MEF Wires

Middle East Forum Wires are summary accounts and audio recordings of MEF speaking events.

Wires are written by MEF staff and (when summary accounts) are generally not reviewed by the speaker.

To see a listing of forthcoming MEF events, please click here.

Audio, Video and Transcripts
Eastern Mediterranean Contributions to Middle East Security
The Middle East Forum participated in a high-level panel on “Eastern Mediterranean Contributions to Middle East Security” at the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece.
April 18, 2025
Audio, Video and Transcripts
The Middle East: Harris and Trump Policies Explained
November 4, 2024
 · 
Ahnaf Kalam
Fluttering Israel flag on crimson red sky with smoke pillars background. Israel problems concept.
Audio, Video and Transcripts
Israel’s Crucible: Forging a New Security Paradigm
Navigating Complex Threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and Beyond in a Shifting Middle East Landscape
October 6, 2024
 · 
Gregg Roman
Winfield Myers
Audio, Video and Transcripts
The Counter-Erdoğan Coalition: Taking on Turkey’s Strongman
May 17, 2023
Winfield Myers
Audio, Video and Transcripts
Salvaging Our Universities in an Era of Intellectual Decadence
May 17, 2023
 · 
Winfield Myers
Winfield Myers
Audio, Video and Transcripts
The Challenges of Countering Islamism in the West
May 17, 2023
 · 
Sam Westrop
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More from MEF
Perhaps the greatest factor shaping Israel’s embrace of Azerbaijan is Israel’s calculation that the Islamic Republic of Iran represents Israel’s greatest strategic challenge.
Middle East Forum Online
The Future of the Israel-Azerbaijan Partnership: Will It Survive Iran Regime Change?
What Happens to Israel-Azerbaijan Bilateral Relations If the Partnership Actually Succeeds in Ending Iran’s Islamic Republic?
September 11, 2025
 · 
Michael Rubin
Since assuming emergency powers in July 2021, Tunisian President Kais Saied has methodically dismantled democratic institutions, sidelined elected bodies, muzzled independent media, and violated human rights under the pretext of combating corruption and terrorism.
Middle East Forum Online
Why the United States Must Stand with the Tunisian People, Not Its President
September 11, 2025
 · 
Amine Ayoub
The world watches as the latest Gaza flotilla sets sail, a fleet of ships ostensibly carrying “humanitarian aid” and a “message of hope.” Yet, the reality of these missions is far more sinister. Boats and civil society supporting the "Humanitarian Flotilla" to Gaza from Barcelona, Spain, August 31, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
The Flotilla Delusion: A Turkish Gambit, Not a Humanitarian Mission
The Flotilla to Gaza Is Designed to Create a Media Spectacle, Not to Deliver Aid
September 11, 2025
 · 
Amine Ayoub
Qatar has presented itself to the west, and to Israel, as an appropriate mediator, a douser of the very fires it helps to set. An Israeli F-15 fighter.
Middle East Forum Online
Israel Ends Qatar’s Immunity
Qatar’s Activities in the Middle East Have Handily Been Described as Combining the Functions of the Arsonist and the Firefighter
September 11, 2025
 · 
Jonathan Spyer
Almost no buildings are left standing in Rafah, and what was a city of almost 200,000 two years ago is now a sandy wasteland of broken concrete, twisted metal and packs of feral dogs sniffing hungrily around the ruins. Earlier, displaced Palestinians return to their homes in Gaza City and the north via Netzarim; January 26, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Waiting for Gaza City Residents to Head South, Israel Readies New Aid Sites in Rafah
Judging by Its Operations, the Israel Defense Forces Believes It Has Total Control over the Area
September 11, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
For now, most Islamist organizations seem to be keeping a low profile in the aftermath of yesterday's assassination of conservative commentator and activist Charlie Kirk in Utah. Some individual commentators, however, have been aggressive in their public comments.
FWI News
Islamists Respond to Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
Some Gloat More than Others—All Critical
September 11, 2025
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
Russian troops are getting assistance in the Ukraine war from fighters from Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iran’s Role in Deploying Middle Eastern Militias to the War in Ukraine
Numerous Reports Have Surfaced of Militias Sent to Fight on Russia’s Side in Ukraine, Drawn from Countries Under Iran’s Influence
September 11, 2025
 · 
Dalga Khatinoglu
The majority of Saudi Arabia's Muslim citizens identify as Sunni Muslims.
Middle East Forum Observer
The Sahwa Islamist Strategy to Survive Gulf Repression
Sahwa Activists Have Decentralized and Are Strewn Across Universities, Charities and Cyberspace, Making the Movement Difficult to Uproot
September 11, 2025
 · 
Mohammad Taha Ali
Ahnaf Kalam
Middle East Forum Observer
Is Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi Collaborating with the Houthis?
Reports Indicate Saudi Intelligence Has Arrested Alimi’s Brother-in-Law, the Deputy Director of His Office, for Cooperating with the Terrorist Group
September 10, 2025
 · 
Michael Rubin
With Hamas refusing to release the hostages on Israel’s terms — and after a deadly terror shooting in Jerusalem on Monday and a deadly attack on an Israeli tank in Gaza the same day — Israel’s patience ran out. Elements of the Al-Qassam Brigades at the funeral of a terrorist killed in Gaza, in the city of Khan Yunis; February 13, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Doha Strike a Huge Blow to Hamas and Qatar, Opportunity for Israel … If It Succeeded
September 10, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman