Lebanon at a Crossroads: Sovereignty, Hizballah's Disarmament, and the Road to Reform
MEI Senior Fellow Paul Salem joins the program to assess Lebanon’s rapidly shifting political landscape. With a new president and government promising to enact reforms and reassert sovereignty, Lebanon faces a daunting agenda: disarming Hizballah, rebuilding institutions, navigating regional diplomacy, and restoring the economy. Salem offers on-the-ground insight from Beirut, unpacks the fragility of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, and outlines how international actors--from the US to Iran--are shaping the country’s future. Recorded June 9, 2025
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37:00
What Is Israel's Path Forward on Gaza?
What’s next for Gaza—and for Israel? In this episode of Middle East Focus, hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj sit down with Ghaith al-Omari, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former advisor to the Palestinian Authority, to unpack the urgent humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza, the impact of Israeli settlement expansion, and what these developments mean for the future of the region. Recorded June 3, 2025
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33:37
Syria Looks to a Future Unburdened from US Sanctions
MEI Senior Fellow Charles Lister joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to discuss the Trump administration’s dramatic reversal of four decades of US policy toward Syria. Following President Trump’s May 2025 meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and the issuance of a new general license and 180-day waiver of Caesar Act sanctions, the episode explores the implications of this policy shift. What does this mean for Syria’s recovery and reconstruction? How are regional actors like Turkey, Israel, and the Gulf states responding? And what are the risks and opportunities ahead for US-Syria relations? Lister unpacks the diplomatic, economic, and security dimensions of this major policy development and what it signals for Syria’s evolving role in the region. This episode was recorded on May 27, 2025.
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46:52
AI, Tech, and the Future of US-Gulf Relations
Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj speak with MEI Senior Fellow Mohammed Soliman about President Donald Trump’s recent trip to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, which yielded a wave of major US-Gulf tech and AI deals. Soliman explains how these partnerships mark a shift in the relationship—from oil and arms to compute power and data infrastructure—and what it means for the Gulf’s strategic role in the global AI ecosystem. The discussion explores the energy bottlenecks behind AI development, evolving US export control policy, and the social and geopolitical implications of the Gulf’s ambitions to become a digital hub for emerging markets. Recorded May 19, 2025. More analysis from Mohammed Soliman: Realigning US-Saudi relations for the AI era Sheikh Tahnoon in Washington: UAE-US relations reimagined for the 21st century with technology at the core JD Vance Unveils America’s AI Doctrine (The National Interest)
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38:42
US-Houthi Ceasefire Deal & the Future of Red Sea Security
The sudden announcement of a US-Houthi ceasefire, brokered by Oman, has halted Washington’s air campaign in Yemen and raised urgent questions about the future of Red Sea security. What prompted the deal, and what are its implications for maritime shipping, regional alliances, and the trajectory of Yemen’s civil war? This episode explores the strategic motivations behind the ceasefire, the role of Iran and Saudi Arabia, and how the Houthis could leverage the pause to regroup and expand their influence across the Horn of Africa. Joining the program is Nadwa Al-Dawsari, associate fellow with the Middle East Institute, the Irregular Warfare Initiative, and the Center on Armed Groups. She speaks with MEI’s Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj. Recorded May 12, 2025
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