Corruption in Iran is strategic and a key element of the current political order. It serves as an instrument of national strategy and an essential component of governance within the Islamic Republic.
Expert regional analysis by MEI scholars and contributors.
The Biden administration has presented Netanyahu a plan that could potentially defeat Hamas and cinch Saudi normalization with Israel. But Washington is growing impatient with the prime minister’s inaction which threatens to undermine America’s credibility in the region — and Israel’s very future.
This week’s visit by Jake Sullivan, U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security advisor, came at a turbulent. uncertain time both inside Israel’s domestic politics and U.S.-Israel Relations.
On Feb. 25, 2024, Qatar announced plans to increase its LNG production capacity by a further 16 million tons per annum (mtpa) in 2029-30, bringing the total to 142 mtpa. This would be the third such large-scale expansion of its LNG production within the next six years, but there’s one wrinkle: These new production volumes are set to come online at a time of significant oversupply in the LNG market. What accounts for Qatar’s decision?
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
Strategically located at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz on the Arabian Sea, Gwadar, once a derelict port, was revitalized as part of the broader development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and declared fully operational in 2021. Can a renewed focus on the Gwadar port and the socio-economic and security situation of the surrounding region help Islamabad and Beijing rescue CPEC from failure?
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
In recent months, Israel’s situation in the Red Sea has grown increasingly challenging in the security, economic, and diplomatic spheres. But the country is in a better position to meet these challenges and threats by leveraging the strategic regional partnerships it has developed over the past several years.
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
As the world faces unprecedented challenges, from climate crises to migration pressures, the need for concerted action to address financing for development has never been more urgent. Against a backdrop of resource constraints, geopolitical shifts, and faltering progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it is imperative to chart a course of action that is both pragmatic and visionary. This piece outlines 10 actionable measures to tackle these multifaceted challenges and pave the way for a more sustainable and equitable future.
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
The month of April saw a series of unprecedented escalations in the long-simmering Iranian-Israeli conflict, with both countries launching missile and drone attacks against the other’s territory for the first time in history.
In the wake of these strikes, what will be the impact on the regional security and political environment going forward, what is needed to stabilize the new rules of the game, and how can US diplomacy help to facilitate that process? MEI has asked its experts to weigh in.
On April 21, the US House of Representatives passed the long-awaited aid package for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. The legislation contained another long-sought-after measure: authority for the US government to tighten restrictions on Iran’s oil exports. But in truth, aggressive US action remains unlikely and there are powerful operational, strategic, and political barriers preventing the US from shutting down Iran’s oil trade or hindering it in a material way.
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
The Biden administration set forth five main objectives in reaction to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack against Israel and ensuing war in the Gaza Strip. Six months into the Israel-Hamas war, the Biden administration has not achieved enough progress toward these goals, although it has avoided some of the worst-case scenarios. Success is hampered in part by tensions stemming from the fact that some of the tactics and policy approaches are at odds with each other.