Experts

MEI Fellows draw on deep ties and decades of experience working in the region to build better understanding of Middle East policy and culture through producing original analysis, leading dialogues and public events, and working with the media and members of the policy community. They range in experience from former US diplomats and military leaders to prominent scholars on the forefront of their fields.

Media Inquiries

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Israel-Palestine

Palestine

The Strategic Cost of Palestinian Powerlessness

July 27, 2026

Great Powers in the Middle East

US Policy in the Middle East

Bahrain

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

China’s Model of Power Projection in the Middle East

March 30, 2026

Defense and Security

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Afghanistan

Iraq

Fixing America’s Failed Strategies in the Middle East

May 7, 2026

Economics

Energy

Algeria

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Kuwait

Libya

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

MENA Energy Recap, Q2-2026: Mideast Energy Confronts its Hormuz Era

August 5, 2026

Climate

Defense and Security

Democracy and Human Rights

Energy

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Terrorism

Algeria

Morocco

Tunisia

The Human Cost of the Strait of Hormuz Closure

June 18, 2026

Great Powers in the Middle East

US Policy in the Middle East

Iran

The Iran War Was Always About Regime Change

August 18, 2026

Defense and Security

Democracy and Human Rights

Energy

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Nuclear Proliferation

Terrorism

Iran

Turkey

Inside the Ankara NATO Summit

July 16, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Israel-Palestine

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Bahrain

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Oman

Palestine

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Yemen

Hisham Melhem’s American Crossroads

September 16, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Israel-Palestine

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Egypt

Israel

Jordan

Palestine

Violence, Settlements, and Creeping Annexation in the West Bank

April 30, 2026

Defense and Security

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Afghanistan

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Lebanon

Palestine

Syria

Turkey

Syria: What You Missed

September 10, 2026

Climate

Defense and Security

Energy

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Egypt

Israel

Palestine

Sudan

Middle Eastern Rivalry in the Horn of Africa

May 14, 2026

Defense and Security

Democracy and Human Rights

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Lebanon

Syria

A Strategy to Win in Lebanon

July 21, 2026

Great Powers in the Middle East

Israel-Palestine

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Israel

To Win a War, Know What You’re Fighting For

April 10, 2026

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Cybersecurity

Emerging Technologies

Space

Bahrain

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Iranian Attacks Need Not Change the Gulf’s AI Ambitions

July 16, 2026

Democracy and Human Rights

Great Powers in the Middle East

Iraq

Syria

Turkey

Turkey’s Quiet Realignment

June 10, 2026

Defense and Security

Democracy and Human Rights

Economics

Energy

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Nuclear Proliferation

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Iran

Trump’s South Caucasus Peacemaking Is His Most Successful, but It Remains Unfinished

August 25, 2026

Democracy and Human Rights

Terrorism

Afghanistan

Pakistan

The Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict: A strategic concern for the US

January 22, 2026

Economics

Energy

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Gulf Energy Disruption and the Fragility of Global Markets

April 15, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Jordan

Syria

Governing the day after in Syria

December 19, 2024

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Afghanistan

Pakistan

The Case for a Middle Course in Afghanistan

September 10, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

Iran

Yemen

Nadwa Al-Dawsari Testifies on Countering Houthis Before House Foreign Affairs Committee

September 1, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Syria

Russia rethinks the status quo in southern Syria

August 13, 2021

Regional International Politics

Algeria

Egypt

Libya

Morocco

Tunisia

Turkey

The Other MoU: Launching a Europe-Gulf Resilience Initiative After the US-Iran Deal

June 29, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Syria

Preserving evidence and securing justice for Assad’s crimes

December 20, 2024

Climate

Energy

Bahrain

Egypt

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Oman

Palestine

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Weekly Briefing: A cease-fire for Thanksgiving?

