Read in-depth research, analysis, and commentary from MEI’s fellows and experts on the Middle East.
After decades of political setbacks, Iran’s former Revolutionary Guards commander has returned to the center of power. Is he an incidental beneficiary of war, or have observers underestimated him all along?
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.
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.
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’s flagship weekly podcast on US foreign policy and contemporary political and social issues in the Middle East.
MEI Senior Fellow Brian Katulis engages friends, colleagues, and policy experts in casual conversations on the most important happenings in the Middle East.
MEI Senior Fellow Gonul Tol hosts leading scholars and thought leaders on global democracy trends and the state of the liberal international order.
The Middle East Insitute is proud to host Amb. Edmund J. Hull (retired) for for a discussion about his recent book High-Value Target: Countering Al Qaeda in Yemen. Hull's book tells the inside story of how al Qaeda's Yemeni safe haven was disrupted during Hull's tenure.
Originally posted May 2011
Developments in Syria have been growing more disturbing. The Assad regime seems to be reacting to the unrest as if it believes it can contain it with much the same approach used against the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood roughly 30 years ago, particularly during 1980-1982. Some have credited Tehran with coaching Damascus on how to contain its current popular challenge.
American policy toward conflict in Libya is bearing disappointing fruit. The conflict there seems to be settling in to a stalemate with the likely prospect of becoming an extended civil war. In the face of this prospect, John McCain and other Senators are calling for greater US involvement. That goes against the grain of American public opinion. It raises in sharp relief the question: Will our current limited engagement policy work? And if so, when?
Raja Shehadeh is a Palestinian lawyer, author and founder of the pioneering, nonpartisan human rights organization Al-Haq. He has authored several books about international law, human rights, and the Middle East including Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape, for which he won the UK Orwell Prize.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Ben Lando, Iraq Bureau Chief of the Iraq Oil Report, which provides business, political and security analysis on Iraq. Lando will discuss Iraq's potential within the global oil sector, as well as the political and security concerns that could affect oil supply, growth, security and policy in Iraq now and in the future. Lando will also touch upon relations between Iraq and its neighbors, as well key domestic issues such as the Arab-Kurdish conflict.
Speaker: Ben Lando
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Ben Lando, Iraq Bureau Chief of the Iraq Oil Report, which provides business, political and security analysis on Iraq. Lando will discuss Iraq's potential within the global oil sector, as well as the political and security concerns that could affect oil supply, growth, security and policy in Iraq now and in the future. Lando will also touch upon relations between Iraq and its neighbours, as well as key domestic issues such as the Arab-Kurdish conflict.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Ben Lando, Iraq Bureau Chief of the Iraq Oil Report, which provides business, political and security analysis on Iraq. Lando will discuss Iraq's potential within the global oil sector, as well as the political and security concerns that could affect oil supply, growth, security and policy in Iraq now and in the future. Lando will also touch upon relations between Iraq and its neighbors, as well key domestic issues such as the Arab-Kurdish conflict.
This article originally appeared in the National Interest online under the title "Collapse Imminent in Afghanistan" on April 21, 2011
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Mona Makram-Ebeid, Professor of Political Science, American University of Cairo, and former Egyptian Parliamentarian, for an examination of the unprecedented changes that have taken place in Egypt over the last three months. Dr. Makram-Ebeid will analyze the current situation in Egypt, as well as expectations for upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Mona Makram-Ebeid, Professor of Political Science, American University of Cairo, and former Egyptian Parliamentarian, for an examination of the unprecedented changes that have taken place in Egypt over the last three months. Dr. Makram-Ebeid will analyze the current situation in Egypt, as well as expectations for upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.
Speaker: Mona Makram-Ebeid
*A longer version of this article was first published in Volume 11 of Current Trends in Islamist Ideology.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Hady Amr of USAID and Thomas Garrett of IRI for a discussion about shifting U.S. funding goals and priorities in Egypt in the wake of the January 25 revolution. Egyptian NGOs and nascent political parties face multiple challenges as Egypt transitions toward democracy, including a lack of resources and a democratic system. Egypt is also facing new economic challenges and calls from some quarters for a Western-backed Marshall Plan. Amr and Campbell will explore the role the U.S.
*A version of this article was originally published on ForeignPolicy.com on April 12, 2011
Divide and conquer. That's the strategy Ali Abdullah Saleh has employed for 33 years to remain atop Yemen's extremely diverse political landscape. But the Yemeni president's efforts to keep his country in a state of low-level dysfunction are also at the root of its current problems. Chaos allows Saleh to make politics a family affair, keeping the reins of power in the hands of his sons and nephews.
The Middle East Institute, in partnership with the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, is proud to host two panel discussions on the refugee situation in Sudan. Funded by the European Commission, this event is part of a two year research project which aims to generate policy recommendations that will strengthen transatlantic cooperation to respond to the refugee and internally displaced persons crises in Sudan.
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.