middle East Institute9:00am-9:45 am: Keynote AddressRep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), United States House of RepresentativesJune 14, 2013, 8:45am, 9:00am
Welcome, Keynote address – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on Turkey8:45am: WelcomeAmb. Wendy Chamberlin, President, Middle East Institute9:00am-9:45 am: Keynote AddressRep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), United States House of RepresentativesJune 14, 2013, 8:45am, 9:00am
Welcome, Keynote address – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on Turkey8:45am: WelcomeAmb. Wendy Chamberlin, President, Middle East Institute9:00am-9:45 am: Keynote AddressRep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), United States House of RepresentativesJune 14, 2013, 8:45am, 9:00am
Welcome, Keynote address – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on Turkey8:45am: WelcomeAmb. Wendy Chamberlin, President, Middle East Institute9:00am-9:45 am: Keynote AddressRep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), United States House of RepresentativesJune 14, 2013, 8:45am, 9:00am
Interview with Professor Selçuk Esenbel, Director of the Asian Studies Center, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey
Although Turkey has a long history of continuing interaction with European intelligentsia, politicians and opinion makers, and also with the United States, there is very little experience and background with which to communicate with Asian countries. The Asian Studies Center is now recognized as the institution that can form viable academic connections and develop projects accordingly which will “bring the world to Turkey.”
Women in Turkey: New Opportunities, New Challenges
The Middle East Institute is proud to host three women changemakers in Turkey for a discussion about women in business and women’s rights. In recent years, women in Turkey have made inroads in fields where women have not traditionally been present. They are now successful business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, politicians, engineers, and academics. Their voices have become part of the public debate as they increasingly participate in all aspects of public life.
Women in Turkey: New Opportunities, New Challenges
The Middle East Institute is proud to host three women changemakers in Turkey for a discussion about women in business and women’s rights. In recent years, women in Turkey have made inroads in fields where women have not traditionally been present. They are now successful business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, politicians, engineers, and academics. Their voices have become part of the public debate as they increasingly participate in all aspects of public life.
Women in Turkey: New Opportunities, New Challenges
The Middle East Institute is proud to host three women changemakers in Turkey for a discussion about women in business and women’s rights. In recent years, women in Turkey have made inroads in fields where women have not traditionally been present. They are now successful business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, politicians, engineers, and academics. Their voices have become part of the public debate as they increasingly participate in all aspects of public life.
The oldest peer-reviewed publication dedicated to the study of the modern Middle East, MEI’s flagship journal covers politics, society, and culture in the region.
