Middle East Institute

"Both Iran and the Houthis want to be strategic about engagement... The Houthis are Iran's last standing proxy with huge potential for the Axis of Resistance's future," MEI's @Ndawsari tells Matthew Czekaj and @mideasteditor. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why…

As the Iran war enters its fourth week, MEI's @Katulis raises five fundamental, strategic questions for US foreign policy that require more attention as the media and political debates fixate on the day-to-day breaking news and tactics of this war. mei.edu/publication/fi…

Will the Gulf states rethink their security reliance on the US? Iranian retaliation has targeted not just US assets, but Gulf infrastructure. Nevertheless, MEI's F. Gregory Gause III explains that there are no viable alternatives to the US security umbrella.

Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful and peaceful Eid al-Fitr. May this special occasion bring renewed hope, prosperity, and unity to communities across the region and beyond.

“With PM Netanyahu now having gotten what he’s been advocating for for so many years—militarily neutralizing or degrading Israel’s greatest security threat—paradoxically, this may ultimately corrode one of Israel’s greatest security assets: its relationship with the US and the bipartisan consensus," says MEI's Yael Lempert in a discussion hosted by the @CarnegieEndow. youtube.com/watch?v=-XxtRN…

In @ForeignAffairs, MEI's Ken Pollack argues that regime change in Iran is a gamble, and right now, the odds favor the regime. The question is whether Washington can shift them. Read the full piece here ➡️ foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/red…

"[The current regional dynamics create] a new opportunity for the Kurds.” @AllanHassaniyan tells @gonultol in a new episode of Rethinking Democracy. podcasts.apple.com/cz/podcast/the…

"We are on an escalation ladder now and that does make it extremely dangerous, particularly for the two states which have viable pipelines to avoid the Strait, and that's Saudi Arabia and the UAE," MEI's @ProfessorKaren tells @CNN.

MEI's Ken Pollack on @NBCNews: "If the Iranians don't stop, it's gonna be very hard for the US to leave the region. We're not gonna be able to walk away from our allies, and we're certainly not gonna be able to walk away from the Strait of Hormuz if oil isn't flowing through it." nbcnews.com/meet-the-press…

“The level of hatred, suspicion, and fear between Israelis and Palestinians is the highest [it has been] in my lifetime. You need to deal with that reality," @amirtibon tells @Katulis in the latest episode of Taking the Edge Off the Middle East. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/sur…

"Iraq stands at a crossroads that its political class seems unwilling to recognize... If it continues to treat the KRG dispute as a sovereignty exercise rather than a survival imperative, it will find itself increasingly irrelevant," writes @YerevanSaeed. mei.edu/commentary/ira…

Should the US rethink its regional strategy as war reshapes the Middle East in real time? At MEI, Senior Fellow Mohammed Soliman (@ThisIsSoliman) joined VP for Policy Kenneth Pollack to discuss Soliman’s new book, West Asia: A New American Grand Strategy in the Middle East, and why understanding the region as part of a wider Asian system is key to getting the strategy right. Find the full discussion and purchase the book here ➡️ mei.edu/events/book-la…

What is Israel’s endgame in the Iran war? MEI's @natansachs explains that Israelis see the current conflict very differently from much of the world. The war didn’t begin recently. It’s part of a “seven-front war” with Iran and its regional network that began on October 7, 2023.

It was great to be on @ClearerThnTruth with @GEBogden & @nathan_kiker discussing my book, West Asia. Unpacking the rise of Asia, how the Middle East is increasingly becoming Asian, the Gulf's growing role as a global nerve centre, and what the Iran War means for Asia and for the future of American power. Give it a listen... @MiddleEastInst open.spotify.com/episode/3DtVCt…

"The Revolutionary Guards are now, for the first time in their lives, fighting this two-front war. One is against external attackers... but the other one is the angry Iranian population, which could come out again in the streets like we saw in recent weeks. And that would be a challenge the IRGC has never been tested for," @AlexVatanka tells @NewsHour. pbs.org/video/what-war…