November 26, 2024

Israel

Weekly Briefing: Syria reignites

December 3, 2024

Cybersecurity

Defense and Security

US Policy in the Middle East

Israel

A Post-War Model for Verifying Iran’s Missile Arsenal

June 26, 2026

Energy

Great Powers in the Middle East

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The New Old Middle East

August 4, 2026

Nuclear Proliferation

Regional International Politics

Bahrain

Iran

Israel

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Weekly Briefing: Iran’s growing burden of confronting Israel

October 15, 2024

Terrorism

Syria

Building Syria’s new army: Future plans and the challenges ahead

June 12, 2025

Democracy and Human Rights

Egypt

Sudan

What’s behind Sudan’s humanitarian crisis?

November 14, 2025

Jordan

Economics

Bahrain

Iran

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Qatar’s LNG expansion plans and the issue of market oversupply

May 21, 2024

Economics

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

Syria

Syria’s economic freefall continues despite Arab League return

August 16, 2023

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Jordan

Lebanon

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The struggle for the future of Lebanon

February 24, 2025

Terrorism

Iraq

Syria

Rebalancing Russia’s Mediterranean strategy: From showing the flag to retreating to the gray zone

February 4, 2025

US Policy in the Middle East

Iran

Washington’s Four Wrong Assumptions About the Iran War

August 13, 2026

Defense and Security

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Palestine

Energy

Nuclear Proliferation

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war on energy flows from the Arab Gulf states

February 11, 2025

Economics

Energy

Algeria

Egypt

Israel

Libya

Morocco

Turkey

Turkey Competes with Israel and India to be a Major MENA Weapons Supplier

March 21, 2025

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Bahrain

Iraq

Jordan

Lebanon

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Tunisia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Weekly Briefing: Remembrance of Mahsa Jina Amini and calls for change remain strong, as Pezeshkian’s cabinet disappoints

September 17, 2024

US Policy in the Middle East

Bahrain

Egypt

Iraq

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

America and the Gulf Still Need Each Other

May 8, 2026

Defense and Security

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Bahrain

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Oman

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Yemen

Defense and Security

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Israel-Palestine

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

Afghanistan

Iraq

Kuwait

Lebanon

Pakistan

Syria

What the Gulf (and America) Can Learn from Ukraine

July 13, 2026

Great Powers in the Middle East

Nuclear Proliferation

US Policy in the Middle East

Afghanistan

Iran

Jordan

Syria

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

How to end the ‘Hormuz war’

August 3, 2026

Defense and Security

Economics

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iraq

Syria

Turkey

Iraq in Between Iran and the United States

April 9, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

US Policy in the Middle East

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Libya

Morocco

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Sudan

Tunisia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Yemen

Great Powers in the Middle East

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Lebanon

Consolidating Sovereignty, Security and Peace: Time to Step up the Game

September 16, 2026

Defense and Security

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Israel-Palestine

Nuclear Proliferation

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Libya

Morocco

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Sudan

Tunisia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Yemen

Gulf and Arabian Peninsula

Saudi Arabia

Yemen

Defense and Security

Economics

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

US Policy in the Middle East

Turkey

Turkey’s strategic tangle

April 17, 2025

Defense and Security

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Israel

Jordan

Lebanon

Palestine

Expert Views: US diplomacy and the Israel-Hamas war

October 25, 2023

Economics

Energy

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Libya

Can the Latest US Plan Bridge Libya’s Divide?

June 4, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Defense Rapid Reaction: US and Israel strike Iran

February 28, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Defense Rapid Reaction: US and Israel strike Iran

February 28, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Iran

Iraq

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Deterring by detection: A cheap, successful way to deter Iran

December 13, 2022

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

America’s New Defense Strategy — and What It Means for Iran

February 5, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Defense Rapid Reaction: Israel expands its war aims to neutralize Hezbollah

September 24, 2024

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Help Syria move forward — Repeal the Caesar Act sanctions

November 10, 2025

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Rebuilding the U.S.-Egyptian Strategic Relationship

