Middle East Institute (MEI)

MEI has been criticized as anti-Israel and paid a settlement for using governmental COVID-19 relief loans to advocate against Israel. ²

History

The Middle East Institute was founded by architect George Camp Keiser in 1946 to spread knowledge of Middle Eastern affairs in the United States. MEI became a central piece in the Washington, D.C. foreign policy sector, as it played a role in establishing the post-World War II understanding of international law. In 1948, its scholars published a pamphlet arguing that the concepts of global strategy, global justice, security, and national interest would need “much reconsideration” in the post-war era They argued the Middle East would be a vital region for this reconsideration. MEI has publicly committed to political neutrality since its inception, although it has been accused of using government loans to promote anti-Zionism. ^{3 4}

After a period of financial uncertainty in the 1950s and 1960s, the Middle East Institute’s scholarship increased during the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Isareli wars and following the Islamic Revolution in Iran. It has remained a prominent source of scholarship and resources related to the Middle East. ³ As an example, National Public Radio interviewed one of its scholars in July 2024 about how Syria’s relations with other countries “are beginning to thaw,” and what it means for the Middle East’s geopolitics. ⁵

Initiatives

The Middle East Institute publishes the Middle East Journal, its flagship publication dating back to 1947. The Middle East Journal is a compilation of articles that provide left-of-center research and analysis regarding Middle East affairs.

MEI also operated a policy institute that employs policy experts to conduct research on defense and security affairs, including counter-terrorism and extremism, as well as regional affairs, particularly Palestinian and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs. An MEI blog post in summer 2024 from Khaled Elgindy, director of Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs, argued that Israel’s “deadly… attack” on a “Gaza ‘safe zone’” at the al-Mawasi camp had derailed “fragile cease-fire talks.” ⁶

The Middle East Institute also manages an education center that offers classes in leadership development through its internship and fellowship programs. ⁷ MEI formerly offered courses in Middle East languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish. ⁸ MEI also manages the Oman Library at the Middle East Institute, which is the largest English language collection of literature on the Middle East outside of the Library of Congress. ⁹

MEI maintains an arts and culture center that includes its art gallery devoted to modern Middle Eastern artwork. Its 2024 exhibit was entitled, “Louder Than Hearts: Women Photographers from the Arab World and Iran.” ¹⁰

Federal Loan Controversy

In June 2024, the Middle East Institute settled a lawsuit with the Zionist Advocacy Center, which is led by pro-Israel lawyer David Abrams. The Center sued under the False Claims Act, alleging that the Middle East Institute improperly received $359,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans from the federal government because it used the federal loans to support work that “[attacks] Israel unfairly.” MEI paid $718,558 to settle the allegations, claiming that any misuse of public funds was unintentional. ^{4 2}

The Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney’s office described the alleged offense as a violation of loan terms because MEI claimed it was not involved in policy, lobbying, or similar work. Had the organization fought the accusations in court, it could have been found liable for $359,000 above settlement amount. Pursuant to the settlement, MEI did not admit legal liability. ¹¹

Leadership

Susan E. Saxton is the interim president and CEO at the Middle East Institute. She holds several advanced degrees, including a Ph.D. in Organization and Management and a Ph.D. in Human Services, both from Capella University, as well as a Master of Law in International Business from the University of Liverpool. ¹² Previously, Saxton worked in education and corporate business in both developed and emerging parts of the world, most recently in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. She has sat on several boards, including the boards of the American Chamber of Commerce (Bahrain) and the Climate Action Committee for MENA 2050. ¹³

John P. Abizaid is chairman of the board of governors of the Middle East Institute. He is a retired U.S. Army four-star General, who most recently served as the United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Trump administration. He served as the Distinguished Chair (Emeritus) of the Combating Terrorism Center at the United States Military Academy at West Point and was the first Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is a director of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. From 2016 through 2018 he served as the senior advisor for the Secretary of Defense to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense. ¹⁴

Financials

The Middle East Institute receives funding through grants and donations from various foreign nations (especially those in the Middle East), corporations, and major left-of-center foundations. In 2022, MEI reported $7,537,295 in revenue, $7,570,231 in expenses, and $27,741,038 in net assets. ¹⁵

Funding from Governments

In 2022, the Middle East Institute received $5,000 in funding from Saudi Arabia for the first time since 2018, after its board of directors reversed a decision to not accept money from the kingdom following the apparent assassination of Washington Post reporter and critic of the Saudi regime Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi. ^{16 17}

In 2023, the Middle East Institute received $1,775,000 from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, $375,000 from the Embassy of the State of Qatar, and $118,473 from the United States State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research. ¹⁸

A 2017 Intercept article criticized MEI for taking a cumulative $20,000,000 between 2016-2017 from the United Arab Emirates, which was under scrutiny at the time for its alleged use of torture against Yemeni detainees. ¹⁹

In 2022, MEI received a $232,699 grant from the U.S Department of State. Between 2020 and 2023, MEI received $117,525 in grants from several Pentagon Contractors including Lockheed Martin ($85,025), Leonardo U.S Corporation ($25,000), IBM ($5,000), and General Atomics ($2,500). Between 2019 and 2023, MEI received $10,631,648 in grants from foreign governments including the United Arab Emirates ($8,645,000), Saudi Arabia ($957,000), and Qatar ($380,000). ^{20 21}

Funding from Businesses

In 2023, the Middle East Institute received $150,000 from DC Capital Partners, $60,000 from the Chevron Corporation, and $50,000 each from the Paladin Capital Group and Silver Lake Capital Management LLC. ¹⁸

Foundations

In 2019, the Middle East Institute received $75,000 from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and another payment of $150,000 in 2022. ²²

The Carnegie Corporation has given several grants to the Middle East Institute, including $500,000 in 2014, $800,000 in 2016, $400,000 in 2018, and $400,000 in 2020. ²³

In 2023, MEI received $833,455 from Think Research and Advisory/SRMG, $442,600 from the Smith Richardson Foundation, $157,781 from the International Development Research Centre, $100,000 from the Chrest Foundation, and $100,000 from the Foundation to Promote Open Society. ¹⁸