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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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

Photo: VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP/Getty Images
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Sami Atallah: Lebanon's Freefall

Jon speaks with Sami Atallah about how Lebanon got into the financial crisis it has been in for the past three years.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Will Todman , and Caleb Harper — October 4, 2022

CSIS Babel

Lebanon's Freefall

Jon Alterman speaks with Sami Atallah about Lebanon's three year old financial crisis.

Transcript — October 4, 2022

Photo: iLab/CSIS

A Conversation with H.E. Hoshyar Zebari

Please join the CSIS Middle East Program 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.

Event by Jon B. Alterman and H.E. Hoshyar Zebari — September 28, 2022

Photo Credits: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images
Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Volunteer Trash Collectors

Tunisia’s revolution in 2011 improved many things, but the odors of Tunis was not one of them.

Podcast Episode — September 27, 2022

CSIS Babel

A Mall Victory

As shopping malls disappear in the United States, new mall developments are thriving in Syria's northwest.

Newsletter by Max Levine — September 21, 2022

Babel: Translating the Middle East

Marc Owen Jones: Real News, Fake News, and No News

Jon speaks with Marc Owen Jones about government efforts to control the media in the Middle East and the challenges and opportunities created by the rise of social media.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Caleb Harper — September 20, 2022

CSIS Babel

The Middle East’s Coming Centrality

Dr. Jon Alterman discusses the Middle East’s likely future on the world stage as the energy transition looms on the horizon.

Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — September 20, 2022

Photo: HAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI/AFP/Getty Images
Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: It Takes a Village to Protect a River

To protect water resources in Lebanon, it takes more than just government action. This Mezze is adapted from a short vignette in our Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East. A New Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Podcast Episode — September 13, 2022

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Deus ex Trafica

In Saudi Arabia, religious leaders warn that there's a new sin to add to the list: flashing your emergency lights to warn other drivers of upcoming speed cameras.

Podcast Episode — August 31, 2022

CSIS Babel