A great prize lies unclaimed by the United States and its allies: Lebanon. Ever since Hizballah’s deadly attack against the US Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, which killed 241 American service ...

On June 14, 2026, the United States and Iran agreed on terms to end the war that started on February 28, 2026, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. MEI experts react to the deal and what it means for the ...

IMEC is designed to create a resilient supply chain network connecting South Asia (namely India), the Middle East, and Europe. It aims to transport goods, energy, and data, bypassing the Bab al-Mandab ...

Ezra Mannix is Communications & Outreach Manager at the Middle East Institute (MEI). Ezra has specialized in communications for mission-driven organizations for approximately 10 years. He has ...

What made Mohammad Javad Zarif’s recent Foreign Affairs article so explosive was not simply what he proposed, but when and where he proposed it. Zarif argued that Iran should use what he presented as ...

This individual is a guest contributor. MEI is not able to assist with contact requests. Moe Thuzar is an ISEAS Fellow & Lead Researcher (socio-cultural), at the ASEAN Studies Centre, ISEAS-Yusof ...

President Donald Trump’s decision to delay strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure to allow space for indirect talks initially eased market fears. Yet Tehran has firmly denied that any negotiations ...

Jonathan “Jonny” Gannon retired during the summer of 2025 as a senior executive at CIA. Originally an operative, he has over 26 years of experience navigating national security challenges and building ...

The MEI Security Fellows Program aims to cultivate the next generation of leaders in Middle East security studies by providing exceptional individuals with opportunities for engagement with senior ...

The United States’ rapid military buildup across the Gulf has triggered a familiar anxiety in Iran, but the Iranians’ reading of American intentions has grown sharper and more layered than at any ...

After 10 months of US-mediated talks failed to achieve an integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into Syria’s transitional state, hostilities erupted in early January — first in Kurdish ...

When ExxonMobil recently advised President Donald Trump that Venezuela remains “uninvestable,” the company was not making a political judgment. It was offering a commercial one. Despite some of the ...