History doesn't follow a straight line, and we forget this at our peril. The internal combustion engine that powered much of the twentieth century will largely disappear in the twenty-first, and while the sources for future supplies of electricity are not well known, electric power will own the future. Some in the United States have rejoiced that the decline of oil and gas will soon mean the end of U.S. interests in the Middle East. It is, in fact, not so simple.
Read Jon Alterman's commentary on the CSIS website.
Babel: Translating the Middle East
In the most recent episode of Babel, Jon sat down with Marc Owen Jones to talk about governments' longstanding efforts to shape the news environment in Middle Eastern states, and how the rise of social media creates new opportunities and threats.
In another episode, Jon spoke with Olivia Lazard about the political and social impact of climate change in the Middle East.
Jon also explored the latest round of political gridlock in Iraq and how it might develop with Marsin Alshamary.
We also released three new mezze episodes: one on how rising food prices are affecting Egyptians' diets, one on religious law and traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia, and another on a new model for protecting water resources in Lebanon.
Upcoming Event
Iraq is in the throes of the worst political deadlock since ratifying its constitution in 2005. Nearly a year has passed since parliamentary elections last October, and Iraqi leaders have yet to appoint a prime minister or form a new government. At issue is Iraq's consensual political system, which has helped protect Kurdish interests while also contributing to a system that fosters patronage rather than governance. Please join the CSIS Middle East Program on September 28, 2022 from 10:30–11:30AM for a conversation on the unfolding political situation in Iraq, Erbil-Baghdad relations, and the security situation in Iraqi Kurdistan with H.E. Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's minister of foreign affairs from 2003 to 2014.
Please click here to register for the livestream event. The livestream will be available on the event page on the CSIS website.
In the News
Jon spoke with Breaking Defense about Saudi Arabia's naval modernization and China's potential role in it. Jon said that while he "wouldn't be surprised to see Saudi Arabia acquire some niche capabilities from China," he would be "very surprised to see Saudi Arabia turn away from a fundamental reliance on Western systems for training, maintenance, and logistics." (9/9/22)
Jon spoke on a panel at the Middle East Institute breaking down key findings from the latest round of Arab Barometer surveys in the region.