Wilson Center Middle East Program

[EVENT] Join the Wilson Center's Future of Euro-MENA Conference bringing experts from Europe, MENA, and the US to discuss policy recommendations on trade, development, migration, and energy security.

Learn more & RSVP➡️ https://buff.ly/3ZJZ747

[READ] MEP Global Fellow Sola Mahfouz reflects on the absurdity of the new Taliban decrees, which include restrictions on women speaking in public.

Full article⬇️
https://buff.ly/3XWUXok

The Absurdity of the Taliban’s New Restrictions on Women MEP Global Fellow Sola Mahfouz reflects on the absurdity of the new Taliban decrees, which include restrictions on women speaking in public.

Book Talk | “The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century”

Join us for a discussion with General McKenzie about his new book, moderated by MEP Director Merissa Khurma. The talk will be followed by a book signing.

📩 RSVP: https://buff.ly/4gz7zt6

[READ] MEP Associate FariaNasruddin and Wilson STIP Associate Kara Struckman explore the role of AI in Bahrain, focusing on its integration into economic strategies, national security, and workforce development.

Full article⤵️

AI in Bahrain: Integrating AI Into Economic Visions, National Security and a Growing Workforce In the Middle East, a race is underway as countries across the region work to establish themselves as leaders in this burgeoning technological frontier. One country well-positioned for the AI race: the Kingdom of Bahrain.

[READ] On the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death and the beginning of the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran , MEP Director Emerita Haleh Esfandiari reflects on the recent history of the protest movement and the new presidency's reaction.

Full article⤵️

Woman, Life, Freedom: The Second Anniversary On the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death and the beginning of the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran, Haleh Esfandiari reflects on the recent history of the protest movement and the new presidency's reaction.

[READ] Released one year after Mahsa Amini's death, the Middle East Program's publication sheds light on Iran's transformation, with insights from the MEP Women's Initiative & Haleh Esfandiari on the movement and regime's response.

Women Lead A Year of Trial and Protest in Iran: Reflections from the Middle East Women’s Initiative In marking the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, the Middle East Program Women's Initiative has released its collected insights on the movement that followed and its impact on Iran, the region, and beyond. Distinguished Fellow and Director Emerita Haleh Esfandiari contributed numerous analys...

[READ] Business Insider quotes MEP Coordinator Yusuf Can:

" ...an improved US-Turkey partnership could also help secure crucial strategic regions, such as the Black Sea"

Full article⤵️

Turkey's 'balancing act' with BRICS may stoke NATO fears, but the West needn't be too worried, analysts say The BRICS group, which includes countries such as Russia, China, and Iran, was formed to challenge the global power of developed Western nations.

[READ] Arab News quotes MEP Director Merissa Khurma on Abraham Accords:

“The Abraham Accords was a well-intentioned initiative led by countries in the region that wanted to prioritize their national security and economic interests,”

Full article⤵️

How the Gaza war has impacted the pace of Abraham Accords-style Arab-Israeli normalization LONDON: It is exactly four years since Donald Trump stood on the South Lawn of the White House, flanked by a beaming Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the UAE, each holding a copy of the Abraham Accords Declaration. The signing of the agreements on Sept. 15, 2020, a process...

[READ] The Christian Science Monitor correspondent Taylor Luck discusses Jordan's upcoming elections, noting reformists' push for change and the Islamic Action Front's use of anti-Israel sentiment.

Full article⤵️

Jordan’s Wartime Elections Jordanians are set to elect a new parliament on September 10, facing economic strain and fears of Israeli-Iranian conflict. Amidst apathy, reformists push for political change, while the Islamic Action Front seeks to capitalize on anti-Israel sentiment fueled by the war in Gaza.

TODAY| Work-in-Progress Screening: " School for Girls," a Documentary about Afghanistan

Join the Wilson Center's Middle East and Indo-Pacific Programs for a documentary screening and discussion with Shannon Taylor, Timothy James Stiven, Pashtana Durrani, and Faria Nasruddin on supporting Afghan women and girls in Afghanistan, and how the Afghan diaspora and international community can contribute.

🗓️ Thursday, Sep. 12
🕒 3:00-4:30 pm ET
➡️Learn more & RSVP: https://buff.ly/3XiaRJr

TOMORROW| Work-in-Progress Screening: " School for Girls," a Documentary about Afghanistan

Join the Wilson Center's Middle East and Indo-Pacific Programs for a documentary screening and discussion with Shannon Taylor, Timothy James Stiven, Pashtana Durrani, and Faria Nasruddin on supporting Afghan women and girls in Afghanistan, and how the Afghan diaspora and international community can contribute.

