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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The Truth of the Matter

Confused Rules-Based Order

CSIS’s Jon Alterman joins the podcast for a discussion of the global rules-based order post Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Jon B. Alterman — May 16, 2022

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

A Mezze: Dental Freelancers

Some find going to the dentist traumatic. In Morocco, the experience could be especially so, because the dentist may turn out never to have gone to dental school.

Podcast Episode — May 10, 2022

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Tim Lenderking: Hope in Yemen?

Jon speaks with U.S. Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking about the latest ceasefire in Yemen and where the country goes from here.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Will Todman , and Caleb Harper — May 3, 2022

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Algeria's Poorly Oiled Machine

Storing pallets of vegetable oil in your garage might earn you some strange looks; in Algeria, it can land you in prison.

Podcast Episode — April 26, 2022

CSIS Babel

Locals Be Dammed

Years after Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State group (ISG), locals in the territory it formerly controlled continue to complain of a campaign of retribution.

Newsletter by Soukayna Lakhsassi — April 13, 2022

Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East

U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Six

Jon explores how people and governments in the Middle East see the United States, and what they want from U.S. policy in the region.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman — April 12, 2022

CSIS Babel U.S. in the Middle East
Babel: Translating the Middle East

U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Six

Jon explores how people and governments in the Middle East see the United States, and what they want from U.S. policy in the region.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman — April 12, 2022

CSIS Babel