About The Middle East Forum

Founded in 1990, the Middle East Forum became an independent organization in 1994. The Forum is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax-ID 23-774-9796, approved April 27, 1998. For more information, view a copy of the IRS letter of determination.

Mission

The Middle East Forum, a think tank, seeks to define and promote American interests in the Middle East. It defines U.S. interests to include fighting radical Islam, whether terroristic or lawful; working for Palestinian acceptance of Israel; improving the management of U.S. democracy efforts; reducing energy dependence on the Middle East; more robustly asserting U.S. interests vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia; and countering the Iranian threat. The Forum also works to improve Middle East studies in North America.

MEF sees the region, with its profusion of dictatorships, radical ideologies, existential conflicts, border disagreements, political violence, and weapons of mass destruction as a major source of problems for the United States. Accordingly, it urges active measures to protect Americans and their allies.

Toward this end, the Forum seeks to help shape the intellectual climate in which U.S. foreign policy is made by addressing key issues in a timely and accessible way for a sophisticated public.

Activities

Middle East Quarterly. Published since March 1994, the Quarterly is a policy-oriented journal aimed to provide cutting-edge information for specialists and absorbing information for a general readership. Edited by Michael Rubin, MEQ is the only journal on the Middle East consistent with mainstream American opinion.

Campus Watch. This recently established program monitors the often erroneous and biased teachings and writings of U.S. professors specializing in the Middle East, with the goal of improving the scholarly study of the region. A Campus Speakers Bureau provides speakers who can provide accurate and balanced information to American students in the classroom.

Islamist Watch. This project combats the ideas and institutions of non-violent radical Islam in the United States and other Western countries. It exposes the goals of Islamists (too often overlooked in prosecuting the war on terror), works to reduce their power, and seeks to strengthen moderate Muslims.

Legal Project. The Legal Project aims to protect researchers and analysts who work on the topics of terrorism, terrorist funding, and radical Islam.

Research and Publications. Forum scholars produce a weekly newspaper column which runs in the New York Post and Jerusalem Post, write articles in magazines and journals, and publish books (most recently, Militant Islam Reaches America). Newspapers include the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.

Public Outreach. Television and radio rely extensively on Forum staff, appearing on virtually all the major over-the-air and cable news programs, plus stations in other countries (Australia, France, Japan, etc.) In addition, staff members brief ranking officials of the U.S. government, testify before Congress, and conduct studies for the Department of Defense and other federal agencies.

Lectures & Briefings. The Forum forwards a robust consideration of Middle East issues by sponsoring a lecture series in four cities: Philadelphia, New York City, Seattle, and Boston. Speakers have included heads of state, ranking ministers, and leading journalists and scholars. Conference Calls with leading analysts to discuss topical issues - continued political transformation in Iran, the revitalized Arab boycott of Israel, Syria's occupation of Lebanon, Turkey's changing political landscape, and the predictable collapse of the Arab-Israeli peace-process.

www.meforum.org. The Forum's website contains recent articles, a complete archive of Middle East Quarterly articles, summary accounts of guest lectures and briefings, a discussion forum, and other important listings.

MEF News & MEF Alerts. The Forum maintains two email lists that alert thousands of subscribers about MEF events, media appearances, news developments, and summary accounts.

www.danielpipes.org. The Forum's director, Daniel Pipes, maintains a website with over three thousand pages of his writings, television transcripts, testimony, and more.

Student Internship Program. The MEF takes pride in offering hands-on experience to students in a range of research, editorial, and administrative tasks, with an emphasis on getting them into print.

Trips, both distant (to Kuwait and Turkey) and near (to Washington). Some trips (such as one to Israel and Jordan) have a specific focus (in this case, counter-terrorism), others are general-interest.

Please send queries to info@meforum.org.