Middle East Policy Council

06/06/2026

✍️ Can Democratic leaders condemn Israeli settlement expansion and settler violence while continuing to participate in events that platform officials and organizations tied to those same policies?

In this new Expert Opinion piece, Rachel Nelson examines this contradiction following the annual Israel Parade in New York City, where several high-ranking Democratic officials appeared alongside an Israeli government delegation that included prominent champions of West Bank annexation and settlement expansion.

Read more here:

For years, Democratic Party leaders have condemned Israeli settlement expansion, annexation tactics, and, more recently, settler violence in the occupied West Bank. And yet, over the weekend, many of those same high-ranking politicians attended and spoke at the annual Israel Parade in New York City,...

06/05/2026

🗞️ [ ] This week in Middle East Policy: an open-access analysis of Trump’s transactional diplomacy and the Iran War.

The article by Guilain Denoeux and Robert Springborg asks whether a deal-focused approach can help end a high-stakes conflict over the regional order, or whether the stakes demand a different kind of diplomacy.

Read more: https://ow.ly/KPaB50Z8fNG

06/03/2026

✍️ [ ] In his latest essay for The Diplomat Magazine, Dr. Muqtedar Khan examines how Bangladesh stands at a pivotal crossroads: reviving its economy while balancing growing pressures of great-power dynamics with India, China, Pakistan and the United States.

Read it here ⤵️

Bangladesh’s security lies not in becoming part of someone else’s strategic rivalry, but in becoming economically strong, diplomatically flexible, and internally legitimate.

05/29/2026

🗞️ In the latest issue of the Middle East Policy Journal, Dr. Gawdat Bahgat analyzes the Hormuz crisis, finding that the new order will likely feature fees for security and transit, episodic disruptions, and Tehran’s recurring leverage over global energy and trade flows.

Free to read here:
https://ow.ly/mLvc50Z5Crm

05/26/2026

📝 [ ] Three lives were lost in San Diego on May 18, after two teenagers opened fire at an Islamic center in what authorities are investigating as an anti-Muslim hate crime.

In his latest commentary, Dr. Muqtedar Khan examines how Islamophobic rhetoric and online radicalization can fuel deadly violence, and what this attack reveals about the rising threat facing Muslim communities in America.

Read the full article here ⤵️

The horrible attack on the Islamic Center in San Diego brought out the best and the worst in America. It brought out the worst in the form of domestic terrorism, militant Islamophobia, and the deadly consequences of hate speech against Muslims. But it also brought out the best in the courage of the....

05/15/2026

📸 The Middle East Policy Council hosted a discussion on the future of armed non-state actors in the Middle East following October 7 and the ongoing regional transformations triggered by the Iran war.

Featuring Aron Zelin, Derek Henry Flood, and Murad Batal Shishani, the conversation explored the evolving role of Islamist armed groups, the future of the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” and the broader implications for regional security and political violence across the Middle East.

05/14/2026

📝 MEPC Resident Senior Fellow Faysal Itani and Dr. Dania Arayssi of the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy write for War on the Rocks on the delicate balance Lebanon faces in negotiations with Israel amid regional tensions and U.S. pressure.

Their analysis examines the political, security, and strategic challenges surrounding a potential settlement, the future of Hezbollah, and the risks Lebanon faces as it navigates a rapidly shifting regional landscape.

Read it here ⤵️

This week, Israel and Lebanon are holding their third round of unprecedented direct talks on crucial issues, including borders, the disarmament of

05/14/2026

📸 The Middle East Policy Council hosted a roundtable discussion titled “Russia and the Middle East Post-Iran War” for an exchange on the geopolitical implications of the ongoing conflict.

The discussion, featuring Atlantic Council Non-Resident Senior Fellow Professor Mark N. Katz and MEPC Resident Senior Fellows Kamran Bokhari, PhD, Murad Batal Shishani explored how the Iran war is reshaping regional dynamics, including its impact on Russia’s strategic posture, the war in Ukraine, Central Asia’s connectivity and trade, and the evolving security landscape in the North Caucasus.

05/07/2026

Resident Senior Fellow, Murad Batal Shishani previews his upcoming intervention at the annual CSID-MPAC conference on May 15.

He will join a panel titled "Democratic Backsliding and Stalled Reform: The Case for Democracy and Peaceful Reforms" moderated by Radwan Masmoudi, alongside Shadi Hamid, David Mednicoff, Sultan Alamer, and Ammar Mansuri.

04/29/2026

🎥 [ ] Is the U.S.-Israel war on Iran uniting the Gulf, or dividing it?

From the GCC summit in Riyadh to the UAE’s exit from OPEC, regional dynamics are shifting fast.

▶️ Watch the full discussion here: https://youtu.be/6ZsNOfO1JOo