Special briefing
The Arab Spring a decade on
Ten years ago, in mid-January 2011, Tunisians pushed President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali from power in a popular protest movement, sparking a wave of uprisings and upheaval that spread across the Middle East, from Morocco to the Gulf. In this special briefing, MEI experts weigh in with their thoughts on the impact of the Arab Spring on the region a decade on.
Art in Isolation: Creativity in the Time of COVID-19
Exhibition Open October 8, 2020 - January 29, 2021
Art in Isolation pays tribute to the experiences and reflections of artists from the Middle East and its diaspora during a period of global crisis. The MEI Art Gallery’s first-ever open call, Art in Isolation, invited regional artists to submit artwork made at the height of the global pandemic around the thematic of sheltering in place. The result is a rich curation of works by 39 emerging, mid-career, and established artists investigating the emotional and physical impact of confinement on artistic practice.
Thirty-eight of the 54 selected works are hanging in the MEI Art Gallery, with the full exhibition featured on the MEI website. All of the works are for sale and can be purchased online, with the majority of proceeds going to support the artists.
Book appointment to visit in person
Photo: "Muffled" by Helen Zughaib (courtesy of the artist)
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.
Policy Center
A source for non-partisan expert analysis seeking solutions to the region’s most challenging issues
Education Center
Classes, academic resources, and professional development services to foster regional understanding
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 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
Trends to watch in the Middle East in 2021
Jan 15, 2021MEI experts Gerald Feierstein, Alex Vatanka, Gonul Tol, and Charles Lister join host Alistair Taylor to survey what lies ahead for the region in the year ahead, with particular attention to Yemen, Iran, Turkey, and Syria.
Temporary marriage in Iran and women's rights
Jan 13, 2021
2021 will be a defining year for Syria
Jan 12, 2021What 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.