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 FocusBonus Episode: Understanding the Violence in Southern Syria
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…
Middle East FocusThe Gulf's Geo-Economic Balancing Act
Amid sustained regional conflict and global uncertainty, the Arab Gulf states are navigating a shifting economic and strategic landscape with surprising…
- Middle East Focus
Deals, Diplomacy, and Day-After Plans: The Trump Administration's Middle East Strategy
As the Trump administration marks six months in office, it is pursuing a flurry of diplomatic initiatives across the Middle East — some publicly coordinated…
- Middle East Focus
Israel at War: Regional Reverberations and Political Fallout
Dr. Yoel Guzansky, associate fellow at MEI and senior research fellow at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, joins hosts Alistair Taylor and…
- Middle East Focus
After the 12-Day War: Iran, Israel, and the Future Regional Order
The dust has barely settled following the dramatic 12-day war between Israel and Iran, but its political and strategic reverberations are already shaping the…
Middle East FocusBonus Episode: A Fragile Ceasefire Between Israel and Iran
Welcome to a special Bonus Episode of Middle East Focus. We're pleased to bring you access to a recent MEI press briefing on the evolving Israel-Iran conflict…
Middle East FocusBonus Episode: Updates on the Israel-Iran Conflict
Welcome to a special Bonus Episode of Middle East Focus. We're pleased to bring you access to a recent MEI press briefing on the evolving Israel-Iran conflict…
- Middle East Focus
The Iran-Israel Conflict and the Future of the Iranian Regime
Senior Fellow Alex Vatanka joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to examine the dramatic escalation between Israel and Iran following Israel's…
- Middle East Focus
Lebanon at a Crossroads: Sovereignty, Hizballah's Disarmament, and the Road to Reform
MEI Senior Fellow Paul Salem joins the program to assess Lebanon's rapidly shifting political landscape. With a new president and government promising to enact…
- Middle East Focus
What Is Israel's Path Forward on Gaza?
What's next for Gaza—and for Israel? In this episode of Middle East Focus, hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj sit down with Ghaith al-Omari, senior…
- Middle East Focus
Syria Looks to a Future Unburdened from US Sanctions
MEI Senior Fellow Charles Lister joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to discuss the Trump administration's dramatic reversal of four decades of US…
- Middle East Focus
AI, Tech, and the Future of US-Gulf Relations
Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj speak with MEI Senior Fellow Mohammed Soliman about President Donald Trump's recent trip to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and…
- Middle East Focus
US-Houthi Ceasefire Deal & the Future of Red Sea Security
The sudden announcement of a US-Houthi ceasefire, brokered by Oman, has halted Washington's air campaign in Yemen and raised urgent questions about the future…
- Middle East Focus
Trump's Gulf Visit: Strategic Stakes and Symbolic Optics
President Donald Trump is heading to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE on his first foreign trip of his second term, with major investment deals, defense…
- Middle East Focus
Turkey at a Crossroads: Protests, Crackdowns, and the Future of Democracy
The arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has sparked the largest wave of public protests in Turkey in over a decade, signaling a potential turning point in…
- Middle East Focus
US-Iran Nuclear Talks: A Fragile Opening for Diplomacy
Following seven years of diplomatic deadlock, Washington and Tehran have resumed nuclear negotiations — and for the first time in years, there are signs of…
Middle East FocusToni Verstandig on What We've Learned—and Forgotten—About Peace
In this episode of Taking the Edge off the Middle East, Brian Katulis sits down with Toni Verstandig, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near…
Middle East FocusTwo Years of War in Sudan and the Elusive Path to Peace
As Sudan's civil war enters its third year, the humanitarian catastrophe continues to spiral, with more than 12.7 million people displaced and little hope of…
Middle East FocusNetanyahu and Israel at War
(This episode was recorded on Monday, April 7). In this episode of Middle East Focus, hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by Eran Etzion…
Middle East FocusFrank Lowenstein | Ep. 10
In this episode of 'Taking the Edge off the Middle East,' Brian Katulis sits down with Frank Lowenstein, a key advisor to Secretary John Kerry during the Obama…
Middle East FocusDiplomacy, Technology, and Innovation: Amb. Stuart Jones on the Evolution of US-Middle East Relations
We're excited to relaunch Middle East Focus with an insightful conversation featuring MEI's new CEO, Amb. Stuart Jones. In this episode, hosted by MEI's…
Middle East FocusRethinking Democracy Ep. 7: The Protests and Political Crisis Shaping Turkey's Democratic Future
Turkey has plunged into turmoil after authorities arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, President Erdoğan's strongest opponent, on charges of corruption…
Middle East FocusDan Shapiro | 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' ep. 9
Note: We're excited to announce that 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' is moving to its own channel! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you…
Middle East FocusIbrahim Dalalsha and Shira Efron| 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' Ep. 8
Middle East Focus Presents: 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East,' a series of casual conversations with leading policy professionals on the most important…
- Middle East Focus
NYT bestselling author Kwame Alexander on the intersection of art and social change
Renowned poet, producer, and New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander joins guest host Lyne Sneige to discuss the power of storytelling and the…
Middle East FocusBarbara A. Leaf | 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' Ep. 7
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…
Middle East FocusRethinking Democracy Ep. 6: Shariah, Democracy, and the Future of Governance in Syria
For the first time in decades, the question of how Syria will be governed is wide open. The fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime at the hands of Hayat Tahrir…
Middle East FocusNorman T. Roule | 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' Ep. 6
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…
- Middle East Focus
Trump, Gaza, and the Future of US Policy in the Middle East
The war in Gaza continues as the Biden administration nears its end, leaving President-elect Donald Trump with a vastly different Middle East from the one he…
- Middle East Focus
End of an era: The fall of the Assad regime
Following more than a year of turmoil and transformative changes reshaping the Middle East, the region witnessed another shock with the downfall of the Assad…
Middle East FocusRethinking Democracy Ep. 5: Impact of Donald Trump's Election on American Democracy and the World with Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Larry Diamond
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…
- Middle East Focus
How might US-Israeli relations evolve under the Trump administration?
