The pandemic is likely to hit the Middle East’s more fragile countries hardest.

Investment into the Middle East region by US-based companies showed a notable increase between the beginning fo 2016 and the end of 2018. 

Dubai outstrips other Middle East cities as top destination for office openings.

The UAE remained the Middle East's most popular destination for foreign manufacturing investments in 2018.

Amendments to the recently passed draft PPP law have been approved by Jordan's Lower House Investment Committee (the “Committee”). The Committee has amended articles in the draft PPP law by removing the obligation on the Governme...

Decisions taken by Middle Eastern governments in their fight against the coronavirus reflect differences in administrative capacities, infrastructures and specific national political preferences.

The low reporting in some countries and civil conflicts across the region mean that the number of cases is continually undercounted.

Turkey’s official coronavirus infections rose to more than 86,000 with 2,000 deaths on Monday.

The layoffs come amid global cuts as the coronavirus pandemic sees revenues drop.

ABSTRACT

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) can cause severe and fatal acute respiratory disease in humans and remains endemic in the Middle East since first being identified in 2012. There are currently no approved vaccines or therapies available for MERS-CoV. In this study, we evaluated parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5)-based vaccine expressing the MERS-CoV envelope spike protein (PIV5/MERS-S) in a human DPP4 knockin C57BL/6 congenic mouse model (hDPP4 KI). Following a single-dose intranasal immunization, PIV5-MERS-S induced neutralizing antibody and robust T cell responses in hDPP4 KI mice. A single intranasal administration of 10⁴ PFU PIV5-MERS-S provided complete protection against a lethal challenge with mouse-adapted MERS-CoV (MERS_MA6.1.2) and improved virus clearance in the lung. In comparison, single-dose intramuscular immunization with 10⁶ PFU UV-inactivated MERS_MA6.1.2 mixed with Imject alum provided protection to only 25% of immunized mice. Intriguingly, an influx of eosinophils was observed only in the lungs of mice immunized with inactivated MERS-CoV, suggestive of a hypersensitivity-type response. Overall, our study indicated that PIV5-MERS-S is a promising effective vaccine candidate against MERS-CoV infection.

IMPORTANCE MERS-CoV causes lethal infection in humans, and there is no vaccine. Our work demonstrates that PIV5 is a promising vector for developing a MERS vaccine. Furthermore, success of PIV5-based MERS vaccine can be employed to develop a vaccine for emerging CoVs such as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, alleges that since 2003, defendants have violated the False Claims Act.

The carrier strike group is expected to be deployed in the US Central Command region, where the US Navy currently has no aircraft carrier stationed.

Mar 24, 2020

While the Middle East Initiative is focused entirely on the MENA region, several other Center programs are also working on issues related to the Middle East, including Future of Diplomacy, Geopolitics of Energy, and the Managing the Atom.

Mar 24, 2020

While the Middle East Initiative is focused entirely on the MENA region, several other Center programs are also working on issues related to the Middle East, including Future of Diplomacy, Geopolitics of Energy, and the Managing the Atom.

Jan 15, 2020

The events surrounding the US assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Major General Qassem Soleimani brought to the surface the two main ideological forces that now battle each other across the Middle East - the anti-imperial "resistance" of Iran and its Arab allies, and the freedom "revolution" of domestic protesters in the same lands. 

Jan 29, 2020

Rami Khouri's on Euronews TV discussing the Trump-Netanyahu Middle East initiative.

Jan 15, 2020

The events surrounding the US assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Major General Qassem Soleimani brought to the surface the two main ideological forces that now battle each other across the Middle East - the anti-imperial "resistance" of Iran and its Arab allies, and the freedom "revolution" of domestic protesters in the same lands. 

Jan 29, 2020

Rami Khouri's on Euronews TV discussing the Trump-Netanyahu Middle East initiative.

Feb 13, 2020

The idea for a workshop on feminisms in the Middle East materialized at an MEI-hosted book launch for Nermin Allam (Rutgers University-Newark), “Women and the Egyptian Revolution,” in fall 2018. Over the subsequent dinner, Allam, Leila Ahmed (Harvard Divinity School), Tarek Masoud (MEI Faculty Director), and current and former MEI research fellows Lihi Ben Shitrit, Yuree Noh, and Hind Ahmed Zaki discussed extensively new trends in feminism and gender activism in the Middle East post-Arab Spring. Such a talk over dinner, naturally, was insufficient.

Feb 14, 2020

Despite the growing profile of cyber hacks, leaks, and resulting diplomatic crises in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, conversations about policy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) rarely address cybersecurity concerns. During the 2018-2019 academic year, a research collaboration between MEI and the Cyber Project at the Belfer Center looked to shift the dialogue.

Mar 24, 2020

While the Middle East Initiative is focused entirely on the MENA region, several other Center programs are also working on issues related to the Middle East, including Future of Diplomacy, Geopolitics of Energy, and the Managing the Atom.

