The Stimson Center’s Middle East Program seeks to inform policy discussions on the Middle East by leveraging regional expertise, convening dialogues, and producing rigorous, non-partisan analysis and scholarship. The program assesses regional geopolitical developments with a focus on conflict management, regional security, and post-conflict peacebuilding. Through sustained engagement with policymakers, scholars, and subject-matter experts, the program aims to advance practical policy thinking rooted in on-the-ground realities.
A core pillar of the program is the convening of high-level Track 1.5 and Track 2.0 regional dialogues that bring together policymakers, academics, and experts to conduct joint analysis, discuss de-escalation processes, and advance regional cooperation. The program also organizes issue-area roundtables to develop impactful policy recommendations informed by global lessons learned and regional experience. The program’s analysis and policy outputs are directly informed by the insights generated through these dialogues and roundtables.
The Ukraine war has generated paradoxical and multi-dimensional impacts for Middle East and Mediterranean. The strategic implications could be conceptualized and framed as the war of four battles.
January 3, 2023
Stimson Europe and CARPO hosted a workshop in August 2022 that discussed the potential of cultural relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
December 16, 2022
This research paper investigates the importance of Syria to ISIS and asks how the threat of ISIS interlinks with other issues in the country.
October 11, 2022
The second “Syria Series” roundtable activity of Stimson’s MENA Program focused on the regional consequences of the Syrian conflict on Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq.
September 26, 2022
As part of its new activity “Syria Series," the MENA Program held a closed online round table on the 7th July 2022 on the latest security dynamics in Syria with a focus on the policies of key regional and international players.
July 14, 2022
In addition to conventional security threats, Iraq faces indirect security threats such as environmental degradation. Civil society can play an important role in countering these.
June 28, 2022
This policy paper looks at how the different trajectories of Russia’s war against Ukraine could affect Syria.
June 13, 2022
As part of the Brussels VI Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, IMPACT CSRd and COAR organized a joint briefing on the current state of violent extremism in Northeast Syria (NES), providing recommendations for P/CVE interventions.
May 5, 2022
