Iran wants its oar in the Black Sea
Iran sees lucrative markets across the Black Sea region. It also sees an opportunity to expand strategic cooperation with Russia. And there’s just a chance that America will turn inward in 2025.
It’s all dangerous. To get the picture, start by connecting the dots.
War delays but likely will not fully derail IMEC plans
The Oct. 7 Hamas attack against Israel and the latter’s ongoing military operation in Gaza have stalled progress in the development of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and raised questions about its prospects for eventual completion. The IMEC faces multiple viability challenges, but none of them are insurmountable; thus, its participants are unlikely to abandon it.
Monday Briefing: Partners in war, opponents in peace: The US and Israel are fighting different wars
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
Expert Views: How do we restart the Middle East peace process?
What would it take to start a new Israeli-Palestinian peace process that could actually have the prospect for enduring success? MEI has asked a group of regional and U.S. experts to weigh in.
Essential questions about the Russia-Hamas link: The evidence and its implications
As the war in Gaza continues to unfold, essential questions about Russian and Iranian support for Hamas remain. They include whether Russia played any role in providing support to Hamas ahead of its Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Evidence available from foreign-language publications in Russian, Persian, Arabic, and Hebrew, as well as those in English, provides provocative leads, which, if accurate, have serious potential implications.
A long courtship
Monday Briefing: Israel-Hamas truce extended but prospects for a longer deal remain dim
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
Monday Briefing: Midway through the battle, still at square one in the political endgame
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
The EU and the Israel-Hamas war: A narrow but important niche
Much has been written about the European Union’s confused and cacophonic response to the heinous Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack that has plunged the Middle East into one of the most violent crises the region has known since World War II. While the condemnation of Hamas’ atrocities was unanimous, not much else was.
Monday Briefing: America faces a brewing crisis of confidence among key Middle East partners
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
Monday Briefing: Four takeaways from Hezbollah chief’s November 3 speech
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
Monday Briefing: “Second phase” of Israel’s war on Hamas begins
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
Any swords into ploughshares? The challenge of the current conflict
The only long-term way of building security and stability, and reducing violence for Palestinians and Israelis alike, is to create hope and establish a political pathway for both sides
US-Israel relations in the wake of October 7
The intensity of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Gaza and the ensuing crisis have already had a significant and dramatic impact on relations between the United States and Israel. The resolute American backing reflects the purest expression of the strategic partnership that has existed between Israel and the U.S. for more than five decades.
Monday Briefing: Still at square one of a long and dangerous conflict
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.