Middle East Policy Council
Encyclopedia
The Middle East Policy Council or MEPC is a Washington DC based 501(c)3 non-profit organization
that produces analysis and commentary on issues impacting U.S. national interests in the Middle East
. It was founded in 1981 under the stated mission to "expand public discussion and understanding of issues affecting U.S. policy in the Middle East." The MEPC's website states that it is interested primarily in "contributing to the American understanding of the political, economic, and cultural issues that affect U.S. interests in the Middle East." http://www.mepc.org/about-council/mission
MEPC was originally named the American Arab Affairs Council and was co-founded by Richard Curtiss and George Naifeh. Richard Curtiss later founded the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
http://www.washington-report.org/html/curtiss_bio.html and George Naifeh remained president of the MEPC until 1991. Subsequent presidents include George McGovern
(1991-1997) and Charles W. Freeman, Jr.
(1997-2009). Frank Anderson is the current president of the MEPC after assuming this role in 2009. Anderson served in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency for 26 years. He served three tours of duty in the Middle East as an agency station chief, headed the Afghan Task Force (1987-89), and was chief of the Near East and South Asia Division. http://www.mepc.org/media-resources
The journal Middle East Policy will publish its 109th issue in the Fall of 2011. Previous issues published an article related to Operation Cast Lead by Trinity College professor Andrew Flibbert titled "The Gaza War: Instrumental Civilian Suffering?" http://www.mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/gaza-war-instrumental-civilian-suffering The 106th issue featured Scott McConnell's article "The Special Relationship: Worth the Costs?" looking at the United States - Israeli relationship in historical context. http://www.mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/special-relationship-israel Scott McConnell
is the founding editor of the American Conservative. The 105th issue contained a symposium transcript, book reviews, and a series of articles under the sub-categories of "Israel and the Neighborhood" and "Iran and the Region." An article by Jeremy Salt titled "Israel's Nuclear Weapons" was made available to non-subscribers free of charge. According to the Council web site:
"Fresh thinking and new insights have been our stock in trade from the beginning. The policy practitioners, analysts, economists and academics appearing in our venues have provided a wide diversity of views on the region stretching from Morocco to Afghanistan and from Central Asia to Oman. They question conventional wisdom and explain complex issues without oversimplifying them. A receptive audience has welcomed these efforts from the appearance of the first issue of the journal." http://www.mepc.org/about-council/history
Established in 1993, the Capitol Hill Conference Series is aimed at members of Congress and their staffs, opinion leaders and members of the media. According to the Council web site "the starting point for each forum is the same: What are the interests of the United States in the Middle East, and how should they be realized?" http://www.mepc.org/hill-forums
Recent Capitol Hill Forums include "Arab and Israeli Peace Initiatives: A Last Chance for Negotiations?" (7/25/11); The Arab Uprisings and U.S. Policy: What is the American National Interest? (4/28/11); Israeli - Palestinian Peace and U.S. National Security (1/20/11); Middle Eastern Perspectives on the United States (10/14/10); U.S. Policies Toward Israel and Iran: What are the Linkages? (7/13/10); Gulf Oil & Gas: What are the Producers Thinking? (4/22/10); Eighteen Months and Beyond: Implications of U.S. Policy in Afghanistan (1/7/10). Video archives from these events are available on the Council website and the events are live streamed.
Since 1985, the workshops of Teach Mideast have been conducted in nearly all 50 U.S. states, reaching over 20,000 teachers.
contributes a weekly series The War on Terror in Perspective where he addresses "the nature of the 'War on Terror', the regional impact of American withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. policy choices after withdrawing from these conflicts, and the larger geopolitical context in which this 'war' is taking place." http://www.mepc.org/articles-commentary/war-terror-perspective Political risk analyst Ian Siperco also writes about political developments in the region.
According to non-profit disclosure forms, The Middle East Policy Council's 2007 total receipts were $731,000. http://harpers.org/archive/2009/03/hbc-90004550
The MEPC board of directors includes the following individuals:
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that produces analysis and commentary on issues impacting U.S. national interests in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. It was founded in 1981 under the stated mission to "expand public discussion and understanding of issues affecting U.S. policy in the Middle East." The MEPC's website states that it is interested primarily in "contributing to the American understanding of the political, economic, and cultural issues that affect U.S. interests in the Middle East." http://www.mepc.org/about-council/mission
MEPC was originally named the American Arab Affairs Council and was co-founded by Richard Curtiss and George Naifeh. Richard Curtiss later founded the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs magazine, published nine times per year in Washington, D.C., focuses on "news and analysis from and about the Middle East and U.S...
http://www.washington-report.org/html/curtiss_bio.html and George Naifeh remained president of the MEPC until 1991. Subsequent presidents include George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
(1991-1997) and Charles W. Freeman, Jr.
