Middle East Program
Providing fresh analysis of the drivers of change in the Middle East
The CSIS Middle East Program is dedicated to producing “opportunity driven” research rather than “threat driven” commentary. Rather than merely reacting to crises, the program seeks to understand how emerging trends, opportunities, and pressures affect the choices people and their leaders make, with an eye toward contributing to the policy debate in the United States and abroad.
Our work ranges from detailed reports to brief analysis papers and can be found in both the academic and popular press. We frequently host roundtables and conferences inviting dignitaries and thought leaders to join us in unpacking the Middle East. You can follow our latest work on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.
Our research is broad, fitting mostly into four sub-regions and four thematic areas:
Sub-Regions
Warfare, volatile oil prices, economic and social reform, and environmental change are shifting the strategic logic of the Arabian Peninsula. The Middle East Program works with others to understand the new challenges and opportunities on the Arabian Peninsula and their impacts on regional affairs and global politics. The program’s Arabian Peninsula work includes the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, and adjoining Iraq. Find out more here.
Iran and its allies across the region will play a crucial role shaping future regional conflicts and coloring the region’s geopolitics. Questions and uncertainty continue to surround the future of U.S. engagement with Iran. The Middle East Program examines evolving domestic trends within Iran, Iran’s regional engagement, and U.S. policy toward Iran. Find out more here.
The Israel-Hamas war has emerged as a defining moment for the region, Syria’s decades-long conflict continues to fester, and Egypt and Lebanon’s simmering economic stressors threaten to tip over into a broader crisis. The Middle East program analyzes the political, geopolitical, and humanitarian dynamics across Egypt and the Levant. Find out more here.
Migration, environmental degradation, and socio-political change have drawn the Maghreb—defined by the program as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya—from the margins of U.S. Middle East policy toward mainstream concerns. The Middle East Program is examining the changing political, economic, and security trends in the region. Find out more here.
Themes
Russia and China are expanding their presence in the Middle East, while global trends that put new emphasis on middle powers and the Global South are reshaping the strategic approach of Middle Eastern states. The Middle East Program is examining key trends in Great Power engagement with the Middle East and the region’s evolving geostrategy. Find out more here.
For more than a decade, calls for social, political, and economic change have reshaped the region. The Middle East Program is tracking key socio-political dynamics to identify the trends that will continue to shape the region over the next decades. Find out more here.
The Middle East contains both the world’s largest energy reserves, as well as some of the most water-scarce nations in the world. As the region grapples with the global energy transition and accelerating climate change, the Middle East Program is exploring how these dynamics are restructuring state-society relationships and how governments and civic groups can respond. Find out more here.
From Gaza to Syria to Yemen, the Middle East is home to some of the world’s most complex humanitarian emergencies. The region receives billions of dollars in aid every year, but international donors are rethinking how best to scale and direct their assistance. The Middle East Program is investigating key trends in aid and reconstruction to inform international assistance. Find out more here.
Contact Information
- Ninar Fawal
- Program Manager and Research Associate, Middle East Program
- NFawal@csis.org
Media Queries
- H. Andrew Schwartz
- Chief Communications Officer
- 202.775.3242
- ASchwartz@csis.org
- Sofia Chavez
- Media Relations Manager, External Relations
- 202.775.7317
- SChavez@csis.org
Featured Analysis

Photo: ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP via Getty Images
Can Syria Recover? Why Sanctions Relief Is Not Enough
Commentary by Natasha Hall and Ninar Fawal — May 29, 2025

Babel Special: Jon Alterman's Next Chapter
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Will Todman — May 22, 2025

Mohanad Hage Ali: Hezbollah and the Captagon Trade
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Mona Yacoubian, and Asher Grant-Sasson — May 15, 2025

Trump Announces Lifting of Sanctions on Syria
Critical Questions by Mona Yacoubian — May 13, 2025

Analysis: Will Trump’s Houthi Deal Stick?
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Asher Grant-Sasson — May 8, 2025
Featured Projects

Photo: iLab/CSIS
Babel: Translating the Middle East
Podcast Series by Jon B. Alterman, Will Todman, and Natasha Hall
All Middle East Program Content
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Analysis: Netanyahu Comes to Washington
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Asher Grant-Sasson — February 4, 2025

Chaos, Power, and Diplomacy: What Kissinger and Trump Teach Us About World Order
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman — January 28, 2025

Sinem Adar: Turkey's Syria Challenge
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Martin Pimentel, and Will Todman — January 28, 2025

Sinem Adar: Turkey’s Syria Challenge
Transcript — January 28, 2025
Chaos, Power, and Diplomacy: What Kissinger and Trump Teach Us About World Order
Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — January 27, 2025
Russia and the Middle East in 2025
Podcast Episode by Maria Snegovaya, Natasha Hall, and Hanna Notte — January 23, 2025

Israel and Hamas Reach a Ceasefire
Critical Questions by Jon B. Alterman — January 21, 2025
Israel and Hamas Reach a Ceasefire
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman — January 21, 2025

Analysis: Gaza Peace?
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Asher Grant-Sasson — January 21, 2025

eL Seed: Arabic Calligraffiti
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Martin Pimentel — January 14, 2025
