Middle East Strategy Task Force

About the Middle East Strategy Task Force

Under the bipartisan Co-Chairmanship of former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former US National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, the Atlantic Council convened the Middle East Strategy Task Force (MEST) in February 2015 to examine the underlying issues of state failure and political legitimacy that drive extremist violence and threaten fundamental interests broadly shared by the peoples of the region and the rest of the world.

The Task Force brought together a broad array of regional stakeholders and international experts to collaborate in identifying ways in which people in the Middle East can build and support governing institutions that offer legitimacy, opportunity, and an alternative to violence. The Task Force was an initiative of the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East in cooperation with the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security.

Reports

Report Nov 30, 2016

Middle East Strategy Task Force: Final report of the co-chairs

By Madeleine K. Albright and Stephen J. Hadley

The final report of Middle East Strategy Task Force Co-Chairs Madeleine K. Albright and Stephen J. Hadley proposes nothing short of a paradigm shift in how the international community and the Middle East interact.

Middle East Resilience & Society

Report Nov 21, 2016

Middle East Strategy Task Force: Politics, governance, and state-society relations

By Tamara Cofman Wittes

Investing in sustainable governance is important for the world and for the rising generation of young Arabs, who can either become a force for tremendous progress or a generation lost to violence and despair.

Civil Society Political Reform

Report Sep 21, 2016

Middle East Strategy Task Force: Religion, identity, and countering violent extremism

By Geneive Abdo and Nathan Brown

In recent decades, Muslims have been debating political and social aspects of their religious teachings in new ways.

Corruption Extremism

Report Apr 13, 2016

Rebuilding societies: Strategies for resilience and recovery in times of conflict

By Manal Omar, Elie Abouaoun, Beatrice Pouligny

The forced displacement of unprecedented numbers of people within and beyond national borders has become an enduring yet fluid phenomenon across the Middle East and North Africa over the past decade.

Civil Society Conflict

Report Feb 18, 2016

Security and public order

By The Middle East Strategy Task Force

The security situation facing the Middle East is grave and appears to be trending toward greater violence and instability. The Middle East Strategy Task Force’s Security and Public Order report, published in cooperation with the Brookings Institution, demonstrates that states of the region have tended to focus on traditional, external threats but the internal threats they face—from domestic unrest, state failure, and civil war—have become both more common and dangerous.

Middle East Security & Defense

Report Feb 3, 2016

Economic recovery and revitalization

By Middle East Strategy Task Force

Even as the specter of political instability weighs heavily on the region, the Middle East is quietly experiencing a technological and societal transformation that could hold the keys to a better future.

Economy & Business Education

Events

Fri, March 17, 2017 • 8:30 am ET

Congressman Adam Kinzinger on America’s role in the Middle East and the world

A conversation with Congressman Adam Kinzinger on America’s role in the world, and what we can expect from a Trump presidency in terms of foreign policy, national security, and developments in the Middle East and around the world.

Wed, February 1, 2017 • 3:00 pm ET

Weighing the options: Choices and challenges for the Middle East

Hariri Center experts Mohamed Eljarh, Faysal Itani, and Tarek Radwan about what overall strategy and policy changes towards the Middle East the new US administration should adopt.

Wed, November 30, 2016 • 1:00 pm ET

A new approach for the Middle East

Madeleine Albright and Stephen Hadley debut the Final Report of the Middle East Strategy Task Force: A New Approach for the Middle East.

Mon, October 3, 2016 • 12:30 pm ET

How the World Bank, humanitarian community, and private sector support refugees

A conversation with the World Bank’s Dr. Matthew T. McGuire, author and entrepreneur Mr. Christopher Schroeder, and the US Institute of Peace’s Ms. Manal Omar to discuss the bold new steps international organizations and the private sector are taking to address the refugee crisis, promote community resilience, and further economic development.

Wed, September 21, 2016 • 12:00 pm ET

Report launch: A smarter strategy for countering violent extremism

A conversation with a panel of experts to discuss findings and recommendations from the Middle East Strategy Task Force (MEST) Working Group on Religion, Identity, and Countering Violent Extremism.

Wed, June 22, 2016 • 9:00 am ET

How tech entrepreneurship is transforming the Middle East

A conversation with Condoleezza Rice, Stephen Hadley, and a panel of Arab entrepreneurs to discuss the Middle East’s burgeoning startup scene.

Wed, February 3, 2016 • 12:30 pm ET

Unlocking the Middle East’s economic potential

Albright and Hadley lead a discussion with cutting-edge entrepreneurs and investors from the region to explore how policies that empower youth, entrepreneurs, and technology startups can combine at this unique moment in the region’s development to help the Middle East more fully realize its vast economic potential across multiple sectors.

Thu, October 22, 2015 • 10:00 am ET

Rethinking regional security: An enabler, not an end

Presented by the Atlantic Council and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, with the cooperation of the Brookings Institution, the event examines how to begin rebuilding a stable regional order in the Middle East and North Africa, with an eye to focusing on security as a means to social, political, and economic development, not an end in itself.

Thu, July 9, 2015 • 6:30 pm ET

“What’s religion got to do with it?”

The event examines to what extent religion is a driver behind the rise of violent extremism and sectarianism in regional politics.

Co-chairs

The Hon. Dr. Madeleine K. Albright
Mr. Stephen J. Hadley

Senior advisors

Dr. Abdlatif Al-Hamad
H.R.H. Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al Saud
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz
Mr. Ayman Asfari
Dr. José Manuel Barroso
Mr. Stephen Biegun
Prime Minister Carl Bildt
Mr. Rafic A. Bizri
Minister Emma Bonino
Amb. Nicholas Burns
Amb. Wolfgang Ischinger
Minister Igor S. Ivanov
Minister Moushira Khattab
Amb. Jean-David Levitte
Ms. Nancy Lindborg
Mr. David Miliband
Mr. Michael Morell
Dr. Vali R. Nasr
Amb. Francis J. Ricciardone
Dr. Mowaffak al Rubaie
Dr. Abdel Monem Said Aly
Mr. Naguib Sawiris
Amb. Sir Nigel Sheinwald
Minister Javier Solana
Ms. Frances Townsend
Ms. Toni Verstandig
Mr. Kenneth Wollack
Minister Yasar Yakıs

Working groups

Economic recovery and revitalization

Co-conveners:

Christopher M. Schroeder
Entrepreneur and Author
Startup Rising

Sherif Kamel
American University in Cairo

Security and public order

Convener:

Kenneth M. Pollack
The Brookings Institution

Religion, identity, and countering violent extremism

Convener:

Geneive Abdo
Atlantic Council

Rebuilding societies: Refugees, recovery, and reconciliation in times of conflict

Convener:

Manal Omar
United States Institute of Peace

Co-convener:

Elie Abouaoun
United States Institute of Peace

Politics, governance, and state-society relations

Convener:

Tamara Cofman Wittes
The Brookings Institution

Executive team

Mr. Frederick Kempe
Mr. Barry Pavel
Amb. Frederic C. Hof
Ms. Mirette F. Mabrouk
Dr. Stephen Grand
Dr. Jessica Ashooh
Ms. Stefanie Hausheer Ali

Middle East Programs

Through our Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, the Atlantic Council works with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.

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