In this episode, MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Ambassador David Hale joins host Alistair Taylor to unpack the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy (NSS). Released on December 4, ...

In this episode of Middle East Focus, host Alistair Taylor is joined by climate, energy, and sustainability expert Karim Elgendy to examine the growing water and climate crisis across the Middle East.

The Middle East Institute (MEI) is an independent, non-partisan, non-for-profit, educational organization. It does not engage in advocacy and its scholars’ opinions are their own. MEI welcomes ...

Once hailed as a rare democracy in the Middle East, Lebanon has now slipped into the ranks of closed autocracies. Decades of corruption, sectarian rule, and foreign meddling have left the country ...

Daniel Silverberg and Elisa Ewers—two veterans of Capitol Hill and the executive branch—join Brian for a candid conversation about the shifting politics of US Middle East policy inside the Democratic ...

Summary In an attempt to build up its air defense systems, Turkey is finalizing a deal to purchase the Russian S-400 weapons system. Ankara’s decision is in part a response to the threat posed by ...

As the Western Sahara conflict reaches its fifth decade, the territorial dispute remains unresolved and largely unknown. MEI's Intissar Fakir unpacks the Western Sahara's complex history and the rival ...

The December 2020 Moroccan-Israeli normalization deal has evolved from a vehicle enabling Morocco to gain long-sought U.S. recognition of its claims on Western Sahara to a broader strategic ...

Since the launch of Vision 2030 six years ago, Saudi Arabia has made considerable progress in reducing the labor-cost gap between national and foreign workers in the private sector. While the total ...

Ebrahim Raisi, the eighth president of Iran, has taken over at a time when the Islamic Republic is facing a series of major potential crises. Over the next several decades, these crises could have ...

At some point, most people will likely have seen or received a school report that reads something along these lines: “Commendable progress but has the potential to do better.” The latest report from ...

The iron grip of Pakistan’s military establishment upon the nation’s political system endures as the most potent force shaping its governance. The elevation of Gen. Asim Munir to the rank of field ...