Brookings Executive Education

Program Series

Inside the Middle East: Security, Political and Social Dynamics

The flood of information, events, policies and opinions concerning the Middle East can seem overwhelming at times. Finding the relevant, strategic information you need is hard work. In this course, hear directly from policymakers, Middle East ambassadors and Brookings experts on topics including Egypt and the Arab Revolution, the Israel-Palestine conflict, Iraq, Iran, and terrorism. Discuss regional security, political, economic, social, and religious trends—with a particular focus on how they may affect U.S. foreign policy, trade, and national security.

This three-day course gives you a unique opportunity to hear directly from the people shaping policy both at home and abroad. Each day begins at 8:15 a.m. and includes breakfast, multiple seminars and a luncheon lecture. Registration on the first day begins at 7:45 a.m.

Topics in 2011 included:

  • U.S. policy toward the Middle East
  • Impact of the Arab Revolution
  • Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen
  • Impact of youth in the Middle East
  • Prospects for broad societal reform
  • Role of social media in the Arab Revolution
  • Political Islam in the Middle East 

Speakers in 2011 included:

  • John Duke Anthony, president and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations
  • Maen Rashid Areikat, PLO representative to the U.S.
  • Bill Corcoran, president, American Near East Refugee Aid
  • Hussein Hassouna, ambassador of the Arab League to the United States
  • Theodore Kattouf, former ambassador to Syria and to the United Arab Emirates
  • Thomas C. Krajeski, senior vice president, National Defense University; former U.S. ambassador to Yemen
  • Daniel Levy, director, Middle East Task Force, New America Foundation; co-editor, The Middle East Channel
  • Amira Maaty, program officer, Middle East and North Africa Center for International Media Assistance, National Endowment for Democracy
  • David Mack, former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and deputy assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs
  • Shiraz Maher, former officer in the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, in the United Kingdom
  • Hisham Melhem, Washington bureau chief, Al-Arabiya News Channel
  • Houda Ezra Nonoo, ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States
  • Jonathan Peled, spokesman of the Israeli Embassy in the United States
  • Kenneth M. Pollack, director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy; senior fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, the Brookings Institution; author of A Path out of the Desert
  • Bruce Riedel, senior fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution
  • Ratna Sahay, deputy director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, International Monetary Fund
  • Edward Sayre, nonresident fellow, Global Economy and Development, Brookings Institution; associate professor of international development, University of Southern Mississippi
  • Salman Shaikh, director, Brookings Doha Center; fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution; former United Nations advisor on the Middle East
  • Philip Wilcox, president, Foundation for Middle East Peace
  • Tamara Wittes, deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • Anthony Zinni, former commander-in-chief, U.S. Central Command; author, The Battle for Peace

Audience for this Program

  • Intelligence and military communities
  • Business managers and executives
  • Nonprofit, advocacy, humanitarian and development organizations
  • Political officers at embassies and consulates
  • Anyone heading to the Middle East

Program Benefits

  • Real understanding of emerging trends in the Middle East
  • Opportunities to interact with regional policymakers
  • New perspectives on how developments in the Middle East can affect your organization