April 16, 2015

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Israel-Palestine

Palestine

The Strategic Cost of Palestinian Powerlessness

July 27, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Jordan

Syria

Governing the day after in Syria

December 19, 2024

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Afghanistan

Pakistan

The Case for a Middle Course in Afghanistan

September 10, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

Iran

Yemen

Nadwa Al-Dawsari Testifies on Countering Houthis Before House Foreign Affairs Committee

September 1, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Syria

Russia rethinks the status quo in southern Syria

August 13, 2021

Regional International Politics

Algeria

Egypt

Libya

Morocco

Tunisia

Turkey

The Other MoU: Launching a Europe-Gulf Resilience Initiative After the US-Iran Deal

June 29, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Syria

Preserving evidence and securing justice for Assad’s crimes

December 20, 2024

US Policy in the Middle East

Bahrain

Egypt

Iraq

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

America and the Gulf Still Need Each Other

May 8, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Defense Rapid Reaction: US and Israel strike Iran

February 28, 2026

Defense and Security

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Bahrain

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Oman

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Yemen

Great Powers in the Middle East

US Policy in the Middle East

Bahrain

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

China’s Model of Power Projection in the Middle East

March 30, 2026

Defense and Security

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Afghanistan

Iraq

Fixing America’s Failed Strategies in the Middle East

May 7, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Economics

Energy

Algeria

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Kuwait

Libya

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

MENA Energy Recap, Q2-2026: Mideast Energy Confronts its Hormuz Era

August 5, 2026

Defense and Security

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Israel-Palestine

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

Afghanistan

Iraq

Kuwait

Lebanon

Pakistan

Syria

What the Gulf (and America) Can Learn from Ukraine

July 13, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Defense Rapid Reaction: US and Israel strike Iran

February 28, 2026

Climate

Energy

Bahrain

Egypt

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Oman

Palestine

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Weekly Briefing: A cease-fire for Thanksgiving?

November 26, 2024

Israel

Weekly Briefing: Syria reignites

December 3, 2024

Great Powers in the Middle East

Nuclear Proliferation

US Policy in the Middle East

Afghanistan

Iran

Jordan

Syria

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

How to end the ‘Hormuz war’

August 3, 2026

Climate

Defense and Security

Democracy and Human Rights

Energy

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Terrorism

Algeria

Morocco

Tunisia

The Human Cost of the Strait of Hormuz Closure

June 18, 2026

Defense and Security

Economics

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iraq

Syria

Turkey

Iraq in Between Iran and the United States

April 9, 2026

Cybersecurity

Defense and Security

US Policy in the Middle East

Israel

A Post-War Model for Verifying Iran’s Missile Arsenal

June 26, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Gulf and Arabian Peninsula

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Former CIA operative: regime change in Iran is much harder than the US thinks

April 6, 2026

Energy

Great Powers in the Middle East

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The New Old Middle East

August 4, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

US Policy in the Middle East

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Libya

Morocco

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Sudan

Tunisia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Yemen

Nuclear Proliferation

Regional International Politics

Bahrain

Iran

Israel

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Weekly Briefing: Iran’s growing burden of confronting Israel

October 15, 2024

Great Powers in the Middle East

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Lebanon

Consolidating Sovereignty, Security and Peace: Time to Step up the Game

September 16, 2026

Great Powers in the Middle East

US Policy in the Middle East

Iran

The Iran War Was Always About Regime Change

August 18, 2026

Terrorism

Syria

Building Syria’s new army: Future plans and the challenges ahead

June 12, 2025

Democracy and Human Rights

Egypt

Sudan

What’s behind Sudan’s humanitarian crisis?

