Middle East Institute

Iran Is Not About to Fall for Trump’s Trap

President Hassan Rouhani is positioning himself to be the next supreme leader — and he isn't going to let U.S. threats to blow up the nuclear deal get in his way, writes MEI's Alex Vatanka for Foreign Policy.

Egypt’s New Museum Hopes to Lure Tourists Back

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), a “mega-heritage protection project” conceived in 1992, is now nearing completion.

The Middle East is the Hub for China’s Modern Silk Road

Chinese President Xi Jinping is recreating a modern version of the ancient imperial system, and it may result in a powerful challenge to U.S. interests in the Middle East and North Africa.

Will Pakistan Find Stability After Political Shake-up?

A decision to leave Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in office could have evoked bitter condemnation by a united front of opposition parties and set the stage for widespread, possibly violent agitation spearheaded by Imran Khan and his Tehreek-e-Insaf movement, writes Marvin Weinbaum.

Muqtada al-Sadr’s Saudi Visit Worries Tehran

Following Sadr’s meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, some Iranian analysts cautioned that the Saudi government is attempting to court Iraqi Shiite leaders to influence Iraqi politics at the expense of Iran's interests.

Iran Is Not About to Fall for Trump’s Trap

President Hassan Rouhani is positioning himself to be the next supreme leader — and he isn't going to let U.S. threats to blow up the nuclear deal get in his way, writes MEI's Alex Vatanka for Foreign Policy.

Egypt’s New Museum Hopes to Lure Tourists Back

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), a “mega-heritage protection project” conceived in 1992, is now nearing completion.

The Middle East is the Hub for China’s Modern Silk Road

Chinese President Xi Jinping is recreating a modern version of the ancient imperial system, and it may result in a powerful challenge to U.S. interests in the Middle East and North Africa.

Will Pakistan Find Stability After Political Shake-up?

A decision to leave Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in office could have evoked bitter condemnation by a united front of opposition parties and set the stage for widespread, possibly violent agitation spearheaded by Imran Khan and his Tehreek-e-Insaf movement, writes Marvin Weinbaum.

Muqtada al-Sadr’s Saudi Visit Worries Tehran

Following Sadr’s meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, some Iranian analysts cautioned that the Saudi government is attempting to court Iraqi Shiite leaders to influence Iraqi politics at the expense of Iran's interests.

Analysis

Aug 10, 2017

Joseph Fahim

Arab Queer Cinema Emerges to Break Taboos

Aug 10, 2017

Joseph Fahim

The Arab queer cinema movement is forcing the ever-changing Arab society to question the rules and structures that have maintained social and state order in the region for decades.
Podcast

Aug 16, 2017

Paul Salem, Gerald M. Feierstein, Randa Slim and Charles Lister

Diplomatic Moves Signal Possible De-escalation

Aug 16, 2017

Paul Salem, Gerald M. Feierstein, Randa Slim and Charles Lister

Do a series of recent diplomatic moves by Saudi Arabia signal an opportunity for de-escalation of regional conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen? MEI scholars Gerald Feierstein, Randa Slim, and Charles Lister join Paul Salem to discuss the dynamics playing out between Riyadh and Tehran as the war against ISIS enters its final phase.
Analysis

Aug 9, 2017

Mohammed Samhouri

Gaza Three Years after the War: Ten Critical Observations

Aug 9, 2017

Mohammed Samhouri

Gaza’s frail economy and failing infrastructure have worsened since the 2014 war.
Libya

Aug 4, 2017

Jonathan M. Winer

Libya Still Seeking Grand Bargains

Aug 4, 2017

Jonathan M. Winer

Libyan leaders met with French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron to announce progress on a deal to put Libya back together and hold new elections. As has recurrently been the case, the deal was immediately followed by counter-moves undertaken by spoilers.
Analysis

Aug 14, 2017

Alex Vatanka

Iraq's Shiites Test Iran

Aug 14, 2017

Alex Vatanka

Over the last few months, Iraq’s Shiite political groups have intensified their fight for influence in Baghdad in preparation for the parliamentary elections next year. Much to the displeasure of Iran, which has supported a number of these groups, some Iraqi Shiites have been publicly distancing themselves from their patron because posturing as independent forces, free from the tutelage of foreign powers, will win them points with Iraqi voters.

Nov. 14-15

71st Annual Banquet and Conference

Analysis & Opinion

Analysis

Aug 18, 2017

Alex Vatanka

Iran Is Not About to Fall for Trump’s Trap

Aug 18, 2017

Alex Vatanka

President Hassan Rouhani is positioning himself to be the next supreme leader — and he isn't going to let U.S. threats to blow up the nuclear deal get in his way.
Analysis

Aug 17, 2017

Maria Golia

Egypt’s New Museum Hopes to Lure Tourists Back

Aug 17, 2017

Maria Golia

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), a “mega-heritage protection project” conceived in 1992, is now nearing completion.
ANALYSIS

Aug 16, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar

Iran and Turkey Discuss Ways to Cooperate in Syria and Iraq

Aug 16, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar
Analysis

Aug 15, 2017

Deborah Lehr

The Middle East is the Hub for China’s Modern Silk Road

Aug 15, 2017

Deborah Lehr

Chinese President Xi Jinping is recreating a modern version of the ancient imperial system, and it may result in a powerful challenge to U.S. interests in the Middle East and North Africa.

