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...
Jan 15, 2026
MEI Vice President for
Policy Ken Pollack joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj
to explore what the precedent set by the Trump administration’s
military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro could mean
for US policy in the Middle East — particularly in light of ongoing
anti-regime protests in...
Jan 8, 2026
This bonus episode of
Middle East Focus features a conversation from MEI's Virtual
Briefing Series. Director of Communications Zeina Al-Shaib
is joined by Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Alan Eyre and Senior
Fellow Alex Vatanka to discuss the ongoing protests in
Iran. The street demonstrations, sparked by the...