Analysis
Featured Analysis

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Israel’s Third Juncture in History
Jon B. Alterman, director of the Middle East Program, argues that Israel is facing a third juncture in its history. The current judicial reform bill will shape the kind of democracy it becomes and risks permanently disenfranchising millions of Israelis.
Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — July 24, 2023
Books and Reports

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Powering Recovery: Reform, Reconstruction, and Renewables in Conflict-Affected States in the Arab World
After pouring billions of dollars into rebuilding energy systems in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, and Yemen. U.S. and international donors have frustratingly little to show for the effort. In a new report, Will Todman investigates what went wrong and charts a better path forward.
Report by Will Todman , Jon B. Alterman , and Lubna Yousef — March 3, 2023

Rescuing Aid in Syria
Report by Natasha Hall — February 14, 2022

Ties that Bind: Family, Tribe, Nation, and the Rise of Arab Individualism
Report by Jon B. Alterman — December 2, 2019

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Books and Reports
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Middle East Notes and Comment

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India's Model for the Middle East
As Prime Minister Modi’s state visit to the United States approaches, Dr. Jon Alterman analyzes India’s newfound legitimacy from its nonalignment strategy and the lessons that governments in the Middle East can take from the “India model” of multipolar foreign policy.
Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — June 20, 2023

Why the U.S. Military’s Messages Are Falling on Deaf Middle Eastern Ears
Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — April 25, 2023

Saudi Arabia Steps Out
Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — March 22, 2023

Middle East Notes and Comment
Project
Mezze: Assorted Stories from the Middle East

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Tunisia’s Hunger Games
In June 2023, a woman waited for the last customer to leave a grocery store in La Marsa, in northeastern Tunisia. She mumbled to the shopkeeper, “Do you have it?” The shopkeeper took her to a back room and handed her a small packet wrapped in a dark bag. Once she got home, she opened the bag and showed it to her husband. She had managed to secure a bag of coffee. Just a month earlier, she had to go through the same process to get butter, and prior to that, to obtain rice
Newsletter — July 24, 2023

Saudis Take to The Streets
Newsletter by Lubna Yousef and Layan Shaaban — June 14, 2023

Iran's "Cloudy" Accusations
Newsletter by Lubna Yousef — May 23, 2023

Let Them Eat Donkey
Newsletter by Mennah Abdelwahab — April 20, 2023

Mezze: Assorted Stories from the Middle East
Project