Middle East
The Middle East Program heads CSIS’s work on the region, which analyzes a wide range of political, security, and socioeconomic issues related to the Middle East and North Africa, with special attention to the ways that changes in the Middle East and North Africa have effects beyond the region.

Hanna Notte: Russia in the Middle East After Ukraine
This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Hanna Notte, a senior research associate with the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. They talk about Russia's interests in the Middle East and where they stand after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's growing economic and defense relationship with Iran, and how Arab states view Russia's war in Ukraine. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp, discussing the implications for U.S. policy in the region and what U.S. decision-makers should do about it.
- Hanna Notte, “Don’t Expect Any More Russian Help on the Iran Nuclear Deal,” War on the Rocks, November 3, 2022.
- Hanna Notte, “The Impact of Russia’s Ukraine Invasion in the Middle East and North Africa,” Congressional Testimony, Before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism, 117th Congress, May 18, 2022.
- Jon Alterman, "The Middle East's Indifference to Ukraine is a Warning," Defense One, May 12, 2022.
- Hanna Notte, “Will Western-Russian Confrontation Shake the Middle East?” War on the Rocks, March 29, 2022.
- Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East After Ukraine," CSIS, January 24, 2023.
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Daniel Sharp — January 24, 2023

Salmon Fishing in the UAE: How Salmon Farming Fits into the Emirates’ Food Security Plans
Newsletter by Lubna Yousef and Caleb Harper — January 24, 2023

The Strategic Importance of the Middle East and North Africa: The Strengths and Limits of MENA Oil and Gas Wealth and the Challenge of Climate Change
Report by Anthony H. Cordesman — January 24, 2023

The Arab World at an Inflection Point
Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — January 17, 2023
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The Kurdish Roots of Iran’s Freedom Movement
Event by Jon B. Alterman , Jason Rezaian , Behrouz Boochani , and Tara Azizi — January 26, 2023

The Strategic Importance of the Middle East and North Africa: The Strengths and Limits of MENA Oil and Gas Wealth and the Challenge of Climate Change
Report by Anthony H. Cordesman — January 24, 2023

Hanna Notte: Russia in the Middle East After Ukraine
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Daniel Sharp — January 24, 2023

Salmon Fishing in the UAE: How Salmon Farming Fits into the Emirates’ Food Security Plans
Newsletter by Lubna Yousef and Caleb Harper — January 24, 2023


The Arab World at an Inflection Point
Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — January 17, 2023

Jihad Azour: The Middle East's Economic Outlook
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Daniel Sharp — January 10, 2023

The Strategic Importance of the Middle East
Report by Anthony H. Cordesman — January 4, 2023


Khalid Albaih: The Information Bubble
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Will Todman , and Lubna Yousef — December 27, 2022
