Middle East Focus

MEI’s Randa Slim and Paul Salem join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the Institute’s conflict resolution program and how Track II diplomacy—or unofficial meetings between adversarial groups—has supplemented state-to-state diplomacy and become a transformative experience for many of its participants.

MEI Senior Vice President Gerald Feierstein and Senior Fellow Alex Vatanka join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the rapid rise of tensions between the US and Iran this week, the political calculations being made by each side, and where things could go from here.

With elections set for the fall, Tunisian voters are searching for leaders to emerge who can tackle issues of political fragmentation, long standing economic problems, growing protests, and a volatile regional environment with civil war in Libya on one side and political upheaval in Algeria on the other. Sarah Yerkes, a fellow with the Carnegie Endowment’s Middle East program, and Sharan Grewal, postdoctoral fellow at the Brookings Center for Middle East Policy, join host Alistair Taylor to...

Larry Schwartz, former deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, and Domenic DiGiovanni, vice president of Red Arch, join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the illegal theft and smuggling of cultural artifacts from the Middle East, and what regional governments and international partners can do to help preserve the region’s cultural heritage.

Former US Ambassador to Turkey W. Robert Pearson and Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, join host Alistair Taylor to discuss Turkey’s March local elections, in which the long-ruling AK party faced significant setbacks, and where Turkey’s economic challenges and strained foreign relations stand today.

Niama El Bassunie, CEO of Ways to Cap, Rob Tashima, VP and head of innovations at Village Capital, and Faisal Hakki, managing partner of AB Ventures join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the importance of building new businesses in the Middle East and North Africa to drive economic development and job creation.

MEI Senior Fellow Alex Vatanka and Omar Al-Nidawi, a Middle East analyst focusing on Iraqi political, security and energy affairs, join host Alistair Taylor to discuss what the designation means in practical terms, how Tehran has responded, and its implications for the region going forward.

After a decade in power, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces significant headwinds in the forms of a strong challenge from the new Blue and White party and the specter of multiple criminal indictments. Natan Sachs, Amir Tibon, and Grace Wermenbol join host Alistair Taylor to discuss whether this could be the year of a major shakeup in Israeli politics.

Ali Çarkoğlu, professor of international relations at Koç University in Istanbul, Sinan Ciddi, executive director of the Institute of Turkish Studies at Georgetown University, and MEI’s Gonul Tol join host Alistair Taylor to discuss Turkey’s March 31 local elections amid mounting economic problems and political polarization.

Annette Weber, senior fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, and Abdullahi Ibrahim, emeritus professor of African and Islamic history at the University of Missouri, join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the popular protests in Sudan, now in their third month, and how the government has responded to demands for the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir.

Jean-François Seznec and Samer Mosis, authors of “The Financial Markets of the Arab Gulf: Power, Politics and Money,” join host Alistair Taylor for a deep dive on Saudi Arabia’s financial markets and the challenges facing its economic development.

William Lawrence, visiting professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School, and MEI’s Robert Ford join host Alistair Taylor to discuss mounting protests and political turmoil in Algeria in the lead up to next month’s presidential elections.

Madiha Afzal, visiting fellow at Brookings, and MEI’s Marvin Weinbaum join host Alistair Taylor to discuss Pakistan’s latest flare-up with India, the recent visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the US-Taliban talks, and the political and economic challenges facing the government of Imran Khan.

Kenneth Pollack, resident scholar at AEI, joins host Alistair Taylor to discuss his new book, Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness.

John Limbert, former Deputy Secretary of State for Iran under the Obama administration, and MEI senior fellows Alex Vatanka and Ahmad Majidyar join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the 1979 revolution and its continuing impact on US-Iran relations and the region.

MEI’s Robert Ford and Charles Lister join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the announced US withdrawal from Syria, the rush to fill the power vacuum that has ensued in its wake, and what the policy means for Syrians and the fight against ISIS.

MEI’s Ahmad Majidyar and Marvin Weinbaum join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the US-Taliban negotiations in Doha and what a potential agreement could mean for Afghanistan and the wider region.

Zmkin Ali and Mac Skelton of the Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS) at the American University of Iraq Sulaimani, join host Alistair Taylor for a discussion on Iraq’s political climate, Baghdad’s relations with Erbil in the aftermath of the 2017 referendum, and other regional dynamics.

Sudan has faced a wave of protests in recent weeks amid an economic crisis and calls for a change in leadership. Nisrin Elamin, a doctoral candidate in anthropology at Stanford, and Rania Biraq, a Sudanese activist who has been participating in the protests, join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the situation, its parallels to the Arab Spring, and scenarios going forward.

MEI’s Gonul Tol and Robert Pearson join host Alistair Taylor for a deeper dive into Turkey’s upcoming local elections in late March, the country’s economic slowdown, and its foreign policy challenges in Syria.