Charles W. Freeman, Jr.
Charles W. Freeman, Jr. is an American diplomat, author, and writer. He has served for the State and Defense Departments in many different capacities in the past thirty years, with the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs calling his career "remarkably varied"...
(1997-2009). Frank Anderson is the current president of the MEPC after assuming this role in 2009. Anderson served in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency for 26 years. He served three tours of duty in the Middle East as an agency station chief, headed the Afghan Task Force (1987-89), and was chief of the Near East and South Asia Division. http://www.mepc.org/media-resources
Programs
The Council advances its mission through three programs: the quarterly journal Middle East Policy (the most influential policy publication on the region); the Capitol Hill Conference Series for policy makers and their staffs; and professional development workshops for K-12 educators through the Teach Mideast arm.The journal Middle East Policy will publish its 109th issue in the Fall of 2011. Previous issues published an article related to Operation Cast Lead by Trinity College professor Andrew Flibbert titled "The Gaza War: Instrumental Civilian Suffering?" http://www.mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/gaza-war-instrumental-civilian-suffering The 106th issue featured Scott McConnell's article "The Special Relationship: Worth the Costs?" looking at the United States - Israeli relationship in historical context. http://www.mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/special-relationship-israel Scott McConnell
Scott McConnell
Scott McConnell is an American journalist best known as a founding editor of The American Conservative.In 1968, as a student at a New Hampshire boarding school, McConnell canvassed for Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy. After receiving a Ph.D in history at Columbia University, McConnell returned...
is the founding editor of the American Conservative. The 105th issue contained a symposium transcript, book reviews, and a series of articles under the sub-categories of "Israel and the Neighborhood" and "Iran and the Region." An article by Jeremy Salt titled "Israel's Nuclear Weapons" was made available to non-subscribers free of charge. According to the Council web site:
"Fresh thinking and new insights have been our stock in trade from the beginning. The policy practitioners, analysts, economists and academics appearing in our venues have provided a wide diversity of views on the region stretching from Morocco to Afghanistan and from Central Asia to Oman. They question conventional wisdom and explain complex issues without oversimplifying them. A receptive audience has welcomed these efforts from the appearance of the first issue of the journal." http://www.mepc.org/about-council/history
Established in 1993, the Capitol Hill Conference Series is aimed at members of Congress and their staffs, opinion leaders and members of the media. According to the Council web site "the starting point for each forum is the same: What are the interests of the United States in the Middle East, and how should they be realized?" http://www.mepc.org/hill-forums
Recent Capitol Hill Forums include "Arab and Israeli Peace Initiatives: A Last Chance for Negotiations?" (7/25/11); The Arab Uprisings and U.S. Policy: What is the American National Interest? (4/28/11); Israeli - Palestinian Peace and U.S. National Security (1/20/11); Middle Eastern Perspectives on the United States (10/14/10); U.S. Policies Toward Israel and Iran: What are the Linkages? (7/13/10); Gulf Oil & Gas: What are the Producers Thinking? (4/22/10); Eighteen Months and Beyond: Implications of U.S. Policy in Afghanistan (1/7/10). Video archives from these events are available on the Council website and the events are live streamed.
Since 1985, the workshops of Teach Mideast have been conducted in nearly all 50 U.S. states, reaching over 20,000 teachers.
Other Content
In addition to featuring its journal articles and videos and transcripts from the Capitol Hill Conference Series, the MEPC web site contains various other recurring article series as of November 2010. Middle East In Focus is a weekly synopsis of news and commentary from Middle Eastern and other international media. This survey complements a digest of Timely Articles from the region also available on the web site. Senior fellow Mark N. KatzMark N. Katz
Mark N. Katz is a professor of government and politics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, United States. He researches and teaches classes about Russian politics and foreign policy, revolution, and the "War on Terror."...
contributes a weekly series The War on Terror in Perspective where he addresses "the nature of the 'War on Terror', the regional impact of American withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. policy choices after withdrawing from these conflicts, and the larger geopolitical context in which this 'war' is taking place." http://www.mepc.org/articles-commentary/war-terror-perspective Political risk analyst Ian Siperco also writes about political developments in the region.
