Middle East Focus

This bonus episode of Middle East Focus features an excerpt from a recent MEI Virtual Briefing recorded on January 20. Director of Communications Zeina Al-Shaib is joined by MEI Affiliate Fatima Abo Alasrar and Associate Fellow F. Gregory Gause III to discuss the dramatically changing dynamics in Yemen's civil war. Last month, Yemen emerged as a focal point of rising tensions between Saudi Arabia...

MEI Senior Fellow Charles Lister joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack the latest developments in Syria, as a tenuous cease-fire takes hold after several days of intense fighting between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Their discussion explores the drivers of the conflict, the prospects for a lasting deal that would integrate the SDF into the...

MEI Vice President for Policy Ken Pollack joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to explore what the precedent set by the Trump administration's military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro could mean for US policy in the Middle East — particularly in light of ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran. The conversation unpacks the reverberations of Operation Absolute Resolve, Washing...

This bonus episode of Middle East Focus features a conversation from MEI's Virtual Brie fing Series. Director of Communications Zeina Al-Shaib is joined by Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Alan Eyre and Senior Fellow Alex Vatanka to discuss the ongoing protests in Iran. The street demonstrations, sparked by the country's economic nosedive and at times turning violent, are the largest in three years...

In the final episode of 2025, MEI Senior Fellow Paul Salem joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack the major developments that shaped the Middle East over the past year and to look ahead to 2026. Salem reviews the key events that redefined the regional order, including President Donald Trump's return to office, the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, and the ongoing negotiations o...

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, the document outlines the administration's foreign policy vision, priorities, and approach to global challenges. Ambassador Hale analyzes the new NSS and how it compares to previous US strategy docum...

MEI Senior Fellow Fadi Nicholas Nassar joins host Matthew Czekaj to share expert insights and personal reflections on Pope Leo XIV's trip to Lebanon from November 30 to December 2. Nassar unpacks the significance of the visit, part of the pontiff's first overseas tour since assuming office, and its potential impact on Lebanon's untenable status quo. The conversation explores key questions, includi...

In this episode of Middle East Focus , hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj sit down with MEI Visiting Scholar F. Gregory Gause, III, to analyze the policy implications of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince  Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud's (MBS) first visit to the US in seven years. What do US and Saudi officials hope to achieve from MBS's historic trip? Gause breaks down how the kingdom has changed und...

In this episode of Middle East Focus , hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Charles Lister to unpack the historic November 10 meeting between US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Oval Office as well as assess post-Assad Syria's evolution over the past year. Lister, who recently returned from Damascus, offers on-the-ground insight...

In this episode of  Middle East Focus , hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Gönül Tol to discuss democratic backsliding in Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The conversation explores how Erdoğan's crackdown against Turkey's opposition has reached new heights, with Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and other opposition party officials facing politically m...

In this episode of  Middle East Focus , hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Intissar Fakir to discuss Morocco's recent "GenZ 212" protest movement, which gripped multiple cities around the country for weeks. What prompted young Moroccans to take to the streets? Fakir breaks down the underlying drivers, protesters' demands, and the government's response. The con...

In this episode of  Middle East Focus , hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj speak with MEI Senior Fellow Brian Katulis about US policy in the Middle East under Donald Trump's second administration. Nine months into Trump 2.0, how much has really changed? Katulis breaks down the administration's approach to ​major issues, including the cease-fire in Gaza and broader prospects for peace, the af...

Two years after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attacks and Israel's devastating war in Gaza, the two sides have agreed to a new cease-fire. But can it last, and what kind of Middle East has emerged from the turmoil in the interim? In this episode of  Middle East Focus , hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj speak with MEI Senior Fellow Paul Salem about how the conflict has reshaped the region's geopol...

Two years after Hamas' October 7 attack and Israel's punishing response, both sides say they accept in principle President Donald Trump's 20-point plan to halt the war and chart a path toward enduring peace. MEI Senior Fellow Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack what's in the plan, how compatible it is with earlier Arab and European proposals, and whethe...

In this episode of  Middle East Focus , hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Mirette F. Mabrouk to unpack the growing tensions over the recently inaugurated Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile. With no water-sharing agreement with Ethiopia in place after decades of negotiations, what options remain for downstream Egypt and Sudan? The discussion ex...

Israel's September 9 strike on Hamas leaders in Doha rattled Gulf capitals and revived a decades-old debate over whether the region needs a NATO-style defensive alliance. MEI Senior Fellow Jason Campbell joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack why past attempts at collective defense have fallen short, whether this moment is different, and what the crisis means for US security stra...

Israel's strike on Hamas officials in Qatar frustrated Washington, outraged Arab partners, and underscored Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's choice to prioritize destroying Hamas over carrying on hostage talks. MEI Senior Fellow Natan Sachs joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack the fallout. They discuss the immediate consequences of the strike, its impact on future negotiation...

With Iran's nuclear program devastated, the reimposition of UN sanctions looming, and Tehran grappling with the fallout of the 12-Day War, is the time ripe for Iran to return to the negotiating table? MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Alan Eyre — former senior US diplomat and member of the 2015 JCPOA negotiating team — joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to assess whether meaningful U...

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. They explore how climate change, mismanagement, and regional politics are straining already scarce resources — from Iran's looming water shortages to Iraq's power grid collapse and the Gulf's depen...

With its new government at the half-year mark and the UNIFIL international peacekeeping force's mandate due for reauthorization at month's end, Lebanon stands at a pivotal moment. In this episode of  Middle East Focus , hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Fadi Nicolas Nassar to evaluate whether the Lebanese state can recla im its sovereignty, starting with the...

With the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza in the global spotlight, Egypt faces mounting pressure both at home and abroad. In this episode of  Middle East Focus , hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj speak with MEI Senior Fellow Mirette Mabrouk about how Cairo is handling the crisis in the neighboring coastal strip. What are the Egyptian government's main concerns as conditions there continue t...

In this episode of Middle East Focus , hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Gönül Tol to discuss how shifting regional dynamics — from the Israel-Iran war to renewed violence in southern Syria — are reshaping Turkey's foreign policy and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's domestic agenda. They unpack Ankara's ties with the US under the Trump administration, its str...

Welcome to a special Bonus Episode of Middle East Focus.  We're pleased to bring you access to a recent MEI Virtual Briefing recorded on July 23, 2025, on the recent violence in southern Syria. Sectarian clashes in the province of Sweida left hundreds dead and exposed deep-rooted tensions, governance gaps, and the fragility of Syria's post-Assad transition. MEI Senior Fellow Charles Lister and Ass...

Amid sustained regional conflict and global uncertainty, the Arab Gulf states are navigating a shifting economic and strategic landscape with surprising resilience. MEI Senior Fellow Karen Young joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to break down the latest economic data and geopolitical developments affecting the Gulf economies — from the ripple effects of the Israel-Iran war and Houthi...

As the Trump administration marks six months in office, it is pursuing a flurry of diplomatic initiatives across the Middle East — some publicly coordinated, others shaped behind closed doors. MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Mara Rudman joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to assess the administration's broader regional strategy and its handling of key issues including Israel-Hamas c...