Skip to Content

Research & Commentary

Read in-depth research, analysis, and commentary from MEI’s fellows and experts on the Middle East. 

Trump’s South Caucasus Peacemaking Is His Most Successful, but It Remains Unfinished
  • Commentary
  • Trump’s South Caucasus Peacemaking Is His Most Successful, but It Remains Unfinished

    Of all the fronts in President Trump’s peacemaking agenda, the South Caucasus has delivered the most concrete results. The August 2025 Washington Declaration, signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan and witnessed by Trump, marked an important step toward peace in the region. The two sides initialed a peace agreement and advanced plans to unblock regional connectivity, including through the establishment of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhijevan exclave through southern Armenia. Implementation of TRIPP has since made notable progress, but construction has yet to start. A breakthrough on those two tracks would, in turn, unlock Armenia–Türkiye normalization, transforming a long-fractured region into an area of trade and interdependence.

    The Iran War Was Always About Regime Change
  • Commentary
  • The Iran War Was Always About Regime Change

    Wars don’t just end. They get interpreted, reinterpreted, and turned into strategic doctrine. That is what happened after the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, a conflict that saw the United States back Tehran’s Iraqi adversaries. The war taught Tehran three lessons it never unlearned: that Washington wants the Islamic Republic gone, that Iran stands essentially alone in the world, and that it cannot survive a direct, overt fight with the U.S. and Israel.

    Iran’s New War Cabinet Is Really an Old One
  • Analysis
  • Iran’s New War Cabinet Is Really an Old One

    Within 48 hours this week, Iran filled six of the most important posts in its battered military and security establishment. Read together with the biographies and mandates behind them, the appointments show how Tehran is drawing lessons from successive wars and preparing for a prolonged period of insecurity, without proving it has abandoned negotiation.

    Additional Research & Commentary

    Backgrounders

    Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
  • Backgrounder
  • Israeli Settlements in the West Bank

    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.

    June 9, 2026

    The Houthis
  • Backgrounder
  • The Houthis

    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.

    May 15, 2026

    The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
  • Backgrounder
  • The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor

    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.

    June 3, 2026

    Turkish Foreign Policy
  • Backgrounder
  • Turkish Foreign Policy

    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.

    April 23, 2026

    Podcasts

    Middle East Focus

    MEI’s flagship weekly podcast on US foreign policy and contemporary political and social issues in the Middle East.

    Taking the Edge Off 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. 

    Rethinking Democracy

    MEI Senior Fellow Gonul Tol hosts leading scholars and thought leaders on global democracy trends and the state of the liberal international order. 

    Filter by
    8783 Results
    U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty

    The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Amb. Thomas Pickering, Col. Philip Dermer, and Geoffrey Aronson for a discussion of their new report entitled “U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel’s Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty.” This report is the product of an independent study group chaired by Ambassador Pickering. Principal authors Geoffrey Aronson and Col.

    May 20, 2013

    U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty

    The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Amb. Thomas Pickering, Col. Philip Dermer, and Geoffrey Aronson for a discussion of their new report entitled “U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel’s Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty.” This report is the product of an independent study group chaired by Ambassador Pickering. Principal authors Geoffrey Aronson and Col.

    May 20, 2013

    U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty

    The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Amb. Thomas Pickering, Col. Philip Dermer, and Geoffrey Aronson for a discussion of their new report entitled “U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel’s Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty.” This report is the product of an independent study group chaired by Ambassador Pickering. Principal authors Geoffrey Aronson and Col.

    May 20, 2013

    U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty

    The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Amb. Thomas Pickering, Col. Philip Dermer, and Geoffrey Aronson for a discussion of their new report entitled “U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel’s Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty.” This report is the product of an independent study group chaired by Ambassador Pickering. Principal authors Geoffrey Aronson and Col.

