Feb 12, 2026
MEI Senior Fellow
Mohammed Soliman joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to
discuss his new book, West Asia: A New American Grand
Strategy in the Middle East. The book argues that it is time
for the United States to move decisively away from nation-building
and focus instead on order-building, outlining a...
Feb 5, 2026
Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Distinguished Military Fellow Mick Mulroy to discuss the Trump administration's new National Defense Strategy (NDS) and its implications for the Middle East. While serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for the Middle East from 2017 to 2019,...
Jan 29, 2026
MEI Senior Fellow Lucy
Kurtzer-Ellenbogen joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj
to discuss the latest developments in Gaza. Nearly four months
after the Israeli government and Hamas agreed to President Donald
Trump’s 20-point plan, Washington has announced that phase two of
the process is now underway....
Jan 23, 2026
This bonus episode of
Middle East Focus features an excerpt from a recent MEI Virtual
Briefing recorded on January 20. Director of Communications Zeina
Al-Shaib is joined by MEI Affiliate Fatima Abo Alasrar and
Associate Fellow F. Gregory Gause III to discuss the
dramatically changing dynamics in Yemen’s civil war....
Jan 20, 2026
MEI Senior Fellow Charles Lister joins hosts Alistair Taylor and
Matthew Czekaj to unpack the latest developments in Syria, as a
tenuous cease-fire takes hold after several days of intense
fighting between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF). Their discussion explores the drivers of
the...