The Human Story Behind Gaza: Jaser AbuMousa on the Costs of Survival for Palestinians
Brian sits down with MEI Senior Fellow Jaser AbuMousa to assess the situation on the ground in Gaza three years after October 7 and a year into the ceasefire. Drawing on his own personal experience, Jaser explores the toll that the war and continued destruction have taken on Gaza’s residents, the implications of the recent Israeli and US elections, and the difficult path forward.
The Unavoidable Neighbor: Managing Iran Beyond the War
Gulf states and their partners are increasingly looking beyond their most immediate interests of containing the war with Iran. While recent talks between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran have kept de-escalation on the agenda, a broader regional security framework and non-aggression pact has also emerged, envisioning a longer-lasting solution to regional conflicts. The talks have yet to produce a settlement, but they reflect a growing recognition that Gulf security cannot depend entirely on Washington. Iran will still be there, and its neighbors will have to find ways of living with it.
Israelis turned out in their highest numbers in decades on October 27 for the country’s first election since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc lost 15 seats and its Knesset majority, but Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc also fell short, leaving Arab parties, with a record 19 seats, potentially decisive in forming the next government. MEI Senior Fellow Natan Sachs joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack the results, the coalition math, and what comes next for Israel’s security policy, the wider region, and US-Israeli relations.
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.
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
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
Malaysia and the GCC Countries: Fertile Ground for Further Expansion of the Takaful Industry
The Takaful industry has expanded rapidly in recent years.[1] In 2011, the industry recorded 19% higher growth than in the previous year. Takaful is generally regarded as a profitable product with ample growth potential. With strong support from industry players, government institutions and increasing awareness among customers, the Takaful industry is expected to develop further in the coming years.
Learning from SIGIR's Final Report on Iraq Reconstruction
The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) recently published a final report on U.S. efforts in Iraq from 2003-2012. It provides an impressive level of detail on the thousands of projects and over $60 billion spent over those years. Until recently, when it was surpassed by the ongoing effort in Afghanistan, the U.S. project in Iraq was the single largest reconstruction effort in American history.
Many participants and leaders of the January 25 revolution hoped for a new Egypt to emerge, one that respected freedom of speech and freedom of religion, amongst other liberties. More than two years later, it has become glaringly obvious that such hopes were pipe dreams, and that the “New Egypt” will respect neither, in part thanks to the mounting number of blasphemy cases and trials that have taken place.
Egypt is in trouble. And Egypt’s trouble is bad news both for Egypt and for the United States. With a withering economy, continued political unrest, and poor institutionalization of new and ever-evolving political rules, many Egyptians have lost hope in the ultimate success of the country’s political transformation. Given the sacrifices and optimism associated with the removal of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the failure of governance in Egypt, though not entirely unexpected, has the makings of tragedy.
Asia-Gulf Economic Relations in the 21st Century: The Local to Global Transformation
Asia constitutes the hub of the transformation of global economic power today. The Gulf, itself part of Asia, is of increasing importance in this transformation. This book documents the growing interactions between the economies of the Gulf states and those of the rest of Asia. These relationships are critical to how the world economy develops over the next decade, and how economic (and perhaps strategic) power is distributed.
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.