Middle East Journal Editor's Blog

Michael Collins Dunn | 1 week 1 day ago

Experts in the News

Reuters - Jul 30

Charles Lister

Washington Post - Aug 15

Alex Vatanka

New York Times - Aug 2

Charles Lister

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11/1968th Annual Awards BanquetHonoring Ayman Asfari and Shafiq Gabr, and with special performance by Lubana Al QuntarRegister

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Aug 3

Gaza Approaching a Boiling Point?

A discussion on how to mitigate the political and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

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Aug 3

Gaza Approaching a Boiling Point?

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Jul 27

Assessing the Trump Administration's Counterterrorism Policy

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MENA Asia Project

Aug 15, 2017

Nicholas Chan

The Malaysian State Responds to IS: Force, Discourse, and Dilemma

Aug 15, 2017

Nicholas Chan

This essay critically examines the Malaysian state's responses to IS, which, while having proven relatively successful in maintaining public safety (as compared to Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines), have not slowed the pace of radicalization among the Malaysian populace. The essay highlights the operational dimension in the post-Internal Security Act (ISA) era, as well as the active discursive campaign to denounce, discredit and diminish IS. The essay then discusses the dilemma faced by self-proclaimed “Islamic” states such as Malaysia in countering Islamist militancy.
Aug 8, 2017

Mohd Fauzi Bin Abu-Hussin and Asmady Idris

Malaysia Navigates the Sectarian Dimension of the Saudi-Iran Rivalry

Aug 8, 2017

Mohd Fauzi Bin Abu-Hussin and Asmady Idris

Malaysia’s diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran generally have been cordial while its economic ties with both countries have been expanding. However, the Saudi-Iran strategic rivalry has intensified both within and beyond the Middle East, raising several questions that this essay proposes to address: What are Malaysia’s interests in Saudi Arabia and Iran? Is there any evidence that Saudi Arabia and Iran, as a function of their competition with each other, are seeking to expand their influence in Southeast Asia, and in Malaysia in particular, through the promulgation of Shia and Wahhabi ideology? If so, to what extent and by what means could Malaysia respond to this development so as to avoid jeopardizing the fruitful aspects of their relations with both countries?
Aug 3, 2017

Kylie Moore-Gilbert

A Band of (Muslim) Brothers? Exploring Bahrain’s Role in the Qatar Crisis

Aug 3, 2017

Kylie Moore-Gilbert

The crisis which has engulfed the Gulf Cooperation Council (G.C.C.) states since June 5, 2017, leading to an unprecedented diplomatic and economic blockade of Qatar, has effectively split the Gulf into three camps, fracturing the uneasy yet much-lauded unity of an alliance which has long prided itself on stability and security. This essay offers a possible explanation for Bahrain’s contradictory position regarding the crisis, and considers whether Manama can maintain it.
Aug 1, 2017

Kyle Haddad-Fonda

The Rhetoric of “Civilization” in Chinese–Egyptian Relations

Aug 1, 2017

Kyle Haddad-Fonda

Chinese authorities have a long history of trying to highlight their historical heritage in their interactions with other countries. Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in China’s relations with Egypt, another country that can claim descent from ancient heritage. Chinese and Egyptian leaders speak to each other not merely on behalf of their own governments, but also as the representatives of grand civilizations stretching millennia into the past. By tracing how Chinese and Egyptian thinkers and policymakers have discussed one another’s claims about their connections to ancient civilizations since the early twentieth century, it is possible to understand in greater detail the evolution of the rhetoric that facilitates Sino–Egyptian relations.
Jul 27, 2017

Abhijit Singh

India's Middle Eastern Naval Diplomacy

Jul 27, 2017

Abhijit Singh

This essay examines India’s recent naval diplomatic forays in the Middle East within the broader context of its strategy to strengthen maritime cooperation across the Asian littorals. The essay describes the activities comprising India's expanding naval operations in the Arabian Sea and maritime cooperation with the G.C.C. states and with Iran, and discusses the strategic imperatives that are driving these efforts, as well as the limits to India’s raising its security profile.
Jul 20, 2017

Filippo Dionigi

Reverse Moralism and the Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Jul 20, 2017

Filippo Dionigi

Non-refoulement is a well-recognized principle of customary international law that forbids the forced deportation of refugees and asylum seekers to their country of origin. This essay discusses the increasingly common practice of refoulement in Jordan and the circumstances in which this development is taking place.

IranObserved

Aug 18, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar

20,000 P.M.F. Fighters Will Participate in Tal Afar Operation, Says Spokesman

Aug 18, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar
Aug 18, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar

I.R.G.C. Outlet: Foreign "Plots" Underway to Divide Shiites, Damage Tehran-Baghdad Ties

Aug 18, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar
Aug 18, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar

Iran Seeks to Play Major Role in Syria’s Economic Revival, Reconstruction

Aug 18, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar
Aug 18, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar

Pro-Assad Forces and Hezbollah Launching Joint Operation along Syrian-Lebanese Border

Aug 18, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar
Aug 17, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar

Rouhani’s Defense Pick Pledges to Support Quds Force to Counter U.S., Upgrade Missile Program

Aug 17, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar
Aug 17, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar

U.S. Mobilizing Rebels in Syria’s Northeast to Capture Deir Ezzor, I.R.G.C. Outlet Warns

Aug 17, 2017

Ahmad Majidyar

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