Analysis
Planning for the day 10 years after the fall of Gadhafi
Five years ago, President Barack Obama characterized the failure “to plan for the day after” the U.S. intervention in Libya as his worst foreign policy mistake. Certainly, the aftermath of the decision to provide support for the Feb. 17, 2011 uprising hasn’t been happy. So with a new administration in place, with lessons learned, what can the U.S. do now “to plan for the day after” in Libya a decade on?
Marking 75 Years of Excellence
This year marks the Middle East Institute’s 75th anniversary. As a leading American organization focused on the Middle East, MEI is leveraging its history and legacy by launching MEI@75, a three-year campaign to deepen and expand our work towards building the US-Middle East relationship.
In this Moonless Black Night: Syrian Art After the Uprising
Curated by Maymanah Farhat | March 4 - May 28, 2021
In this Moonless Black Night: Syrian Art After the Uprising marks the 10-year anniversary of the Syrian Revolution by showcasing leading Syrian contemporary artists whose work explores the conflict, trauma and hope of the past decade through the experiences of ordinary Syrians.
Curated by New York-based writer and researcher, Maymanah Farhat, the exhibition’s 14 featured artists reflect on the widescale destruction of the country and the plight of its displaced through painting, multimedia, photography, video and installation. In the process, their work helps shape our understanding of the conflict, from the peaceful start of the revolution to the resulting humanitarian crisis.
Gallery link coming March 4!
Book appointment to visit in person
Photo: "Ayman & Ghina Unpacked Refugee Baggage (2017)" (courtesy of Mohamad Hafez)
Expanding Knowledge, Narrowing Divides
MEI fosters greater understanding of the Middle East through non-partisan policy analysis, educational services, and promotion of regional arts and culture.
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Education Center
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Arts & Culture Center
D.C.’s only gallery dedicated to contemporary and modern art from the Middle East
Upcoming Events
Attend free, public events at our D.C. headquarters or tune in to our live webcasts
MEI Annual Counterterrorism Conference
Palestine and the Progressive Movement in the United States: Book Talk with Marc Lamont Hill and Mitchell Plitnick
The EU in the Black Sea: Can the Eastern Partnership provide security?
MEI Art Gallery Now Open for Timed Visits
The MEI Art Gallery is now accepting in-person appointments to view its current exhibition. Please note that we are limiting occupancy to no more than four visitors in the Gallery at a time.
Oman Library Now Open By Appointment
Please call or email the librarian to set up a time to visit, research, or browse our ongoing book sale. Also keep an eye out for new acquisitions to the catalog and the publication of online resource guides.
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Leading Regional Expertise
MEI’s scholars draw on deep ties and decades of experience working in the region to build better understanding of Middle East policy.
Research Programs
Led by renowned scholars and regional experts, MEI's policy research programs produce original analysis, convene roundtables and public events, and work to advance understanding of the complexities of regional policy.
Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies
Advancing a balanced and realistic understanding of the politics, economy, society and foreign policy of these two countries.
Program on Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues
Establishing spaces for current and former officials and experts to engage in problem-solving dialogues in which they discuss emerging political and security trends in the region, resolution of conflicts, and broader issues related to regional security.
Countering Terrorism & Extremism
In-depth analysis into the region’s varied terrorist threats and their underlying drivers, including civil conflict.
Cyber Program
Studies the intersection of technology, security and governance in the Middle East, with a particular focus on international security, foreign relations, privacy, and human security.
Defense and Security Program
Providing rigorous and multidisciplinary analysis of the current and emerging defense and security challenges and opportunities facing the United States and its regional partners.
Egypt Program
Looking at the country's security, economic and political developments. It seeks to examine Egypt’s domestic developments and regional role through research, private roundtables and public events.
Frontier Europe Initiative
Explores interactions between Middle East countries and their Frontier Europe neighbors – the parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus which form a frontier between Western Europe, Russia and the Middle East.
Gulf Affairs
Enhancing understanding of the issues facing the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council who are key political, security, and economic partners for the United States.
Iran Program
MEI’s Iran project provides analysis of Iran’s policies and actions at home and abroad through research, articles, papers, and public and private events.
Middle East-Asia Project
Exploring the multidimensional relations between the Middle East and Asia through scholarly analysis of cross-regional economic, political, security, and social/cultural interactions and their implications.
Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs
Examines the future of Palestinian politics and the Palestinian national movement as well as the prospects for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role of the conflict in the stability of the broader Middle East.
Syria Program
Seeks to provide insightful and grounded research and analysis on all things Syria in order to better inform a wide range of audiences and to help sustain and shape a more meaningful policy-oriented discussion.
Strategic Foresight Initiative
Examines key drivers and dynamics at work in the region, thinks strategically, creatively and rigorously about various scenarios, risks and opportunities, and uses methodologically sound approaches to help decision-makers chart a course forward.
Turkish Studies
Seeking to highlight and analyze political, economic, and social developments in Turkey through scholarly research and public events.
Latest Publications
With Lokman Slim’s assassination, Hezbollah consolidates its power over Lebanon
Feb 16, 2021The cold-blooded assassination of Hezbollah critic and Lebanese activist Lokman Slim on Feb. 4 is yet another manifestation of Iran’s growing boldness in the country. Hoping it can once again get away with murder, Iran is mobilizing its repressive proxy in Lebanon and across the region. The question of Hezbollah’s future is key for regional stability and for the U.S. and its partners. As the U.S. prepares to renegotiate a nuclear deal with Iran, curbing the country’s regional ambitions — including its provision of military and political assistance to Hezbollah — needs to be an integral part of any new deal.
The US-Iran-Qatar triangle
Feb 17, 2021
Geo-technology trends to watch in MENA in the 2020s
Feb 17, 2021
What We Do
We seek to promote knowledge of the Middle East in America and strengthen understanding of the United States by the peoples and governments of the region. We believe pursuit of this goal is integral to building a world of peace and stability, in which the people of our two regions value our shared humanity.
Our experts shape diplomatic, legislative, and public discourse through publications, private briefings, testimony, and media.
We provide education and resources to the next generation of global leaders.
Our Center for Arts & Culture promotes a more integrated understanding of the Middle East, forging people-to-people connections and creating a destination for exploring the role of the arts in the region.
We elevate voices from the region in international conversation.
Our international conflict resolution dialogues bring together civil society and political leaders to achieve impact through cooperation both in and outside of the region.