Analysis

Former director of the United States National Counterterrorism Center, Michael Leiter, joined CSIS experts Dan Byman and Emily Harding as they discuss the tactics, scale, and global ramifications of the Hamas October 7 attack.

Jon Alterman looks beyond the immediate dynamics of the Israel-Hamas war to break down the long-term implications of the war. The war will destroy Hamas’s organizational capacity, raising questions about who will control Gaza and what will happen to Gazans if Hamas falls.

Jon Alterman argues that the Biden administration came into office with a pledge of normalcy, but its emphasis on Israel-Saudi ties is markedly different from its predecessors. Even so, the administration is determined not to let the Middle East become a distraction.

The Middle East Program's Martin Pimentel examines how Lebanese civil society organizations are addressing the waste crisis and a lack of government leadership by becoming more integrated and supporting innovative new approaches to waste management.

In a new commentary, senior fellow and deputy director Will Todman explains how civil society holds the key to building more sustainable states in the Middle East, as governments in the region struggle to adequately respond to sharpening environmental challenges

In a new commentary, Jon Alterman discusses five major factors that place Middle Eastern governments in a weaker position today than in 2011. He explains how their position is likely to decline even further and what this means for the future of the region.

Water insecurity in the Middle East is destroying livelihoods, forcing migration, and fostering instability, with ripple effects on the political, economic, and environmental future of the region.

The first Earth Day brought together Americans of all walks of life affected by environmental degradation. Fifty-three years later, the Middle East faces a similar need to bring people together on environmental issues, both within the region and globally.

In the wake of increasing violence in Palestine and Israel, Jon B. Alterman explains the tumultuous political situation and the potential for significant change to the status quo.