MEI Senior Fellow for Israeli Affairs Nimrod Goren and Associate Research Professor Ilai Saltzman discuss potential shifts in US policy, the outlook for…
- Middle East Focus
1,000 Days of Russia's Full-Scale War Against Ukraine
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…
Middle East FocusSteven A. Cook | 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' Ep. 5
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…
Middle East FocusDanielle Pletka | 'Taking the Edge Off the Middle East' Ep. 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…
- Middle East Focus
The Axis of Resistance Pt. 2: Iran
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…
- Middle East Focus
The Axis of Resistance Pt. 1: the Proxies
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…
- Middle East Focus
Hezbollah, Israel, and the Lebanese Armed Forces
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…
- Middle East Focus
Yemen's Civil War: Ten Years Later
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…
Middle East FocusRethinking Democracy Ep. 4: China's Growing Presence in the Middle East with Dr. F. Gregory Gause and Dr. Jon Alterman
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…
- Middle East Focus
ISIS and the detainee dilemma
Shiraz Maher - Co-Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) - and Charles Lister - Director of MEI's Syria and Countering…
- Middle East Focus
ISIS's enduring threat in Syria and Iraq
On this week's episode, Director of MEI's Syria and Countering Terrorism and Extremism Programs Charles Lister speaks with MEI Editor-in-Chief Alistair Taylor…
- Middle East Focus
Israeli Strikes and the Risk of Regional Escalation
This week's episode looks at the dramatic regional developments of the past 24 hours, including the Israeli strike on a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut and…
Middle East FocusRethinking Democracy Ep. 3: Economic Conditions and Support for Democracy with Daron Acemoglu and Tamara Cofman Wittes
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…
- Middle East Focus
On the Eve of the Washington Summit: Shoring up NATO's Vulnerable Flanks
On July 9-11, Washington will host the leaders of NATO's 32 member states for a special anniversary summit, celebrating 75 years since the Alliance's founding…
- Middle East Focus
Iran's snap presidential elections
Alex Vatanka (Director, MEI's Iran Program) and Ali Afshari (Iranian political analyst and pro-democracy activist) discuss Iran's snap presidential elections…
- Middle East Focus
Migration in North Africa: EU Engagement & Policies
MEI's North Africa & the Sahel Program Director Intissar Fakir and Guillaume Soto-Mayor discuss Soto-Mayor's paper "Libya, Tunisia, and Niger as Case Studies…
- Middle East Focus
American Diplomacy Toward Lebanon with Amb. David Hale
Ambassador David Hale joins MEI's US-Lebanon Fellow Fadi Nicholas Nassar to discuss his book American Diplomacy Toward Lebanon: Lessons in Foreign Policy and…
- Middle East Focus
Deterrence Reasserted? Debating Iran's Missile Capabilities and Willingness to Use Force
On this week's episode, David DesRoches and Abdolrasool (Farzam) Divsallar, a Non-Resident Scholar with MEI's Iran Program, speak to MEI Managing Editor…
- Middle East Focus
Sudan's civil war and its regional impact
On this week's episode, Jehanne Henry, Mirette Mabrouk, and MEI Editor-In-Chief Alistair Taylor discuss Sudan's civil war and its regional impact. The conflict…
Middle East FocusRethinking Democracy Ep. 2: What is the Rule of Law? With Thomas Carothers and Vali Nasr
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…
- Middle East Focus
Opposition Upset Victory in Turkey's Local Elections
On this week's episode, Murat Somer - Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul's Ozyegin University - and MEI Turkey Program…
Middle East FocusRethinking Democracy, Ep. 1: Why Does Democracy Flourish? With Francis Fukuyama and Paul Salem
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…