Middle East Focus

Middle East Institute
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Weekly discussion of Middle East policy, arts, and culture, featuring experts from the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.

  1. −3 H

    Bonus Episode: Stalled Talks and Next Steps for the US and Iran

    This bonus episode of Middle East Focus features a recent MEI Virtual Briefing. Director of Communications Zeina Al-Shaib is joined by MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellows Alan Eyre and Daniel Benaim to discuss the historic talks held in Pakistan last weekend between the United States and Iran. Tehran insists the US failed to gain its trust, while the US made its red lines clear and declared it would blockade Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf. What happens next? Eyre and Benaim offer insights into what goes on behind the scenes at such negotiations; identify the core issues at play; explore potential incentives to end the war; analyze the weaponization of energy; as well as assess the role of other regional players in this conflict.   Watch the Virtual Briefing Series here.   Recorded on April 15, 2026.

    1 tim 3 min

  2. −1 D

    How the War May Reshape Iran's Political Future

    As the international community focuses on the regional and economic reverberations of the US-Israel-Iran war, the wartime experiences of ordinary Iranians and their aspirations for the future have received much less attention. Arash Azizi, a postdoctoral associate at Yale University and contributing writer at The Atlantic, joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to discuss the war's repercussions for the Iranian population and how the outcome of the conflict may shape the peoples' lives going forward. Together, they explore Iran's internal politics, the viability of the opposition, and the conditions needed to achieve democracy in Iran.   Read Arash's analysis of the fractured the Iranian opposition here, and his argument for why talks with Washington could ultimately benefit the Iranian people here.   Recorded on April 15, 2026.

    43 min

  3. 9 APR.

    Iraq in Between Iran and the United States

    Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Amb. (ret.) Robert S. Ford to examine what is at stake for Iraq in the Iran war. The only country to have been hit by both sides, Iraq is caught in the middle of a regional conflict, with the local Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) carrying out attacks on American interests and personnel — and the US responding. This escalation comes at a period of internal political transition in Iraq, which has been locked in negotiations to form a new government since the November 2025 elections. Ford, who served as Deputy and later Acting Ambassador in Baghdad from 2008 until 2010, unpacks how Iraq is navigating the current moment, how the Kurdistan region fits into this equation, and what this all means for the future of US-Iraqi relations.   This episode was recorded on the afternoon of April 7, 2026, before the US announced it had reached a temporary cease-fire with Iran.

    44 min

  4. 2 APR.

    Special Episode: Europe and the Iran War

    This special episode of Middle East Focus features a conversation from MEI's Virtual Briefing Series. Host Alistair Taylor is joined by former National Security Council Senior Director Stephen Flanagan and MEI Senior Fellow Iulia-Sabina Joja to discuss the impacts of the Iran war on US-European relations. The conflict has hit Europe's economy hard and created deep divisions across the continent, even as some European countries play a quiet supporting role to the US. President Donald Trump has called for NATO member states to help secure shipping through the Iranian-blocked Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for international maritime trade. Flanagan and Joja explore the prospects for stepped-up European military involvement, the knock-on effects on the war in Ukraine, and the potential longer-term impact on the future of the US-European alliance.    Watch the Virtual Briefing Series here.   Recorded on March 31, 2026.

    58 min

  5. 26 MARS

    As Iran Weakens, Can Hamas Survive?

    MEI Senior Fellow Jaser AbuMousa joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack how Hamas is navigating the US-Israel conflict with Iran and its impact on Gaza. Two and a half years after the start of the Gaza war, international attention has shifted away from the humanitarian crisis in the devastated coastal strip. Meanwhile, Hamas' primary state sponsor, Iran, has been severely weakened by US-Israeli military strikes and the death of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. AbuMousa examines how this could affect Hamas' trajectory moving forward and its place within the Axis of Resistance, as well as what it all means for the Palestinian people.   Read Jaser's argument for why now is the time to focus on Gaza here, and his analysis of the power struggle within Hamas following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei here.   Recorded on March 24, 2026.

    38 min

  6. 19 MARS

    Why the Houthis are Holding Back — For Now

    Despite claiming they are poised to attack, the Yemeni Houthis have yet to join Iran and its other proxies in their fight against the United States and Israel. Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj speak to MEI Associate Fellow Nadwa Al-Dawsari to unpack why the Houthis continue to stay on the sidelines of the Iran war and what might prompt them to join the fray. They also discuss the Houthis' evolving role within the Axis of Resistance, what the Yemeni group has learned from its earlier rounds of direct conflict with Israel and the US, as well as whether its actions could precipitate a renewed flareup in Yemen's civil war.    Find Nadwa's analysis of why the Houthis have stayed out of the Iran war here.   Recorded on March 17, 2026.

    40 min

  7. 12 MARS

    Can Turkey Stay Out of the Iran War?

    Nearly two weeks into the US and Israel's war with Iran, MEI Senior Fellow Gönül Tol joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to explore the impact of the widening regional conflict on Turkey. On March 9, Ankara announced that NATO air defenses shot down a second Iranian ballistic missile that had entered Turkish airspace since the start of the war and stated it would take all necessary defensive measures. Turkey is now caught in the middle of an escalating conflict that could pose risks to the country's security, economy, and foreign policy. Tol, Taylor, and Czekaj discuss what a prolonged regional conflict could mean for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his regional political objectives, and Turkey's relationship with key Middle Eastern neighbors.   Find Gönül's latest article on Turkey's position amid the Iran war here, and her explainer on what the war means for Turkey here.   Recorded on March 11, 2026.

    48 min

  8. 5 MARS

    Lebanon on the Brink: Hizballah, Iran, and the War's Spillover

    Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Fadi Nicholas Nassar to discuss Hizballah's role in the escalating conflict in the Middle East and the implications for Lebanon. A day after the United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran, Tehran's Lebanese proxy fired missiles at northern Israeli territory. Israel responded swiftly and forcefully, and Lebanon's government and population now fear the Iranian-backed militia is dragging the country back into war. The conversation explores the broader repercussions of Hizballah's actions against the backdrop of a widening war in Iran and Lebanon's quickly evolving political climate. Nassar also outlines recommendations for how Lebanon can move forward as a sovereign and effective state.   Find Nick's recent article assessing the Lebanese authorities' actions to disarm Hizballah here.   Recorded on March 4, 2026.

    43 min
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Om

Weekly discussion of Middle East policy, arts, and culture, featuring experts from the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.

Information

  • Skapad av
    Middle East Institute
  • Aktiva år
    2017 - 2026
  • Avsnitt
    100
  • Åldersgräns
    Barnvänligt
  • Programmets webbplats
    Middle East Focus

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