Enhancing peace, security, and people-to-people ties between the US and the Middle East through dialogue, engagement and exchange.
Washington DC
Joined June 2009
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"Countering the Houthis does not require US boots on the ground. It requires US leadership."
That was the message from Associate Fellow @Ndawsari in her Congressional testimony this week: real, lasting pressure on the Houthis comes from territory — and the US can empower Yemenis to take it back.
Click here for the full hearing and written testimony ⬇️ mei.edu/testimony/nadwa-al-d…
Read this @NewYorker interview with my colleague Jaser Abu Mousa, who lost family members in Gaza. He speaks about the devastation and displacement facing civilians, the struggle to preserve some sense of normal life amid the destruction, and the profound impact of the war on Palestinian society.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/w…
MEI Senior Fellow Jaser Abu Mousa was interviewed at length in The New Yorker about what life is actually like in Gaza today.
Drawing on his firsthand experience and ongoing conversations with people in Gaza, Abu Mousa discusses the destruction and displacement facing civilians, the struggle to restore some sense of normal life, and the profound impact of the war on Palestinian society.
Read the full interview: newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/w…
One of the first major US exhibitions devoted exclusively to modern and contemporary Egyptian art is on view through December 11.
Visit our public opening tonight, September 18, 5:30-7:30 PM.
For more information: mei.edu/exhibition/el-marsam…
“You can't be risk-averse when you're trying to dismantle the malignant cancer that Hizballah is.”
@RepLaHood joined the Middle East Institute for a discussion on “A Strategy for Lebanon,” focused on what he described as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to change Lebanon’s trajectory. Alongside MEI’s @dr_nickfn, Amb. (ret.) David Hale, and @PatriciaJKaram, the panel examined how Washington can help strengthen Lebanese state institutions, support the Lebanese Armed Forces, and restore Lebanese sovereignty.
Link to MEI's full report on A Strategy to Win in Lebanon: mei.edu/a-strategy-to-win-in…
"This is not a time to be risk averse. We've underestimated the Houthis. And because we underestimated them, they continue to evolve and become stronger," explains @Ndawsari. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
How do you break the ice with a sitting president?
@hisham_melhem joins @Katulis and shares some special stories from his career in journalism, including his interviews with Presidents Bush and Obama. Listen to the full episode: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
MEI's new exhibition, El Marsam, is one of the first US shows dedicated exclusively to Egyptian modern and contemporary art. Already drawing international attention, the exhibition features over 45 works by historically significant artists alongside leading and emerging Egyptian talent working today.
Please join us for El Marsam's opening reception Friday, September 18, 5:30 - 7:30 pm at the MEI Art Gallery. For more information, visit the link in our bio.
"My infatuation with American popular culture helped me. ... I was very critical of US policy vis-a-vis Palestine and of the war in Vietnam, but I never fell into the trap of becoming anti-American," @hisham_melhem tells @Katulis.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
MEI Senior Fellows @gonultol and @natansachs discussed the escalating tensions between Turkey and Israel over Syria, including last month's Israeli strike on Abu al-Duhur Air Base, and whether the two regional rivals are risking direct confrontation.
youtu.be/fYYZqy6ZDMY?si=r88B…
Turkey's decades-long commitment to nuclear nonproliferation is showing signs of strain amid a shifting regional security landscape. In a new piece for MEI, @gonultol examines what's driving Ankara's nuclear ambitions and what path it's most likely to pursue.
Read the full article here: mei.edu/publication/turkeys-…
Middle East Institute retweeted
I am incredibly grateful to Congressman @RepJoeWilson for meeting with us today, for listening, and above all, for standing with the people of #Yemen. Your support for a free Yemen from #Iran means a great deal to so many Yemenis. 🇾🇪🇺🇸
The Houthis "use every opportunity to build their capability, to test their capability, such that they are now the most lethal nonstate actor in the entire Middle East," MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Tim Lenderking told @nytimes.
nytimes.com/2026/09/15/world…
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is coming to Cairo. MEI Senior Fellow @mmabrouk said he will seek "assurances that, if necessary, Egypt will step up to protect Bab el-Mandeb." She added that Egypt "will fight if necessary, but that is not the default position. The default position is to exercise every other option before that."
france24.com/en/middle-east/…
As the Houthis gain ground in Yemen and strike Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure, Riyadh must weigh its options.
"Airstrikes alone won't change much," MEI's @Ndawsari told @Bloomberg. "The US bombed the Houthis for months, and here we are." bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
F. Gregory Gause argues that the best way to exert leverage over the Houthi's is through Tehran.
"The only thing the Iranians have going for them here is the ability to inflict pain on the larger world to try to bring pressure on the United States." thenationalnews.com/news/us/…
The Gulf states "are not just nervous and unsure about the US intentions — they are worried about US capability to help them,” said MEI's @AlexVatanka. “As much as they hate shaking the hands of Iranian leaders, what else are they going to do?”
washingtonpost.com/world/202…
With the next round of Lebanon-Israel talks in Rome scheduled for mid-September, Lebanon faces a narrow window to turn a fragile opening into something lasting. MP @fmakhzoumi — a longtime voice in Lebanese politics and business, and an advocate for state reform — joined a room of policymakers, diplomats, and Lebanon watchers at MEI to unpack what that will require.
