Shows / Middle East Focus
Middle East Focus
Weekly discussion of Middle East policy, arts, and culture, featuring experts from the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.
Episodes
Middle East FocusIs This the End of the Netanyahu Era?
Israelis turned out in their highest numbers in decades on October 27 for the country's first election since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. Prime…
Middle East FocusInside the Houthi Campaign Against Saudi Arabia
In recent weeks, the Iran-backed Houthis have fired missiles and drones deep into Saudi Arabia, striking high-profile targets, including Riyadh's airport and…
Middle East FocusBonus Episode: Previewing Israel's First Post-October 7 Election
Israel is preparing to hold what may be its most consequential election in decades. On October 27, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will face his first…
Middle East FocusWho's Calling the Shots in Tehran?
Washington says it doesn't know who runs Iran. Tehran insists its leadership is united. MEI Senior Fellow Alex Vatanka joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew…
Middle East FocusDeadlock in Gaza and the West Bank at a Breaking Point
A year after world leaders gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh to mark the end of the war in Gaza, Israel controls about 70% of the Strip, Hamas retains its arms, and…
Middle East FocusThe Americans Are Gone. Will Iraq's Militias Disarm?
On September 30, the US completed its military withdrawal from Iraq, ending a 12-year-long mission to combat ISIS that began in 2014. The date was also meant…
Middle East FocusSpecial Episode: Saudi Oil After the East-West Pipeline Attack
Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline is back in operation after a drone attack from Iraq, blamed on Iran-backed militias, shut it down for nearly two weeks. The…
Middle East FocusOld Rivals, New Alignments in North Africa
Algeria and Morocco have long been at odds, but recent diplomatic moves may signal a widening geopolitical split in North Africa. Hosts Alistair Taylor and…
Middle East FocusHow Far Can the Houthis Go?
Over the past several weeks, the Houthis have seized the port city of Mokha, Yemen's western coastline, and several islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and…
Middle East FocusSyria: What You Missed
Though it has fallen out of the headlines because of the Iran war, Syria has had a dramatically consequential summer. Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj…
Middle East FocusRegional Escalation and the Fight Over Hormuz
As the US-Israel-Iran war enters its sixth month, the conflict has taken a sharp turn. After a brief lull in the fighting, Iran launched a surprise ballistic…
Middle East FocusFood Security in a Hotter, Drier North Africa
This summer, brutally hot temperatures, deepening water scarcity, and spiking fertilizer costs have put North Africa's agricultural sector under intense…
Middle East FocusInside the Ankara NATO Summit
At the recent NATO summit in Ankara, renewed US-Iran strikes and Turkey's push to rejoin the F-35 stealth fighter program overshadowed the Alliance's message…
Middle East FocusTrump, Syria, and the Hizballah Question
US President Donald Trump recently proposed that Syria intervene militarily against Hizballah in Lebanon. Is that a good idea? This episode of Middle East…
Middle East FocusDo the Gulf States Need a New Playbook?
After the US-Israel-Iran war — and the strikes that followed the cease-fire — the Gulf states find themselves dangerously exposed. Host Alistair Taylor is…
Middle East FocusThe US and Iran Signed a Deal — Now What?
After nearly four months of war, the US and Iran have signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding declaring the conflict over, reopening the Strait of…
Middle East FocusThe Human Cost of the Strait of Hormuz Closure
When the Strait of Hormuz closed in March, fertilizer prices spiked within weeks, triggering a food security crisis across North Africa and the Sahel. Host…
Middle East FocusAttacked by All Sides: Iraq's New Government Faces Old Problems
After months of deadlock following the November 2025 elections, Iraq's parliament approved a new government under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on May 14, 2026 —…
Middle East FocusCan the Latest US Plan Bridge Libya's Divide?
After over a decade of division between rival factions in eastern and western Libya, the Trump administration has put forward a plan to unite the two sides…
Middle East FocusMP Fouad Makhzoumi on Lebanon's Future
A fragile cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel is barely holding as military delegations from both countries arrive in Washington for a new round of direct…
Middle East FocusWhen Will Energy Markets Recover From the Iran War?
