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.

A tall tower stands in front of a desert.

Iran and Israel: A Cycle of Retaliation

Leah Hickert speaks with Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at CSIS, about the tensions rising between Iran and Israel, as well as the potential for regional escalation. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Leah Hickert — April 23, 2024

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Experts

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
Will Todman

Will Todman

Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Daniel Byman

Daniel Byman

Senior Fellow, Transnational Threats Project

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Babel: Translating the Middle East

Hiba Husseini: Peacemaking After Oslo

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Hiba Husseini, a Palestinian lawyer and a legal adviser to Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations for 30 years, to discuss the state of pro-peace communities after October 7th and the war in Gaza's effect on future peacemaking efforts.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Will Todman, and Leah Hickert — April 16, 2024

CSIS Babel
Audio Briefs

“Famine in Gaza”: Audio Brief with Caitlin Welsh

A short, spoken-word summary from CSIS’s Caitlin Welsh on her Critical Questions with Anita Kirschenbaum and Zane Swanson, “Famine in Gaza.”

Podcast Episode by Caitlin Welsh — April 12, 2024

Audio Briefs

Famine in Gaza

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unprecedented this century. USAID administrator Power was the first senior U.S. official to state that famine is present in Gaza, but this does not amount to a formal declaration. Will leaders formally declare famine? Can it be halted?

Critical Questions by Caitlin Welsh, Anita Kirschenbaum, and Zane Swanson — April 11, 2024

Middle East Risks and the Oil Market

In this week’s special episode, Ben Cahill and Jon Alterman discuss recent developments in the Middle East, U.S. policy objectives in the region, and how the oil market's response to geopolitical risks has changed.

Transcript — April 11, 2024

Babel: Translating the Middle East

Analysis: Support for Refugees Erodes in the Middle East

This week, Leah Hickert speaks with Will Todman, deputy director and senior fellow with the CSIS Middle East Program, about how displacement has become a flashpoint across the region and the innovative solutions necessary to mitigate these crises. A new Analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Podcast Episode by Leah Hickert and Will Todman — April 10, 2024

CSIS Babel

Oil Market Risks Start to Resonate

Oil market sentiment is changing. With traders anticipating tighter crude and product fundamentals for the rest of the year, markets are more sensitive to geopolitical risks in the Middle East. 

Commentary by Ben Cahill and Raad Alkadiri — April 10, 2024

Energy 360°

Middle East Risks and the Oil Market

In this week’s special episode, Ben Cahill and Jon Alterman discuss recent developments in the Middle East, U.S. policy objectives in the region, and how the oil market's response to geopolitical risks has changed.

Podcast Episode by Ben Cahill and Jon B. Alterman — April 10, 2024

CSIS Energy 360

Political Instability and Environmental Politics in Postrevolutionary Tunisia

Mohamed Omar Kardous, a member of the CSIS environmental civil society in MENA working group, explores Tunisia's political instability and its impact on environmental policy post-2011 revolution, highlighting the challenges and stagnation under President Saied’s tenure.

Commentary by Mohamed Omar Kardous — April 9, 2024

Jon B. Alterman for Foreign Affairs: A Détente Option for Iran

Jon Alterman delves into U.S.-Iran relations, exposing the failures of deterrence and advocating for a nuanced, strategic response to foster stability and predictability amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — April 3, 2024