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Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Lebanese Should Stay The Course
  • Commentary
  • Lebanese Should Stay The Course

    Unconditional surrender of an adversary is possible only if the victor conducts unconditional war, which the American public clearly was not prepared for in the conflict with Iran. Ending this conflict was always going to entail some compromises. The U.S.-Iran MOU is being oversold by virtually everyone. The tangible parts of it are a ceasefire, sanctions relief for Iran and the reopening of Hormuz. Everything else in the agreement is conditioned to good faith negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.

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    Lebanon Has Another Opportunity of a Lifetime
  • Commentary
  • Lebanon Has Another Opportunity of a Lifetime

    As Lebanese, Israeli, and American teams prepare for their first-ever trilateral leaders summit, it is time to reflect on this opportunity and lessons from the past.

    How the War May Reshape Iran’s Political Future
  • Podcast
  • How the War May Reshape Iran’s Political Future

    As the international community focuses on the regional and economic reverberations of the US-Israel-Iran war, the wartime experiences of ordinary Iranians and their aspirations for the future have received much less attention. Arash Azizi, a postdoctoral associate at Yale University and contributing writer at The Atlantic, joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to discuss the war’s repercussions for the Iranian population and how the outcome of the conflict may shape the peoples’ lives going forward. Together, they explore Iran’s internal politics, the viability of the opposition, and the conditions needed to achieve democracy in Iran.

    April 16, 2026

    Nazanin Boniadi: How the World Can Help Iran’s Democratic Struggle
  • Podcast
  • Nazanin Boniadi: How the World Can Help Iran’s Democratic Struggle

    Just weeks before President Trump’s war began, Iran was in the midst of a powerful wave of anti-regime protests spreading across the country. But once the war started, that momentum largely came to a halt. The conflict shifted the focus from dissent to survival and gave the regime an opening to crack down harder. With tighter controls, heightened fear, and everyday life suddenly more precarious, people pulled back from the streets. The protests may have paused, but the resentments that fueled them haven’t gone anywhere.
    Currency Boards as Political Commitments: Comparative Experience, Gold Reserves, and the Lebanese Case
  • Report
  • Currency Boards as Political Commitments: Comparative Experience, Gold Reserves, and the Lebanese Case

    The following study discusses the role of Lebanon’s gold reserves in the establishment of a currency board and evaluates four policy options: a true currency board, constrained central bank reform, full dollarization, and a unified managed float. Gold reserves are relevant under all four. The conclusion is consistent across them: no monetary framework, however carefully designed and however well backed, can substitute for the prior political decision on who bears Lebanon’s losses and how the state will finance itself sustainably.

    April 7, 2026

    Diplomacy or Escalation? The Next Phase of the Iran Conflict
  • Event
  • Diplomacy or Escalation? The Next Phase of the Iran Conflict

    The Middle East Institute invites you to a discussion of what negotiations may or should be taking place, Washington’s and Tehran’s calculations, as well as what a US ground invasion of Iran could entail if talks fail to arrest the war.

    April 2, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

    Zoom Webinar

    US-Iran War Gives Syria’s Global Economic Pitch More Urgency
  • Commentary
  • US-Iran War Gives Syria’s Global Economic Pitch More Urgency

    When the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran a month ago, the Middle East was plunged into debilitating conflict. Nevertheless, Syria has remarkably just completed its most stable month in 15 years. Damascus and its international partners must capitalize on this opportunity.

    Libya’s Fragile Equilibrium: Succession Risk and Energy Stability
  • Analysis
  • Libya’s Fragile Equilibrium: Succession Risk and Energy Stability

    Libya’s stability has taken on renewed strategic importance as the impact of the US and Israeli war with Iran reverberates through global energy markets. Sustaining existing Libyan oil production depends on a governing arrangement capable of keeping ports open, pipelines flowing, and revenues distributed without triggering conflict.

    Iran War Negotiations: What’s on the Table?
  • Event
  • Iran War Negotiations: What’s on the Table?

    Join the Middle East Institute for a discussion on negotiations and what we can infer about the direction of US–Iran diplomacy.

    March 30, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM

    Zoom Webinar

    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.