The Project on Middle East Democracy and Development (MEDD) aimed to forge a new consensus on behalf of constructive American engagement for change in the Middle East. Led by Tamara Cofman Wittes, the project was built on the premise that economic, social and political reform must be discussed and advanced together. Pairing political and economic analysis and bringing together American, regional, and European activists and analysts, the Project on Middle East Democracy and Development helped build an informed understanding on strategies that have and have not worked in support of political and economic reform in the Middle East.