Funding
In expressing alarm over former MEPC president Chas Freeman's nomination to the NIC in early 2009, Weekly Standard contributing editor Michael Goldfarb claimed that MEPC funds from Saudi Arabia were for "the funding of a Saudi lobby that could widen the range of debate, i.e. counter the Israel lobby." Mr. Goldfarb's phrase "Saudi lobby" referred to an article by Washington Times writer Eli Lake where he wrote that "Since 1997, Mr. Freeman has been president of the Middle East Policy Council (MEPC), a Washington think tank. In 2007, he accepted a $1 million donation from Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud that, according to a press release at the time, was meant for "future projects" for the council." Mr. Lake went on to write that "In an interview in 2006 with the Saudi-U.S. Relations Information Service, Mr. Freeman said, 'These are obviously very difficult times for any organization attempting to promote better understanding and stronger ties between the United States and the Arab world. Attitudes are extremely negative. Financial support has been very negatively affected both by the deterioration in the atmosphere [and] the sense on the part of many of our Arab donors that nothing can be done to fix the negative image of the Arabs in the United States at present.' The interview was publicized last week on the blog of a former foreign policy director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Steven J. Rosen."According to non-profit disclosure forms, The Middle East Policy Council's 2007 total receipts were $731,000. http://harpers.org/archive/2009/03/hbc-90004550
Membership
- President - Frank Anderson, Former Chief Near East and South Asia Division (CIA, ret.).
- Vice President- Anne Joyce, Editor, Middle East PolicyMiddle East PolicyMiddle East Policy is an academic peer-reviewed journal on the Middle East region in the field of foreign policy founded in 1982, published quarterly by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Middle East Policy Council...
- Executive Director- Dr. Thomas Mattair, Assoc. Editor, Middle East PolicyMiddle East PolicyMiddle East Policy is an academic peer-reviewed journal on the Middle East region in the field of foreign policy founded in 1982, published quarterly by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Middle East Policy Council...
The MEPC board of directors includes the following individuals:
- Chairman - Dr. Omar Kader, President and CEO, Pal-Tech, Inc.
- Vice Chairman - The Hon. William A. Rugh, Former President, AMIDEASTAmideastAMIDEAST is a U.S. non-profit organization that works to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation between Americans and the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa...
; Former Ambassador, U.A.E. - Member- Mrs. Karen AbuZayd, Former Under-Secretary General, UN
- Member - Mr. Curtis Brand, Chairman (ret.), ExxonMobil, Saudi Arabia, Inc.
- Member - Mr. William BrownWilliam Brown-Academics:*William Jethro Brown , Australian jurist and professor of law*William E. Brown , president of Cedarville University*William Arthur Brown, , academic, Master of Darwin College, Cambridge...
, Senior Legal Advisor, EFD, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. - Member - The Hon. Frances Cook, The Ballard Group, LLC.; Former Ambassador, Oman & Consul General, Alexandria, Egypt.
- Member - The Hon. Edward W. Gnehm, Jr., Former Ambassador, Kuwait.
- Member - The Hon. Mark Hambley, International Managing Director, Apollo Security; Former Ambassador, Lebanon.
- Member- Gen. Joseph P. HoarJoseph P. HoarGeneral Joseph P. Hoar is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, former Commander in Chief of United States Central Command. He retired from the Corps on September 1, 1994.-Military career:...
, USMC (ret.),Former Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command - Member- Mr. Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Center for American ProgressCenter for American ProgressThe Center for American Progress is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Its website states that the organization is "dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action." It has its headquarters in Washington D.C.Its President and Chief...
- Member - Dr. Martha Neff Kessler, Consultant, Central Intelligence AgencyCentral Intelligence AgencyThe Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
(ret.) - Member-Col. W.Patrick Lang, USA (ret.), Former Defnse Intelligence Officer
- Member - Dr. Phebe MarrPhebe MarrPhebe Marr is a prominent American historian of modern Iraq with the Middle East Institute. She has been research professor at the National Defense University and a retired professor of history at University of Tennessee and Stanislaus State University in California.-Academic career:Marr received...
, Author, Mideast Consultant; Former Senior Fellow, National Defense University. - Member - The Hon. Patrick Theros, U.N. former Ambassador, Qatar (SD).
- Member - Dr. Fuad A. Rihani, Consultant, Research and Development, Saudi Binladin Group.
- Member - The Hon. Davis R. Robinson, Partner, LeBeouf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, LLP.
- Ex Officio - Ms. Anne Joyce, (Secretary of the Corporation).
- President Emeritus- The Hon. Chas W. Freeman Jr.Charles W. Freeman, Jr.Charles W. Freeman, Jr. is an American diplomat, author, and writer. He has served for the State and Defense Departments in many different capacities in the past thirty years, with the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs calling his career "remarkably varied"...
, Chairman, Projects International; Former Assistant Secretary of Defense; Former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Former President, Middle East Policy Council.