MEI's Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy Brian Katulis sits down with a cast of friends, colleagues, and fellow MENA policy professionals for casual conversations on the most important happenings in the Middle East today.
Latest episodes
-
57 min
Kim Ghattas on a Murder That Explains the Middle East
Brian sits down with author and Emmy Award-winning journalist Kim Ghattas to talk about her new book, The Best Kind of American, which tells the story of the 1984 assassination of…
-
48 min
From the Middle East to Middle America: Engineering Better Policy with Andrew J. Tabler
Brian sits down with Andrew J. Tabler, the Martin J. Gross Senior Fellow in the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute, to trace his unique and d…
-
1 h 16
Hisham Melhem's American Crossroads
Brian is joined by Hisham Melhem, a prominent journalist known for his interviews with Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and his role as an honest intermediary between Ame…
-
1 h 13
Reflections on a Diplomatic Career in the Middle East: A Conversation With Ambassador Yael Lempert
Brian is joined by Amb. (ret.) Yael Lempert, Vice President for Outreach at MEI, to discuss her career in diplomacy and the importance of US diplomatic efforts abroad. She shares s…
-
1 h 12
Surviving October 7th: Amir Tibon on Trauma, War, and Israel's Future
Brian is joined by Amir Tibon, a journalist for Haaretz and the author of The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel's Borderlands and The Last Palestinia…
-
1 h 13
After the Iran War: What Is America's Long Game in the Middle East?
Brian is joined by Dana Stroul, Director of Research and Shelly and Michael Kassen Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, to examine US objectives in the M…
-
1 h 04
Courage Runs in the Iranian People's DNA
Brian sits down with Holly Dagres, Libitzky Family Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, to discuss Iranian public opinion, protest movements, and Washing…
-
1 h 08
The Islamic Republic's War on the Iranian People
Against the backdrop of the Iranian government's brutal crackdown on protestors, Brian is joined by Emad Shargi, an Iranian-American businessman who was unjustly detained by the re…
-
1 h 08
Brian and Behnam Shake the Magic 8 Ball on Iran
Brian sits down with Behnam Taleblu, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to unpack the ongoing protests in Iran and what this moment reveals about the long…
-
1 h 11
Rob Malley Argues Two States is an Illusion
Brian sits down with Robert Malley, a former US official best known for his role as the lead negotiator of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Malley discusses the motivat…
-
1 h 11
How Palestinian Roots Shaped an American Ambassador
Brian welcomes Ambassador (ret.) Theodore "Ted" Kattouf, who previously served as US Ambassador to Syria and the United Arab Emirates, as well as President and CEO of the leading n…
-
57 min
Special Feature: A Front-Row Seat to Saudi Arabia's Transformation
In this episode, Brian sits down with Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News. Abbas, who reported on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's November 18 visit to the White Hou…
-
1 h 21
Saudi Arabia's Role as a Global Swing State
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's November 2025 visit to the United States is his first in more than seven years, and during the past few years Saudi Arabia has assumed an i…
-
1 h 03
From the West Wing to the West Bank, Israel, and Gaza with Bill Clinton
In this episode of Taking the Edge Off the Middle East, host Brian Katulis is joined by Mara Rudman, MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow and veteran of the Obama and Clinton admini…
-
1 h 03
A Passion for Policy: Marvin Weinbaum on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and U.S. Engagement Abroad
Brian Katulis speaks with Dr. Marvin Weinbaum—senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,…
-
58 min
Elliott Abrams Tells All
Veteran US foreign policy official Elliott Abrams joins Brian for a sweeping conversation on America's role in the world amid global upheaval. With nearly 50 years of experience un…
-
51 min
War and Peace in the Middle East: A View from Qatar
In this special bonus episode of Taking the Edge Off the Middle East, host Brian Katulis sits down with Dr. Majed Al-Ansari, adviser to the Prime Minister of Qatar and spokesman fo…
-
1 h 28
Unconventional Wisdom: The Search for America's Soul
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and longtime Democratic National Security and Communications strategist Doug Wilson joins Brian for an expansive conversati…
-
1 h 04
The Trouble With Iran's Playbook
Ross Harrison and Mohsen Milani—two leading experts on Iranian strategy—join Brian for a conversation about the evolution of the Islamic Republic's foreign policy. Both draw on ins…
-
47 min
Bridging Worlds: From Lebanon to Washington
Rana Abtar—chief correspondent for Asharq Al-Awsat and anchor of the Washington Report—joins Brian for a conversation on US policy in the Middle East, Lebanon's struggles and resil…