The RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy (CMEPP) brings together analytic excellence and regional expertise from across the RAND Corporation to address the most critical political, social, and economic challenges facing the Middle East today. Our goal is to inform policy in ways that help improve the security and well-being of people living in the region.
Since 2011, 12 million Syrians have fled their homes, either inside Syria or crossing its borders as refugees. To help shape policy that will improve the lives of refugees and support host communities over the longer term, RAND focuses its work on the greatest challenges related to this crisis: humanitarian assistance, education, jobs, and regional and global security.
Director, Center for Middle East Public Policy; Senior Political Scientist
RAND CMEPP Experts are available to the media on a wide range of topics.
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Recent Commentary
Iran's Network of Fighters in the Middle East Aren't Always Loyal to Iran
May 21, 2019
Becca Wasser @Becca_Wasser, Ariane M. Tabatabai @ArianeTabatabai
Iran's nonstate partners are emerging as central players in the escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, and may be a driver of further escalation. But how involved is Iran with these proxy groups?
The U.S. and Iran: Beyond the Rhetoric
May 17, 2019
Ariane M. Tabatabai @ArianeTabatabai
Since the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, tensions between the two countries have increased. Washington has stepped up pressure on Tehran in the hopes of reopening negotiations or ushering in the regime's collapse, while inside Iran, President Rouhani is facing pressure to retaliate.
We're Just Beginning to Grasp the Toll of the Islamic State's Archaeological Looting in Syria
May 15, 2019
Fiona Greenland, Oya Topçuoğlu, et al.
During the Islamic State's rise, looted artifacts were said to be a significant source of income for the group. But no one had identified the value, using empirical data and systematic calculations, of the artifacts that were known to exist in Syria's archaeological sites. Until now.