Middle East Program

Providing fresh analysis of the drives of change in the Middle East

The CSIS Middle East Program provides fresh analysis of the drivers of change in the Middle East to decision makers and thought leaders in the United States and abroad.

The Middle East Program is a source for new ideas that go beyond the conventional wisdom, disseminated through written scholarship, events, and commentary in leading news outlets.

Follow us on Twitter @CSISMidEast and like us on Facebook.

Dr. Alterman serves as the director of the Middle East Program, a position he has held since 2002. Under his leadership, the Middle East Program has launched a biweekly podcast and numerous miniseries, convened events with many of the top thinkers in the field, and conducted innovative research on the Middle East including work on the Chinese influence, sustainability, and cultural shifts in the region.

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Photo: VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP/Getty Images

What Did Saudi Arabia Just Do?

Dr. Jon Alterman, Ben Cahill, and Dr. Joseph Majkut note key questions arising from the recent decision by OPEC+ to decrease oil production and its impact on the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Critical Questions by Jon B. Alterman , Joseph Majkut , and Ben Cahill — October 6, 2022

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Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Syrians Need Not Apply

Amid a worsening economic crisis, Lebanon is facing yet another shortage: a lack of foreign workers to work as maids and nannies in Lebanese homes.

Podcast Episode — November 8, 2022

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

COP 27 Preview: Electrifying the Middle East with Ali al-Saffar

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Ali al-Saffar, the Middle East and North Africa program manager at the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Will Todman , and Lubna Yousef — November 1, 2022

CSIS Babel

COP27 Preview: Electrifying the Middle East

Jon Alterman speaks with Ali al-Saffar from the International Energy Agency about the state of electricity in the Middle East and the future of energy in the region.

Transcript by Jon B. Alterman — November 1, 2022

Photo: iLab/CSIS
The Truth of the Matter

Saudi Oil Moves

CSIS’s Joseph Majkut and Jon Alterman join the podcast to deconstruct Saudi Arabia’s recent push to slash oil production and what it means

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz , Joseph Majkut , and Jon B. Alterman — October 28, 2022

CSIS the truth of the matter
Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Meat Market

Many countries have large trade deficits with oil producers in the Middle East, but Brazil is deep in surplus: it isn’t hungry for oil imports, but the region's consumers are hungry for its meat.

Podcast Episode — October 25, 2022

CSIS Babel

On the Hook: How Egypt's Military Outcompetes Local Fish Farmers

Egypt's fish farmers are struggling for various reasons, but farmers say the real culprit lies beneath the surface: they are competing against the Egyptian military, which has become one of the largest players in the industry.

Newsletter by Caleb Harper — October 19, 2022

Photo: KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images

Is Iran on the Brink?

The CSIS Middle East Program hosted a conversation on the unfolding situation in Iran with Yeganeh Rezaian, Arash Azizi, and Kirsten Fontenrose, with opening remarks from Jason Rezaian.

Event by Jon B. Alterman , Jason Rezaian , Arash Azizi , and Yeganeh Rezaian — October 18, 2022

Photo: AFP via Getty Images.
Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Honey, I Froze the Kids

Israel's generous subsidies for in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) have earned it the highest per capita rate of IVF procedures in the world, but that generosity may soon literally overflow with a decades-long buildup of frozen embryos.

Podcast Episode — October 11, 2022

CSIS Babel