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.

The Truth of the Matter

U.S.-Israeli Military Exercises

Wall Street Journal Middle East Correspondent Dion Nissenbaum joins the podcast to discuss his reporting from aboard the U.S. George H.W. Bush in the Mediterranean Sea while the United States and Israel conducted their largest-ever military exercises, and Israel’s drone strike inside Iran just days later.  

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz — February 2, 2023

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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

Senior Vice President; Harold Brown Chair; and Director, International Security Program

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The Truth of the Matter

U.S.-Israeli Military Exercises

Wall Street Journal Middle East Correspondent Dion Nissenbaum joins the podcast to discuss his reporting from aboard the U.S. George H.W. Bush in the Mediterranean Sea while the United States and Israel conducted their largest-ever military exercises, and Israel’s drone strike inside Iran just days later.  

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz — February 2, 2023

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

A Mezze: Salmon Farming in the UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) doesn’t seem like the ideal place for a salmon farm, but aquaculture is becoming an increasingly large part of the UAE's food security strategy.

Podcast Episode — February 1, 2023

CSIS Babel

The Kurdish Roots of Iran’s Freedom Movement

The death of Mahsa Amini has brought Iranian Kurds’ long struggle for representation to the forefront. Join the Middle East Program as we discuss the history and future of Kurdish identity in Iran.

Event by Jon B. Alterman , Jason Rezaian , Behrouz Boochani , and Tara Azizi — January 26, 2023

Photo by SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Hanna Notte: Russia in the Middle East After Ukraine

Jon Alterman speaks with Hanna Notte 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.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Daniel Sharp — January 24, 2023

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Untying the Knot

To bring divorce rates down in Egypt, the government is intervening before couples tie the knot in the first place.

Podcast Episode — January 17, 2023

CSIS Babel

The Arab World at an Inflection Point

CSIS expert Jon B. Alterman explains why the Arab world is once again at an inflection point as leaders make consequential decisions about their countries’ economies, governance style, respect for freedom of speech, and level of income inequality.

Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — January 17, 2023

Photo: MAHMOUD KHALED/AFP/Getty Images
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Jihad Azour: The Middle East's Economic Outlook

Jon speaks with the Jihad Azour of the IMF about the Middle East's economic outlook and the political consequences of economic reforms.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Daniel Sharp — January 10, 2023

CSIS Babel

The Strategic Importance of the Middle East

The CSIS Emeritus Chair in Strategy has developed a three-part briefing on the key data and trends shaping the strategic importance of the Middle East and North Africa through 2050.

Report by Anthony H. Cordesman — January 4, 2023

Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images