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.
What more can be done to resolve the problem in Western Sahara?
Mr. (Carne) Ross, Undersecretary General Miyet, and I have be trading opinions for six months and it is clear that Mr. Ross has no intention to propose or agree on any kind of political settlement or compromise, regardless of arguments to the contrary. It is time to quit deluding ourselves and allowing the refugees to be used as hostages in an effort to advance the cause of a few thousand Polisario rebels. Rather, we should reach out together for a common middle-ground solution.
Malala Yousufzai – Reclaiming Ideological Space in Pakistan
The attempted assassination of Malala Yousufzai by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan on October 9, 2012, marks a milestone in the trajectory of Pakistan’s future. It has manifested the balkanization of Pakistani society along the lines of those who have been labeled in the popular vernacular in Pakistan as “liberals,” and those who claim ideological proximity with the reactionary religious ideology and demonstrate mistrust and disapproval of American policies instituted in the “War on Terror.” How this debate pans out between the two groups will mark the path to Pakistan’s future.
MEI Podcast 37 The Middle East Institute, the Foundation for Middle East Peace, and Churches for Middle East Peace Present “Fortress Israel” A book presentation by author Patrick Tylerwith introduction and commentary by Terence Smith Wednesday, October 244:00-5:30pmCarnegie Endowment for International PeaceRoot Room, 2nd Floor1779 Massachusetts Ave., NWWashington, DC 20036 Fortress Israel is a historical analysis of Israel’s military leadership and the country’s national security establishment.
MEI Podcast 37 The Middle East Institute, the Foundation for Middle East Peace, and Churches for Middle East Peace Present “Fortress Israel” A book presentation by author Patrick Tylerwith introduction and commentary by Terence Smith Wednesday, October 244:00-5:30pmCarnegie Endowment for International PeaceRoot Room, 2nd Floor1779 Massachusetts Ave., NWWashington, DC 20036 Fortress Israel is a historical analysis of Israel’s military leadership and the country’s national security establishment.
MEI Podcast 37 The Middle East Institute, the Foundation for Middle East Peace, and Churches for Middle East Peace Present “Fortress Israel” A book presentation by author Patrick Tylerwith introduction and commentary by Terence Smith Wednesday, October 244:00-5:30pmCarnegie Endowment for International PeaceRoot Room, 2nd Floor1779 Massachusetts Ave., NWWashington, DC 20036 Fortress Israel is a historical analysis of Israel’s military leadership and the country’s national security establishment.
MEI Podcast 37 The Middle East Institute, the Foundation for Middle East Peace, and Churches for Middle East Peace Present “Fortress Israel” A book presentation by author Patrick Tylerwith introduction and commentary by Terence Smith Wednesday, October 244:00-5:30pmCarnegie Endowment for International PeaceRoot Room, 2nd Floor1779 Massachusetts Ave., NWWashington, DC 20036 Fortress Israel is a historical analysis of Israel’s military leadership and the country’s national security establishment.
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.