November 14, 2025

Defense and Security

Democracy and Human Rights

Energy

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Nuclear Proliferation

Terrorism

Iran

Turkey

Inside the Ankara NATO Summit

July 16, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Israel-Palestine

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Bahrain

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Oman

Palestine

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Yemen

Hisham Melhem’s American Crossroads

September 16, 2026

Jordan

Economics

Bahrain

Iran

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Qatar’s LNG expansion plans and the issue of market oversupply

May 21, 2024

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Israel-Palestine

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Egypt

Israel

Jordan

Palestine

Violence, Settlements, and Creeping Annexation in the West Bank

April 30, 2026

Defense and Security

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Israel-Palestine

Nuclear Proliferation

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Libya

Morocco

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Sudan

Tunisia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Yemen

Reflections on a Diplomatic Career in the Middle East: A Conversation With Ambassador Yael Lempert

September 3, 2026

Gulf and Arabian Peninsula

Saudi Arabia

Yemen

Defense and Security

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Afghanistan

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Lebanon

Palestine

Syria

Turkey

Syria: What You Missed

September 10, 2026

Climate

Defense and Security

Energy

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Egypt

Israel

Palestine

Sudan

Middle Eastern Rivalry in the Horn of Africa

May 14, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Iran

Iraq

Economics

Regional International Politics

Terrorism

Syria

Syria’s economic freefall continues despite Arab League return

August 16, 2023

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Jordan

Lebanon

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The struggle for the future of Lebanon

February 24, 2025

Terrorism

Iraq

Syria

Rebalancing Russia’s Mediterranean strategy: From showing the flag to retreating to the gray zone

February 4, 2025

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Deterring by detection: A cheap, successful way to deter Iran

December 13, 2022

US Policy in the Middle East

Iran

Washington’s Four Wrong Assumptions About the Iran War

August 13, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

America’s New Defense Strategy — and What It Means for Iran

February 5, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Defense Rapid Reaction: Israel expands its war aims to neutralize Hezbollah

September 24, 2024

Defense and Security

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Palestine

Defense and Security

Democracy and Human Rights

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Lebanon

Syria

A Strategy to Win in Lebanon

July 21, 2026

Defense and Security

Economics

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

US Policy in the Middle East

Turkey

Turkey’s strategic tangle

April 17, 2025

Iraq Is Between Iran and a Hard Place

August 6, 2026

Economics

Energy

Nuclear Proliferation

Iran

Defense and Security

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Israel

Jordan

Lebanon

Palestine

Expert Views: US diplomacy and the Israel-Hamas war

October 25, 2023

Great Powers in the Middle East

Israel-Palestine

Regional International Politics

US Policy in the Middle East

Israel

To Win a War, Know What You’re Fighting For

April 10, 2026

Energy

Nuclear Proliferation

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war on energy flows from the Arab Gulf states

February 11, 2025

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Cybersecurity

Emerging Technologies

Space

Bahrain

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Iranian Attacks Need Not Change the Gulf’s AI Ambitions

July 16, 2026

Economics

Energy

Algeria

Egypt

Israel

Libya

Morocco

Turkey

Turkey Competes with Israel and India to be a Major MENA Weapons Supplier

March 21, 2025

Democracy and Human Rights

Great Powers in the Middle East

Iraq

Syria

Turkey

Turkey’s Quiet Realignment

June 10, 2026

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Bahrain

Iraq

Jordan

Lebanon

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Tunisia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Weekly Briefing: Remembrance of Mahsa Jina Amini and calls for change remain strong, as Pezeshkian’s cabinet disappoints

September 17, 2024

Defense and Security

Democracy and Human Rights

Economics

Energy

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Great Powers in the Middle East

Nuclear Proliferation

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Iran

Trump’s South Caucasus Peacemaking Is His Most Successful, but It Remains Unfinished

August 25, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Help Syria move forward — Repeal the Caesar Act sanctions

November 10, 2025

Democracy and Human Rights

Terrorism

Afghanistan

Pakistan

The Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict: A strategic concern for the US

January 22, 2026

Economics

Energy

Governance, Reform, and State Capacity

Terrorism

US Policy in the Middle East

Libya

Can the Latest US Plan Bridge Libya’s Divide?

June 4, 2026

Economics

Energy

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Gulf Energy Disruption and the Fragility of Global Markets

April 15, 2026

Defense and Security

Great Powers in the Middle East

Rebuilding the U.S.-Egyptian Strategic Relationship

April 16, 2015