Curb Your Enthusiasm: Why the Midterms Might Not Change Much in US Middle East Policy
With less than a week before the midterm elections in the United States, the spotlight is on the economy and cultural divides. US foreign policy remains mostly on the sidelines, but this year’s inconclusive Iran war and its effect on America’s economy have shaped the broader political environment in this electoral cycle.
The Multiple Costs of the US–Iran War – From Hormuz to Europe and South Asia: The Widening Economic and Political Geography of the Conflict
Wars are decided by those who hold military power, but their costs are increasingly borne by those who have little or no voice in the decisions that start them. The US–Iran war shows this imbalance very clearly. Its economic consequences have gone far beyond the battlefield and have disrupted energy markets, trade routes, food supplies, public finances and investment in the Gulf, Europe, Africa and Asia. The most striking feature of the conflict, however, is not only the size of the damage but its very unequal distribution.
In recent weeks, the Iran-backed Houthis have fired missiles and drones deep into Saudi Arabia, striking high-profile targets, including Riyadh’s airport and Aramco’s headquarters. The attacks follow a rapid Houthi offensive in September to seize key parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, which Saudi-backed government forces are now trying to roll back. Fatima Abo Alasrar, an affiliated scholar at MEI and non-resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack the latest phase of the conflict. They discuss what the Houthis want, Riyadh’s calculus and search for allies, and how this campaign ties into Iran’s confrontation with the United States.
Since 1967, Israeli settlements in the West Bank have been a contested feature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ultimate disposition of the settlements and ongoing activity related to their growth have repeatedly defied agreement in negotiations over a resolution to the conflict.
The Houthis are a political-military faction and Zaydi religious movement founded in northwestern Yemen in the 1980s. A key member of Iran’s Axis of Resistance with links to other militant organizations in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, the group has continued to pose a threat to Western interests on a global scale.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a proposed multinational infrastructure initiative aimed at upgrading connectivity between the three regions through integrated trade, energy, and digital networks. Announced at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023, IMEC is envisioned partially as a counterweight to China’s international infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative.
After a decade of post-Arab Spring isolation, Turkey’s leaders have recognized that their ambition to position the country as an agenda-setter on the world stage requires active engagement in all directions. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s consolidation of executive authority has centralized foreign policy decision-making and tied it to his domestic political priorities, transforming the country’s revisionist approach to one shaped primarily by personal and pragmatic interests.
MEI Senior Fellow Brian Katulis engages friends, colleagues, and policy experts in casual conversations on the most important happenings in the Middle East.
Defense Secretary Mattis’ Remarks in Riyadh Angers Tehran
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ remarks about Iran’s destabilizing influence in the Middle East prompted an angry reaction from Tehran. The Iranian defense minister rejected the allegations by the top U.S.
Khamenei Urges Iranian Leaders to Counter “Enemies’ Scare Tactics”
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned Wednesday that Iran’s “enemies” use intimidation and scare tactics to achieve their goals, and called on political and military lea
For the first time in three years, Mahmoud Abbas will meet with an American president in the White House. The meeting, expected in early-May, will also be the first between Abbas and President Donald Trump, and will serve to shape the relationship both men, and those they represent, have in the years ahead.
While Abbas might be inclined to be more pliant as an early show of goodwill, he will still seek demonstrations of seriousness from the Israelis, brokered by Washington, before agreeing to re-engage in peace talks.
Morocco's Triple Role in the Euro-African Migration System
This essay discusses Morocco’s changing role within the Euro-African migration system — that of a source, transit, and final destination country. It briefly addresses the responsibilities and responses of Moroccan authorities in dealing with the phenomenon of irregular migration, in particular as it relates to Morocco’s role as a destination country.
Russia's Training of Local Militia Forces in Syria May Benefit Iran
The Russian military police has started training local militia forces in the Syrian governorate of Aleppo, according to Fars News Agency, an Iranian outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.).
Iran’s Defense Minister Will Meet Russian Counterpart in Moscow Next Week
Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan will visit Moscow next week to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu, Iranian and Russian media report.
Turkey's Erdogan Gets His Presidential Wish | Monday Briefing
In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Gonul Tol, Gerald Feierstein, Alex Vatanka, and Marvin G. Weinbaum provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the victory of Turkish President Erdogan’s “Yes” constitutional referendum campaign to increase his powers, Secretary of Defense Mattis’ trip to the Middle East, the entry of 1,600 candidates for the upcoming Iranian presidential elections, and the alarming violence in Pakistan against accused “blasphemers”.
Rouhani: Iran Will Seek No One’s Permission to Produce Missiles
President Hassan Rouhani has said that the Iranian government will seek no one’s permission to build missiles and upgrade the country’s defense capabilities.
Top Iranian Lawmaker: U.S. and Saudi Arabia Defeated in Syria and Yemen
Earlier today, a senior Iranian lawmaker said the United States and its allies have failed in Syria and the broader region and credited Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s leadership for defeating Iran’s “enemies” in foreign lands to safeguard the country’s national security.
Quds Force Reportedly Uses Regional Shiite Militias for Drug Smuggling into Europe
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.)’s elite Quds Force runs an international network of organized criminal networks to smuggle drugs into and throughout Europe, al-Arabiya Arabic reports. Quoting unnamed sources from the Italian Judiciary, the report claims that the mastermind of the Quds Force’s illicit drugs operations is former Quds Force General Gholamreza Baghbani. Members of the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran-linked Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) are reportedly part of the criminal network.
Iran, Russia Step up Military Offensive in Syria despite Ceasefire Talks
Iran, Russia and Turkey will begin a two-day trilateral meeting in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups, Iran’s Foreign Ministry
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.
