Middle East

The Middle East Program heads CSIS’s work on the region within the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department, which analyzes a wide range of political, security, and socioeconomic issues related to the Middle East and North Africa. The International Security Program also pays special attention to the ways that tensions and security challenges in the Middle East and North Africa have effects beyond the region.

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Jon B. Alterman

Jon B. Alterman

Senior Vice President, Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy, and Director, Middle East Program
Seth G. Jones

Seth G. Jones

President, Defense and Security Department; Harold Brown Chair
Will Todman

Will Todman

Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Daniel Byman

Daniel Byman

Senior Fellow, Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program

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Upcoming: A Region Aflame - October 7 A Year Later

The CSIS Middle East Program and International Security Program host a roundtable on the social, political, and security challenges facing the Middle East in the year since the October 7 attacks.

Event — October 7, 2024

Escalating to War between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran

There is a serious risk of all-out war between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran. According to new CSIS analysis, both the scale and geographic scope of violence has dramatically increased and could spread further throughout the region.

Brief by Daniel Byman, Seth G. Jones, and Alexander Palmer — October 4, 2024

Audio Briefs

Lessons from Israel’s Last War in Lebanon

An audio version of “Lessons from Israel’s Last War in Lebanon,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Daniel Byman. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Daniel Byman — October 2, 2024

Audio Briefs
The Truth of the Matter

Pins and Needles in the Middle East

CSIS's Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, joins the podcast to discuss Iran's missile strikes in Israel, Israel's entry into Lebanon, attacks on Hezbollah, and more as the conflict in the Middle East continues to expand.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Jon B. Alterman — October 2, 2024

CSIS the truth of the matter

Lessons from Israel’s Last War in Lebanon

In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought each other fiercely, with Israel's military failing in many ways. Israel's intelligence and military successes in recent weeks show how it has learned the lessons from that war.

Commentary by Daniel Byman — October 2, 2024

Babel: Translating the Middle East

Peter Schwartzstein: Climate Violence in the Middle East

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Peter Schwartzstein, an environmental journalist who reports on water, food security, and the conflict-climate nexus in around 30 countries, mainly in the Middle East and Africa. Together, they discuss Mr. Schwartzstein's new book, The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence, as well as the outlook for climate adaptation in the Middle East, and the ways in which environmental initiatives can build peace in the region. 

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Natasha Hall, Will Todman, and Leah Hickert — October 1, 2024

CSIS Babel
Audio Briefs

Seizing Middle East Opportunities

An audio version of “Seizing Middle East Opportunities,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Jon B. Alterman. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman — September 30, 2024

Audio Briefs