Two and a half months into the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, what lessons can markets draw from the resulting global energy shock? Colby Connelly, MEI…
Middle East FocusMiddle Eastern Rivalry in the Horn of Africa
How is competition for influence in the Horn of Africa among Middle Eastern powers — especially the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Israel — reshaping the…
Middle East FocusHow to Wrest Lebanon From Iran's Grip
Despite efforts to extend the cease-fire in Lebanon and disarm Iranian proxy Hizballah, fighting continues between the militant group and Israeli forces. Hosts…
Middle East FocusViolence, Settlements, and Creeping Annexation in the West Bank
As international attention remains fixed on the fallout from the Iran war, conditions in the West Bank continue to deteriorate. Hosts Alistair Taylor and…
Middle East FocusA New-Old Regime in Tehran
Nearly two months into the Iran war, US President Donald Trump has announced an indefinite extension of the cease-fire between Washington and Tehran, even as…
Middle East FocusBonus Episode: Stalled Talks and Next Steps for the US and Iran
This bonus episode of Middle East Focus features a recent MEI Virtual Briefing. Director of Communications Zeina Al-Shaib is joined by MEI Distinguished…
Middle East FocusHow the War May Reshape Iran's Political Future
As the international community focuses on the regional and economic reverberations of the US-Israel-Iran war, the wartime experiences of ordinary Iranians and…
Middle East FocusIraq in Between Iran and the United States
Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Amb. (ret.) Robert S. Ford to examine what is at stake for Iraq in…
Middle East FocusSpecial Episode: Europe and the Iran War
This special episode of Middle East Focus features a conversation from MEI's Virtual Briefing Series. Host Alistair Taylor is joined by former National…
Middle East FocusAs Iran Weakens, Can Hamas Survive?
MEI Senior Fellow Jaser AbuMousa joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack how Hamas is navigating the US-Israel conflict with Iran and its…
Middle East FocusWhy the Houthis are Holding Back — For Now
Despite claiming they are poised to attack, the Yemeni Houthis have yet to join Iran and its other proxies in their fight against the United States and Israel…
Middle East FocusCan Turkey Stay Out of the Iran War?
Nearly two weeks into the US and Israel's war with Iran, MEI Senior Fellow Gönül Tol joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to explore the impact of…
Middle East FocusLebanon on the Brink: Hizballah, Iran, and the War's Spillover
Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Fadi Nicholas Nassar to discuss Hizballah's role in the escalating conflict in the…
Middle East FocusIs the Regime Doomed? Iran on the Eve of War
Against the backdrop of one of the largest US military deployments to the Middle East since 2003, MEI Senior Fellow Alex Vatanka joins hosts Alistair Taylor…
Middle East FocusBibi's Hail Mary on Iran
Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Natan Sachs to discuss Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's February 11 visit…
Middle East FocusFrom the Middle East to West Asia: Redefining America's Global Strategy
MEI Senior Fellow Mohammed Soliman joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to discuss his new book, West Asia: A New American Grand Strategy in the…
Middle East FocusAmerica's New Defense Strategy — and What It Means for Iran
Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Distinguished Military Fellow Mick Mulroy to discuss the Trump administration's new National Defense…
Middle East FocusAmbiguous Uncertainties: Phase Two of Trump's Plan for Gaza
MEI Senior Fellow Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to discuss the latest developments in Gaza. Nearly four months after…
Middle East FocusBonus Episode: Can Yemen Hold Together?
This bonus episode of Middle East Focus features an excerpt from a recent MEI Virtual Briefing recorded on January 20. Director of Communications Zeina…
Middle East FocusEmergency Podcast: Damascus and the Syrian Kurds Come to Blows
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…
Middle East FocusVenezuela's Shadow Over MENA: Perceptions and Precedents
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…
Middle East FocusBonus Episode: Tehran's Brewing Troubles
This bonus episode of Middle East Focus features a conversation from MEI's Virtual Briefing Series. Director of Communications Zeina Al-Shaib is joined by…
Middle East FocusWhat 2025 Has Wrought... and What 2026 May Bring
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 FocusWhat does Trump's new National Security Strategy mean for the Middle East?
In this episode, MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Ambassador David Hale joins host Alistair Taylor to unpack the Trump administration's new National…
Middle East FocusSoft Power in Hard Times: Pope Leo XIV's Visit to Lebanon
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…
Middle East FocusMBS's Visit and the Future of US-Saudi Relations
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…
Middle East FocusFrom War to Reconstruction: Syria's Next Chapter
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…
Middle East FocusErdogan Forever?
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…
Middle East FocusCan Morocco Placate Its Frustrated Youth?
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…
Middle East FocusTrump 2.0 and the Middle East: Taking Stock of the First Nine Months
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…
Middle East FocusThe Gaza Cease-Fire and a Region Reshaped by War
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…
Middle East FocusAfter Two Years of War in Gaza, Can Trump's Plan Deliver Peace?
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…
Middle East FocusWater and Power: Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia at Odds Over Africa's Largest Dam
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…
Middle East FocusA Middle East NATO? Regional Security Options After Doha
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…
Middle East FocusCrossing Red Lines: Israel's Doha Strike and What Comes Next
Israel's strike on Hamas officials in Qatar frustrated Washington, outraged Arab partners, and underscored Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's choice to…
Middle East FocusUnder Pressure: Will Snapback Sanctions Bring Iran Back to the Table?
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…
Middle East FocusThe Middle East's Water and Climate Crisis: Lessons from Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf
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…
- Middle East Focus
Lebanon and the UNIFIL Mandate: Disarming Hizballah and Reclaiming Sovereignty
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…
- Middle East Focus
Egypt and Gaza: Conflict, Crisis, and the Path to a Ceasefire
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…
Middle East FocusThe Regional and Domestic Elements of Erdoğan's Grand Strategy
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…