Mar 24, 2020

The Belfer Center’s Middle East Initiative (MEI) is tackling changes in the Middle East with a multi-pronged approach. By bringing together the world’s top academic and policy experts to debate issues at the core of the transformation, and by providing a range of on-campus, field experiences, and other opportunities for students and research fellows, MEI is helping develop the next generation of Middle East leaders and scholars and providing policy-relevant research on challenges facing the region today.

Jan 15, 2020

The events surrounding the US assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Major General Qassem Soleimani brought to the surface the two main ideological forces that now battle each other across the Middle East - the anti-imperial "resistance" of Iran and its Arab allies, and the freedom "revolution" of domestic protesters in the same lands. 

Jan 29, 2020

Rami Khouri's on Euronews TV discussing the Trump-Netanyahu Middle East initiative.

Jan 15, 2020

The events surrounding the US assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Major General Qassem Soleimani brought to the surface the two main ideological forces that now battle each other across the Middle East - the anti-imperial "resistance" of Iran and its Arab allies, and the freedom "revolution" of domestic protesters in the same lands. 

Jan 29, 2020

Rami Khouri's on Euronews TV discussing the Trump-Netanyahu Middle East initiative.

Jan 15, 2020

The events surrounding the US assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Major General Qassem Soleimani brought to the surface the two main ideological forces that now battle each other across the Middle East - the anti-imperial "resistance" of Iran and its Arab allies, and the freedom "revolution" of domestic protesters in the same lands. 

Jan 29, 2020

Rami Khouri's on Euronews TV discussing the Trump-Netanyahu Middle East initiative.

On April 13, 2020, Suzanne Maloney discussed "Why the Middle East Matters" via video conference with IHS Markit.

Mar 24, 2020

While the Middle East Initiative is focused entirely on the MENA region, several other Center programs are also working on issues related to the Middle East, including Future of Diplomacy, Geopolitics of Energy, and the Managing the Atom.

Mar 24, 2020

While the Middle East Initiative is focused entirely on the MENA region, several other Center programs are also working on issues related to the Middle East, including Future of Diplomacy, Geopolitics of Energy, and the Managing the Atom.

Jan 15, 2020

The events surrounding the US assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Major General Qassem Soleimani brought to the surface the two main ideological forces that now battle each other across the Middle East - the anti-imperial "resistance" of Iran and its Arab allies, and the freedom "revolution" of domestic protesters in the same lands. 

Jan 29, 2020

Rami Khouri's on Euronews TV discussing the Trump-Netanyahu Middle East initiative.

Jan 15, 2020

The events surrounding the US assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Major General Qassem Soleimani brought to the surface the two main ideological forces that now battle each other across the Middle East - the anti-imperial "resistance" of Iran and its Arab allies, and the freedom "revolution" of domestic protesters in the same lands. 

Jan 29, 2020

Rami Khouri's on Euronews TV discussing the Trump-Netanyahu Middle East initiative.

Jan 15, 2020

The events surrounding the US assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Major General Qassem Soleimani brought to the surface the two main ideological forces that now battle each other across the Middle East - the anti-imperial "resistance" of Iran and its Arab allies, and the freedom "revolution" of domestic protesters in the same lands. 

Jan 29, 2020

Rami Khouri's on Euronews TV discussing the Trump-Netanyahu Middle East initiative.

Jan 15, 2020

The events surrounding the US assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Major General Qassem Soleimani brought to the surface the two main ideological forces that now battle each other across the Middle East - the anti-imperial "resistance" of Iran and its Arab allies, and the freedom "revolution" of domestic protesters in the same lands. 

Jan 29, 2020

Rami Khouri's on Euronews TV discussing the Trump-Netanyahu Middle East initiative.

Ever since President Trump abruptly decided to withdraw troops from northern Syria, there’s been growing debate about the role of America in the Middle East. And there should be. This is a region that about 400 million souls call home. And it’s right on Europe’s doorstep. If we’ve learned anything since 9/11, it should be…

On April 13, 2020, Suzanne Maloney discussed "Why the Middle East Matters" via video conference with IHS Markit.

On April 30, 2020, Vanda Felbab-Brown participated in an event with the Middle East Institute on the "Pandemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan: The Potential Social, Political and Economic Impact."

On April 30, 2020, Vanda Felbab-Brown participated in an event with the Middle East Institute on the "Pandemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan: The Potential Social, Political and Economic Impact."

In this episode of “Intersections,” Kenneth Pollack, senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy and Shadi Hamid, senior fellow in the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World and author of "Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle over Islam is Reshaping the World," discuss the current state of upheaval in the Middle East, the Arab Spring, and how and why the United States should change its approach to the Middle East.

In a new Brookings Doha Center Analysis Paper, Robin Mills identifies the key points of vulnerability in MENA energy supply and transit, including the pivotal Strait of Hormuz and a number of important pipelines. Mills also assesses the impact of possible disruptions on both the global economy and MENA states themselves.

Science diplomacy can help countries in the Middle East and elsewhere solve on-the-ground challenges and improve standards of living for their citizens. But it can also lay groundwork for improving relations in a region often defined by tension (if not outright conflict) through functional, scientific cooperation that is less politicized.