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Middle East Focus is a weekly podcast featuring talk and analysis on U.S. foreign policy, contemporary political and social issues in the Middle East, and the arts and culture of region. It is produced by the Middle East Institute, a non-partisan think tank in Washington, D.C. For more information visit www.mei.edu.

  1. All Episodes
  2. 2023

Can the Lira be saved?

Mar 10, 2023

MEI's US-Lebanon Fellow Fadi Nicholas Nassar speaks to Beirut-based international finance professional Mike Azar on Lebanon's financial crisis. What is the state of Lebanon's banking system, and how did it become so dysfunctional? What does Azar recommend to get Lebanon's economy back on track, and can the Lira be...

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The influence of Atmospheric Rivers in MENA

Feb 28, 2023

Atmospheric rivers play an important role in the movement of water through the atmosphere and can release that water at magnitudes capable of producing extreme weather and flooding. But what are atmospheric rivers exactly? And how do they behave in relation to current climate change in the MENA region? MEI's Mohammed...

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Russia's Influence in MENA After a Year of War in Ukraine

Feb 24, 2023

MEI Managing Editor Matthew Czekaj speaks with scholars Iulia-Sabina Joja, Alex Vatanka, Yörük Işık, Charles Lister, and Roger Kangas on Russia's current standing in the Middle East a year since re-invading Ukraine. 
 
How has Russian aggression in Ukraine redrawn Moscow’s relationships in the MENA region? And...

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MEI's Arts and Culture Center joins DESIGNEAST in Dubai

Feb 21, 2023

MEI's Arts and Culture Center joins DESIGNEAST at Al Serkal Avenue in Dubai
 
DESIGNEAST is a new platform launching in Dubai during Art Week from 26 February to 5 March, 2023 focused on providing opportunities for emerging designers from the Middle East, South East Asia and China. MEI's Arts and Culture Center...

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Is There a Way Forward for Political Resolution in Yemen?

Feb 13, 2023

Director of MEI's Arabian Peninsula Program Gerald Feierstein speaks to MEI Non-Resident Scholars Fatima Abo Alasrar & Ibrahim Jalal on a host of current events in Yemen. What have  been the takeaways from U.S. Special Envoy Timothy Lenderking's recent visit to the country -  and what are the current trends in the...

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