Inside the Middle East

Dr. Bruce Rutherford, Associate Professor of Political Science at Colgate University, sits down with JMEPP Editor Elissa Miller to discuss political developments in Egypt since the 2011 revolution, including the current state of political Islam and prospects for democratic change in the country.

Energy policy and security in the Middle East expert, Dr. Ali Ahmad discusses the region's energy needs, including the possibility of nuclear power with Mariya Ilyas for the Inside the Middle East Q&A Series.

Maha Yahya, Director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, sits down with Niku Jafarnia, Co-editor for Migration and Refugees at the Harvard Journal for Middle Eastern Politics and Policy and a student at Harvard Law School, to discuss the conditions needed for the eventual safe return of Syrian refugees and the current dynamics of domestic rhetoric around refugees in host countries, involuntary returns, “safe zones,” and shifting territorial control within Syria.

Excerpt from an October 24th installment of the “Inside the Middle East" Q&A Series, with Hicham Alaoui, Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and D.Phil. Candidate at Oxford University, on current trends in North African politics including Tunisia’s nascent democracy, North Africa’s unique position in the Middle East region, and the ongoing protests in Morocco’s Rif region.

Excerpt from an April 3rd installment of the “Inside the Middle East" Q&A Series, with Dr. Moncef Marzouki, former President of Tunisia from 2011 to 2014, on Tunisia's Arab Spring uprising, transition to democracy, and ongoing struggle for human rights and economic and social development, including his own role in Tunisia's historic transition.

Excerpt from a November 14 installment of the “Inside the Middle East" Q&A Series, with Tawakkol Karman, Yemeni Activist and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, on women's role in Yemen's 2011 Revolution (of which she was a leading voice) and her hopes for the future of Yemen amidst the mixed results of the Arab Spring.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, discusses the challenges to providing humanitarian assistance in Syria, the action (and inaction) of the UN Security Council in the crisis, and the politicization of aid.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Dr. Abbas Al-Mejren, Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar at the Middle East Initiative and Professor of Economics at Kuwait University, discusses economic development plans in Kuwait and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including poverty alleviation and rationalizing subsidies.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” recorded on April 16, 2015, Nabil Fahmy, Former Foreign Minister of Egypt and Dean and Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy, School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP), American University Cairo, discusses Egypt’s transitional process, public policy challenges, and foreign policy, including relations with Iran and intervention in Yemen.

Excerpt from an October 16 installment of the “Inside the Middle East" Q&A Series, with Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone, Former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Atlantic Council Vice President and Director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, on Turkey's role as a potential model for democracy in the Middle East, including recent setbacks within the context of long-term, qualitative gains.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Maria Fantappie, Iraq analyst at the International Crisis Group, discusses the current situation in Iraq, ongoing sectarian conflict in the country, and prospects for Iraq's future.

Excerpt from a March 30 installment of the “Inside the Middle East" Q&A Series, with Pierre Krahenbuhl, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), on emergency relief, development, and the future for Palestine refugees.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, Executive Committee Member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), discusses the ongoing peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palesitinians, and prospects for the future.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Ambassador Nabeela Al Mulla, Former Ambassador of the State of Kuwait, discusses the regional balance in the Middle East, coordination efforts for humanitarian aid in Syria, and domestic politics in Kuwait.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Ambassador Robert Ford, former United States Ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014 and Algeria from 2006 to 2008, discusses his experiences with the State Department in Iraq and Syria, US strategy in the Syrian Civil War, and Syria's future.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” recorded on April 1, 2015, Dr. Philippe Fargues, Director of the Migration Policy Centre, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies European University Institute (EUI), discusses the humanitarian crisis of migrants from North Africa, the Levant, and the Sahel, crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe on boats.

Excerpt from an October 16 installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” with Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone, Former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Atlantic Council Vice President and Director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, on the upcoming national elections on November 1 in Turkey, including the role of civil society and his thoughts on the current state of Turkish politics.

In our first installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Professor Mohamad Al-Ississ, Spring 2014 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar at the Middle East Initiative, discusses his current research at Harvard Kennedy School, the constraints on economic development in the Middle East and attempts at education reform in the region.

An interview with Karim Sadjadpour, Senior Associate of the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, on the Iran-Saudi rift.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Dr. Khalil Al-Anani, Adjunct Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, discusses the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, democratization in the Middle East and the hope for political stability in Egypt.

Excerpt from a March 31 installment of the “Inside the Middle East" Q&A Series, with Mouin Rabbani, Former Head of Political Affairs, UN Special Envoy for Syria, on Palestine, Syria, and the successes and failures of UN efforts for peace in Syria.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Raed Charafeddine, First Vice-Governor, Central Bank of Lebanon, discusses the job market in Lebanon and the Middle East and the role of financial institutions in the region.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Marwan Muasher, Vice President of Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former Jordanian Ambassador to the United States, discusses pluralism and democracy in the Middle East and his long term vision for political, economic, and cultural transformation in the Arab World.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” recorded on March 10, 2015, Dr. Madawi Al-Rasheed, Visiting Professor at the Middle East Centre, London School of Economics, discusses themes in her lecture in the Spring 2015 study group Rethinking the Arab State, led by Professor Michael C. Hudson, titled “Not So Good to be King: the Saudi Monarchy at Crossroads”.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” recorded on September 22, 2015, Mahmoud Gebril, Former Prime Minister of Libya, discusses Libya's difficult transition including international intervention and the overthrown of the Qaddafi regime, subsequent elections and reform efforts, and his hopes for future political stability and economic prosperity.

Excerpt from an October 16 installment of the “Inside the Middle East" Q&A Series, with Minister Hedi Larbi, Former Minister of Economic Infrastructure and Sustainable Development and Middle East Initiative Fall 2015 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar, on the role of International Monetary Institutions such as the World Bank and IMF in encouraging and implementing economic reforms during the political transition in Tunisia.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Dr. Adnan Shihab-Eldin, Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, discusses changes in the global energy market, security in the Gulf countries, and the advancement of science and technology efforts in Kuwait.

Ambassador Dennis Ross, special Middle East coordinator under President Bill Clinton, and a key figure in the Israel-Palestine peace talks, sits with Satgin Hamrah, Associate Editor of the Harvard Journal of Middle Eastern Politics and Policy to talk about American diplomacy in the Middle East.

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Soli Özel, Professor of International Relations, Kadir Has University, Istanbul, discusses Turkey's politics, domestic concerns, and upcoming elections.