    May 20, 2013

    U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty

    The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Amb. Thomas Pickering, Col. Philip Dermer, and Geoffrey Aronson for a discussion of their new report entitled “U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel’s Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty.” This report is the product of an independent study group chaired by Ambassador Pickering. Principal authors Geoffrey Aronson and Col.

    May 20, 2013

    A Postmortem on Pakistan's 2013 Elections
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • A Postmortem on Pakistan's 2013 Elections

    In the wake of Pakistan’s recently concluded elections, this panel will offer insight and analysis into what the results are likely to mean for the future of the country and region. The speakers will reflect on the possible composition of a new government and the implications of the election for the future of Pakistan’s democratic system.

    May 15, 2013

    A Postmortem on Pakistan's 2013 Elections
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • A Postmortem on Pakistan's 2013 Elections

    In the wake of Pakistan’s recently concluded elections, this panel will offer insight and analysis into what the results are likely to mean for the future of the country and region. The speakers will reflect on the possible composition of a new government and the implications of the election for the future of Pakistan’s democratic system.

    May 15, 2013

    A Postmortem on Pakistan's 2013 Elections
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • A Postmortem on Pakistan's 2013 Elections

    In the wake of Pakistan’s recently concluded elections, this panel will offer insight and analysis into what the results are likely to mean for the future of the country and region. The speakers will reflect on the possible composition of a new government and the implications of the election for the future of Pakistan’s democratic system.

    May 15, 2013

    A Postmortem on Pakistan's 2013 Elections
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • A Postmortem on Pakistan's 2013 Elections

    In the wake of Pakistan’s recently concluded elections, this panel will offer insight and analysis into what the results are likely to mean for the future of the country and region. The speakers will reflect on the possible composition of a new government and the implications of the election for the future of Pakistan’s democratic system.

    May 15, 2013

    A Postmortem on Pakistan's 2013 Elections
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • A Postmortem on Pakistan's 2013 Elections

    In the wake of Pakistan’s recently concluded elections, this panel will offer insight and analysis into what the results are likely to mean for the future of the country and region. The speakers will reflect on the possible composition of a new government and the implications of the election for the future of Pakistan’s democratic system.

    May 15, 2013

    Egypt Adrift
  • Analysis
  • Egypt Adrift

    The main streets of Manshiyat Abdel Moneim Riad, a choked grid of hastily constructed apartment blocks spreading out from a power station at Cairo’s northern edge, are organized according to a simple principle: shops and cafes on the edge, mounds of waste, animals, and rough teenagers from the narrow tributary streets in the middle. Rickshaws and trucks battle for position and skirt potholes in between. Men in search of a bit of air brush away flies at sidewalk cafes and survey the scene with contempt. 

    May 14, 2013

    Malaysians Vote — The Middle East Watches
    Middle East Institute
  • Analysis
  • Malaysians Vote — The Middle East Watches

    Mahathir and his country’s reputation in the Middle East point to the wider global importance of Malaysia’s 13th general election and the potential for the diverse country to serve as a model for nations like Egypt, which have struggled after Arab Spring revolutions with key existential questions: determining the proper place of religion and women in public life, the role of the state in the economy, and national identity. Indeed, it remains unclear what the place of non-Muslims and secular-oriented populations will be in nations governed by parties that are committed to building states and societies defined principally in Islamic terms.

    May 14, 2013

    Beijing Hosts Simultaneous Visits of Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu: What, if Any, Significance?
    Middle East Institute
  • Analysis
  • Beijing Hosts Simultaneous Visits of Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu: What, if Any, Significance?

    DR. ROBERT BIANCHI INTERVIEWED

    In The Guardian, May 8, 2013

    “China welcomes Binyamin Netanyahu—Visits from Israeli prime minister and president prompt speculation about China’s possible role as a Middle East mediator.”

    Interview with Tania Branigan on the simultaneous visits to China of Binyamin Netanyahu and Muhammad Abbas to China


    On China Radio International, May 8, 2013

    May 12, 2013

    Read the Middle East Journal

    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.