The Regional and Domestic Elements of Erdoğan's Grand Strategy
Release Date: 07/24/2025
Under Pressure: Will Snapback Sanctions Bring Iran Back to the Table?
Middle East Focus
With Iran’s nuclear program devastated, the reimposition of UN sanctions looming, and Tehran grappling with the fallout of the 12-Day War, is the time ripe for Iran to return to the negotiating table? MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Alan Eyre — former senior US diplomat and member of the 2015 JCPOA negotiating team — joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to assess whether meaningful US-Iran talks are still possible and what they could achieve amid deep mistrust and escalating pressure. This episode was recorded on September 9, 2025.
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The Middle East's Water and Climate Crisis: Lessons from Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf
Middle East Focus
In this episode of Middle East Focus, host Alistair Taylor is joined by climate, energy, and sustainability expert Karim Elgendy to examine the growing water and climate crisis across the Middle East. They explore how climate change, mismanagement, and regional politics are straining already scarce resources — from Iran’s looming water shortages to Iraq’s power grid collapse and the Gulf’s dependence on desalination. The conversation also looks at prospects for regional cooperation, the role of technology, and the difficult balance between development and environmental...
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Lebanon and the UNIFIL Mandate: Disarming Hizballah and Reclaiming Sovereignty
Middle East Focus
With its new government at the half-year mark and the UNIFIL international peacekeeping force’s mandate due for reauthorization at month’s end, Lebanon stands at a pivotal moment. In this episode of Middle East Focus, hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Fadi Nicolas Nassar to evaluate whether the Lebanese state can reclaim its sovereignty, starting with the disarmament of Hizballah and the enforcement of a cease-fire. Nassar examines UNIFIL’s evolving mandate for action, the force’s operational limits and posture, and the Lebanese prime...
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Egypt and Gaza: Conflict, Crisis, and the Path to a Ceasefire
Middle East Focus
With the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza in the global spotlight, Egypt faces mounting pressure both at home and abroad. In this episode of Middle East Focus, hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj speak with MEI Senior Fellow Mirette Mabrouk about how Cairo is handling the crisis in the neighboring coastal strip. What are the Egyptian government's main concerns as conditions there continue to deteriorate? How is Egypt responding to domestic outrage and changing international dynamics? And what role is it playing in the Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks and planning for the day after?...
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The Regional and Domestic Elements of Erdoğan's Grand Strategy
Middle East Focus
In this episode of Middle East Focus, hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Gönül Tol to discuss how shifting regional dynamics — from the Israel-Iran war to renewed violence in southern Syria — are reshaping Turkey’s foreign policy and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's domestic agenda. They unpack Ankara’s ties with the US under the Trump administration, its strained relations with Israel, the implications of Turkey’s peace process with the PKK, and Erdoğan’s bid to maintain his hold on power. The conversation also explores how Turkey is...
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Bonus Episode: Understanding the Violence in Southern Syria
Middle East Focus
Welcome to a special Bonus Episode of Middle East Focus. We're pleased to bring you access to a recent MEI Virtual Briefing recorded on July 23, 2025, on the recent violence in southern Syria. Sectarian clashes in the province of Sweida left hundreds dead and exposed deep-rooted tensions, governance gaps, and the fragility of Syria’s post-Assad transition. MEI Senior Fellow Charles Lister and Associate Fellow Gregory Waters join MEI's Zeina Al-Shaib to unpack the sequence of events that ignited the conflict, the Syrian government's controversial response, Israel's intervention, and...
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The Gulf’s Geo-Economic Balancing Act
Middle East Focus
Amid sustained regional conflict and global uncertainty, the Arab Gulf states are navigating a shifting economic and strategic landscape with surprising resilience. MEI Senior Fellow Karen Young joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to break down the latest economic data and geopolitical developments affecting the Gulf economies — from the ripple effects of the Israel-Iran war and Houthi maritime threats to energy diversification and global investment strategies. Young unpacks the challenges and opportunities shaping the Gulf’s economic resilience and explains what it all means...
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Deals, Diplomacy, and Day-After Plans: The Trump Administration's Middle East Strategy
Middle East Focus
As the Trump administration marks six months in office, it is pursuing a flurry of diplomatic initiatives across the Middle East — some publicly coordinated, others shaped behind closed doors. MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Mara Rudman joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to assess the administration’s broader regional strategy and its handling of key issues including Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations, the future of Gaza, US-Iran nuclear diplomacy, Israeli-Arab normalization, Lebanon’s political stalemate, and prospects for Israeli-Syrian talks. Rudman, a veteran of the...
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Israel at War: Regional Reverberations and Political Fallout
Middle East Focus
Dr. Yoel Guzansky, associate fellow at MEI and senior research fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack the military and political implications of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran. In the lead-up to next week’s closely watched visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, they discuss Israel’s strategic gains and domestic reaction, the evolving US-Israel relationship, and the war’s ripple effects across Gaza, the Gulf, and beyond. Recorded July 2, 2025
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After the 12-Day War: Iran, Israel, and the Future Regional Order
Middle East Focus
The dust has barely settled following the dramatic 12-day war between Israel and Iran, but its political and strategic reverberations are already shaping the future of the Middle East. In this episode of Middle East Focus, Ross Harrison, senior fellow and book series editor at the Middle East Institute, joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to assess what comes next — from Tehran’s internal power recalibrations to the future of Iran’s forward defense strategy, and shifting regional alliances. Harrison also discusses key themes from his forthcoming book, (I.B. Tauris),...
info_outlineIn this episode of Middle East Focus, hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Gönül Tol to discuss how shifting regional dynamics — from the Israel-Iran war to renewed violence in southern Syria — are reshaping Turkey’s foreign policy and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's domestic agenda. They unpack Ankara’s ties with the US under the Trump administration, its strained relations with Israel, the implications of Turkey’s peace process with the PKK, and Erdoğan’s bid to maintain his hold on power. The conversation also explores how Turkey is positioning itself as Western engagement grows more uncertain and what this means for the future of democracy in the country.
Listen to Gönül’s podcast Rethinking Democracy, where she explores threats to democracy at home and abroad — and how to counter them — at the link below:
https://www.mei.edu/podcast/rethinking-democracy