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Recent events in France and Turkey have upended the electoral prospects of two major political figures. In France, Marine Le Pen was convicted of embezzling EU funds and cannot run for office for five years. Meanwhile in Turkey, the mayor of Istanbul and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s most formidable rival, Ekrem İmamoğlu, was arrested on corruption charges and jailed. MEI’s Gönül Tol argues that both cases have upended the electoral prospects of major political figures, but the similarity ends there. Le Pen’s disqualification followed the law; İmamoğlu’s was engineered through politics. Equating the two cases hands autocrats like Erdoğan exactly what they want: a talking point to legitimize their crackdowns. Visit the link in our bio to read the full article. 

Just eight months into his term in office, Iran's President Pezeshkian is already losing the support of those who once championed him. MEI's Alex Vatanka analyzes the political climate in Iran and the president's political tactics. Read the full article here:  https://www.mei.edu/publications/president-pezeshkian-already-lost-cause 

Countries around the world are increasingly prioritizing a strict definition of sovereignty and tending toward transactional diplomacy. This shift is frustrating longstanding Western interests in North Africa but also presents opportunities in new sectors. MEI’s Intissar Fakir argues that understanding the motivations behind North Africa’s “sovereignty-first” approach can help the United States and Europe build mutually beneficial and durable links with the region in this new reality. 

With elections on the horizon, Iraq’s future remains uncertain. Navigating internal divisions and external alliances will be crucial to avoiding another cycle of conflict. MEI's Paul Salem dives into the complexity of Iraq’s ongoing transition, examining challenges from oil dependency and electricity shortages to deep political fragmentation. 

After decades of managing tensions through careful balancing, Turkey and Iran now find themselves increasingly at odds following recent shifts in the regional balance of power. With Ankara emboldened and Tehran on its back foot after the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, the struggle for influence between the two neighbors and long-time rivals is escalating in both Syria and Iraq and could spread well beyond their borders. MEI's Gönül Tol and Alex Vatanka break down the situation. 

The Middle East Institute was honored to host a conference presenting the latest key findings from the Syria Strategy Project, an initiative featuring experts from MEI, the European Institute of Peace, and the Atlantic Council. Syria stands at a crossroads following the fall of the Assad regime, and the work of the Syria Strategy Project offers policy recommendations designed to provide a realistic and holistic vision for Syria’s recovery and reintegration into the international community.
 
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Timothy A. Lenderking, Senior Bureau Official in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the US Department of State, for delivering the keynote address. We also express our gratitude to the panelists for their invaluable insights, as well as to everyone who participated in the conference.
 
To read the full report, please click on the link below. 
 https://www.mei.edu/publications/reimagining-syria-roadmap-peace-and-prosperity-beyond-assad 
 
If you missed the event and would like to watch the video, please visit our YouTube channel. 

In a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, Turkey is positioning itself as a strategic energy hub, leveraging complex regional dynamics to transform its global standing. MEI Senior Fellow Gönül Tol's latest analysis unpacks how President Erdoğan is reshaping Turkey's foreign policy from isolation to coalition-building, with energy becoming the critical lever of national power and international influence. By examining Turkey's evolving relationships with the US, Russia, Europe, Syria, Iraq, and beyond, this piece reveals the intricate chess game of modern diplomacy and energy strategy. 

The Middle East Institute was delighted to welcome former Foreign Minister of Jordan Nasser Judeh and former Foreign Minister of Egypt Amre Moussa, who also served as Secretary General of the Arab League, for two separate off-the-record roundtable discussions.
 
Our guests and MEI experts spoke about US relations with regional partners, including Egypt and Jordan, the Arab response to President Trump’s Gaza proposal, and the potential for a Gaza settlement. Both ministers shared with the attendees lessons today's policymakers could draw from their unique diplomatic experiences. 

On behalf of the board of governors, scholars, and staff, MEI sends its best wishes during this holy month of Ramadan. 

The election of President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is a political breakthrough in Lebanon and a harbinger of what could happen in a country long dismissed as unsalvageable. MEI's Fadi Nicholas Nassar writes that Beirut’s new leadership reflects the aspiration of a majority of the Lebanese people to live in a functioning state free from the dual drivers of its failure: political violence and pervasive corruption. He argues that these leaders must now deliver on their commitment to establish a state committed and accountable to its people and rise to meet the responsibility that comes with holding the promise of a nation’s future. And they need not walk that road alone.