Middle East Focus

MEI Senior Fellow for Israeli Affairs Nimrod Goren and Associate Research Professor Ilai Saltzman discuss potential shifts in US policy, the outlook for Israeli politics in 2025, and the challenges to advancing peace on the Israeli-Palestinian front. Tune in for expert insights on what lies ahead.

*This episode was recorded on November 13, 2024.

Wednesday, November 20, marks a somber anniversary for Ukraine: 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country. Though the Ukrainians continue to hold out with Western assistance against Russian attacks, the past two-and-a-half years have been devastating for the country and its people. Ukraine now faces another winter at war as momentum appears to be shifting in Russia’s favor. What can the US and its allies do to ensure hostilities end as favorably as possible to Ukraine and in line with American strategic national interests?

Former NATO SACEUR Gen. Philip M. Breedlove and MEI Senior Fellow Dr. Iulia-Sabina Joja join host Matthew Czekaj to discuss the state of the conflict and what’s at stake for the region and the global community. Note: This conversation was recorded Nov. 4.

Middle East Focus Presents: ’Taking the Edge Off the Middle East’ with Brian Katulis

A series of casual conversations with leading policy professionals on the most important happenings in the Middle East today - hosted by MEI’s Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy Brian Katulis.

Steven A. Cook, Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, sits down with Brian to discuss his latest book “The End of Ambition,” their policy outlook with the incoming Trump Administration, and deteriorating discourse in Washington policy circles. 

Middle East Focus Presents: ‘Taking the Edge Off the Middle East’ with Brian Katulis

A series of casual conversations with leading policy professionals on the most important happenings in the Middle East today - hosted by MEI’s Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy Brian Katulis.

Danielle Pletka, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, sits down with Brian to discuss how she made the jump from journalism to policy, her views on the Iraq War, and the need for strong leadership in US-MENA foreign policy. 

Over the past month, Iran and its regional network of allies and proxies - the Axis of Resistance - has suffered a string of dramatic losses and defeats. What is the future of the Axis and its members, and what can the US and its allies do to confront and disrupt this Iranian-led network?

MEI Managing Editor Matthew Czekaj speaks to Meir Javedanfar and Alex Vatanka on Iran's role in keeping its network of proxies together and the conflicting interests that may force the country to rethink its antagonistic regional strategy.

Over the past month, Iran and its regional network of allies and proxies - The Axis of Resistance - has suffered a string of dramatic losses and defeats. What is the future of the Axis and its members, and what can the US and its allies do to confront and disrupt this Iranian-led network?

MEI Managing Editor Matthew Czekaj speaks to Randa Slim, Charles Lister, and Fatima Abo Alasrar about Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis - and how the Gaza war has affected standing in the region.

Gen. Khalil Helou and Dr. Paul Salem speak with MEI's US-Lebanon Fellow Fadi Nicholas Nassar on the unraveling Israel-Hezbollah conflict, the role of the Lebanese Armed Forces during this critical moment, and the prospects of a political solution in Lebanon and the wider region. 

Director of MEI’s Arabian Peninsula Program Gerald Feierstein speaks to scholars Nadwa Al-Dawsari and Fatima Abo Alasrar as they reflect on the tenth anniversary of Yemen’s civil war. 

It’s been ten years since the Houthis seized control of the capital of Sanaa, beginning a cycle of fighting that continues on and off to this day. What happened, what is the current state of the conflict, and where might the country be headed? 

*Note: this episode was recorded on Sept. 26, 2024.

About the series: This is a critical year for the future of democracy. Half the world’s population will go to the polls in 2024, at a time when citizens in America and across the globe are losing faith in democratic institutions. We often view the rollback of democracy and threats to the liberal international order as separate problems, but in reality they are closely interlinked. Through a new limited podcast series, MEI’s Gonul Tol seeks to examine the interplay between democracy’s domestic and international foes as well as how to counter them.  

In this episode: China has made significant inroads in the Middle East through diplomacy, trade, investment, and infrastructure projects. Beijing advertises the benefits of its authoritarian development model and presents itself as a responsible alternative to the United States. What does this mean for MENA autocracies?

Dr. F. Gregory Gause and Dr. Jon Alterman join Gonul Tol to discuss China’s growing presence in the Middle East.

Shiraz Maher - Co-Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) - and Charles Lister - Director of MEI's Syria and Countering Terrorism and Extremism Programs - speak to MEI Editor in Chief Alistair Taylor about ISIS and the detainee dilemma. What is the international community to do with the tens of thousands of foreign ISIS detainees and their families, including children, held in makeshift facilities in northeastern Syria under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces?

Today’s episode is the second in a several-part series looking at where the group stands today and the challenges associated with it a decade on from the founding of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.