Middle East

The Middle East is undergoing a transformative moment where the old order is vanishing and a new one is beginning to take shape. Wars in Gaza and Iran, the evolution of terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, and the fall of Bashar al Assad have dramatically changed the region, leading to unprecedented conflict and alliances in the midst of changing economies and energy flows. CSIS experts grapple with these fast-moving developments and explore questions surrounding issues such as geopolitics and geostrategy, governance, counterterrorism, economics, and water security.

Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images; AFP/Getty Images

Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images; AFP/Getty Images

Iran and the Emerging Security Order in the Middle East

The war with Iran has reshaped the Middle East, exposing the limits of U.S. power and raising questions about the future of regional security. As the old order unravels, Tehran may emerge with greater influence in a more multipolar region.

Commentary by Vali Nasr — September 14, 2026

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Experts

Jon Alterman

Jon B. Alterman

Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy
Seth G. Jones

Seth G. Jones

President, Defense and Security Department; Harold Brown Chair
Daniel Byman

Daniel Byman

Director, Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program
Will Todman

Will Todman

Chief of Staff, Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department; and Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Douglas Comstock

Douglas Comstock

Fellow for Satellite Imagery Analysis and Open-Source Intelligence, iDeas Lab
Masha Kotkin

Masha Kotkin

Fellow, Energy Security and Climate Change Program

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Iran and the Emerging Security Order in the Middle East

The war with Iran has reshaped the Middle East, exposing the limits of U.S. power and raising questions about the future of regional security. As the old order unravels, Tehran may emerge with greater influence in a more multipolar region.

Commentary by Vali Nasr — September 14, 2026

Is the War Rewriting the World Order? | The High Top

How is the U.S.-Iran war reshaping the world's view of America? Jon Alterman and Nancy Youssef examine the war's impact on everyday life in the UAE and India, how cheap drones are changing modern warfare, and why the conflict may not have a clear end.

Event — September 11, 2026

Russian Roulette

Where Crises Converge: Russia's Role in the Middle East

Max Bergmann is joined by Hanna Notte and Natasha Hall to map the escalation risks, assess Russia's shifting military and diplomatic footprint in Syria under the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa, and parse what a surprise CIA visit to Moscow reveals about where this global realignment is heading.

Podcast Episode by Max Bergmann — September 11, 2026

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Hormuz Needs a Community, Not a Condominium

A deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz that sidelines Gulf states would entrench coercion and invite a new conflict. Postwar Europe offers a better model: a shared governance mechanism that dilutes leverage and fosters long-term cooperation.

Commentary by Raad Alkadiri — September 11, 2026

Imagining an Insurgency in Post-Revolutionary Iran

What if the United States invades Iran to restore regional stability? Iran’s post-regime military strategy would rely on insurgent warfare to draw the United States into a protracted conflict, impeding U.S. efforts to achieve long-term political goals.

Commentary by Andrew Faulhaber — September 10, 2026

Educating the Kingdom at Home

This installment of Charting the Middle East examines the kingdom's shift from financing overseas education to strengthening domestic educational capacity as part of its broader economic transformation.

Newsletter by Dylan Herman — September 10, 2026