🗓️ Thursday, Sep. 12
🕒 3:00-4:30 pm ET
➡️Learn more & RSVP:

[READ] BARRON'S quotes MEP Director Merissa Khurma on Gaza ceasefire talks:

"Despite intensive US diplomacy, a mounting death toll and overwhelming Israeli public support for a deal, both Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar see their political survival at stake by accepting."

Full article⤵️

Biden Team, End In Sight, Keeps Hope On Gaza Truce Despite Setbacks A ceasefire agreement in Gaza, an anonymous US official told reporters, is 90 percent ready. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then swiftly called the assessment inaccurate. But within hours, Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted that, indeed, 90 percent was done.

[READ] The Christian Science Monitor correspondent Taylor Luck discusses Jordan's upcoming elections, noting reformists' push for change and the Islamic Action Front's use of anti-Israel sentiment.

Full article⤵️

Jordan’s Wartime Elections Jordanians are set to elect a new parliament on September 10, facing economic strain and fears of Israeli-Iranian conflict. Amidst apathy, reformists push for political change, while the Islamic Action Front seeks to capitalize on anti-Israel sentiment fueled by the war in Gaza.

[READ] MEP Director Emerita Haleh Esfandiari discusses the singular appointment of a woman to the new Iranian presidential cabinet and the expectations of President Masoud Pezeshkian regarding women’s issues.

Full article⤵️

The Token Women in President Pezeshkian’s Cabinet Haleh Esfandiari discusses the singular appointment of a woman to the new Iranian presidential cabinet. She reviews the short history of female appointees and discusses the expectations of President Masoud Pezeshkian regarding women’s issues.

[READ] In a new policy brief, MEP Program Associate Alexander Farley and Researcher Manuel Langendorf examine the status of digital integration of SMEs in MENA by evaluating gaps and providing recommendations to enhance the integration of ICT within SMEs.

Full Publication⤵️

Assessing the Status of Digital Integration of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa Small and medium-sized enterprises represent around 80-90% of private sector businesses in the MENA region, and they employ over 50% of the formal workforce in some countries. Of that, new digital startups are only a small part. Targeting this sector with productivity enhancement through information...

[READ] Egyptian MP Amira Saber highlights the environmental damage from the Gaza war, stressing how conflict and climate change together threaten Gaza's future and the health of survivors, especially women and children.

Full article⤵️

The Price of Victory in the Gaza War: Women, Climate, and Peace Amira Saber, member of the Egyptian Parliament, looks at the environmental damage caused by the war in Gaza. She underscores the compounding ill effects of conflict and climate change on Gaza’s future inhabitability and the surviving generation’s health—in particular, women and children.

[READ] TIME quotes MEP Director Merissa Khurma on U.S. Justice Department charges against Hamas leader and senior militants Over Oct. 7 Attack

"The charges are “yet another tool” for the U.S. to respond to the threat Hamas poses..."

Full article⤵️

DOJ Files Terrorism-Related Charges Against Hamas Leadership The mostly-symbolic criminal charges mark the first effort by American law enforcement to formally call out the masterminds of the Oct. 7 attack.

UPCOMING EVENT| Work-in-Progress Screening: " School for Girls," a Documentary about Afghanistan

Join the Wilson Center's Middle East and Indo-Pacific Programs for a documentary screening and discussion with Shannon Taylor, Timothy James Stiven, Pashtana Durrani, and Faria Nasruddin on supporting Afghan women and girls in Afghanistan, and how the Afghan diaspora and international community can contribute.

🗓️ Thursday, Sep. 12
🕒 3:00-4:30 pm ET
➡️Learn more & RSVP: https://buff.ly/3XiaRJr

UPCOMING EVENT| Work-in-Progress Screening: " School for Girls," a Documentary about Afghanistan

Join the Wilson Center's Middle East and Indo-Pacific Programs for a documentary screening and discussion with Shannon Taylor, Timothy James Stiven, Pashtana Durrani, and Faria Nasruddin on supporting Afghan women and girls in Afghanistan, and how the Afghan diaspora and international community can contribute.

🗓️ Thursday, Sep. 12
🕒 3:00-4:30 pm ET
➡️Learn more & RSVP https://buff.ly/3XiaRJr

UPCOMING EVENT| Work-in-Progress Screening: " School for Girls," a Documentary about Afghanistan

🗓️ Thursday, Sep. 12
🕒 3:00-4:30 pm ET
➡️ Learn more & RSVP: https://buff.ly/3XiaRJr

The Wilson Center’s Middle East Program (MEP), the Middle East Women’s Initiative (MEWI), and the South Asia Institute are pleased to host a closed, work-in-progress screening of the documentary “School for Girls.” The screening will be followed by a panel and Q&A with director and producer Shannon Taylor, Executive Director Pashtana Durrani, Timothy Stiven, a teacher for Flowers of the Future, and a group of girls from Afghanistan (via Zoom) who have participated in the film.