Universities, Think Tanks, and the Making of Middle East Expertise

Universities, Think Tanks, and the Making of Middle East Expertise

I used to think nothing ever changed in the Middle East. For years, I studied and worked on the region, and every time I drifted away, I’d come back to find that I could pick up almost exactly where I had left off. The last two years have thoroughly proven me wrong. At this point it’s easier to list what hasn’t changed in the region or in U.S. policy than what has. And a lot of people are deeply uncomfortable with that…especially when it comes to what students are thinking and saying about U.S. policy in the Middle East. Drawing on our experiences studying and living in the region and working on Middle East policy inside the Pentagon, Jesse Marks [https://substack.com/profile/29234441-jesse-marks] at Coffee in the Desert [https://open.substack.com/pub/jessemarks] and I talk through what’s missing in contemporary Middle East studies, why think tanks are increasingly acting like graduate programs, and how post–October 7 debates and emerging technologies have accelerated a generational reckoning within the field. I also share my ultimate hot take (spoiler alert: I don’t think studying Arabic is the best use of time for aspiring policymakers. Jesse strongly disagrees). Forgive the bad camera angle. I continue to learn and grow as a podcast bro.You can also listen to the episode on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h7Tvwh8EJa95Xip9W6U3c?si=1814ce465f9e4044] and Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/universities-think-tanks-and-the-making-of/id1862161430?i=1000746873937]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aliaawadallah.substack.com [https://aliaawadallah.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

American Crisis, Revisited

What a year, huh? It’s been a heavy period for the country, for many people’s personal lives, and for those of us working in policy and politics. Every year on December 23rd, I reread Thomas Paine’s The American Crisis. I consistently return to it because it reminds me that uncertainty, fear, and exhaustion are not new, and that people have always had to decide whether to stay engaged when the path forward isn’t obvious. For this episode of Inside Voice, I was joined by Ali Wyne, who read The American Crisis for the first time. Ali is someone who brims with hope and a steady sense of moral clarity. He’s also the person who sent me a book called Hope in the Dark back in 2020, another difficult year. We talked about what it means to end a year like this one while working in the DC ecosystem, our responsibilities to each other and to the country, and the importance of nurturing hope in dark times. For those interested, you can read the first essay of The American Crisis here [https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/the-american-crisis?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=10688443904&gbraid=0AAAAAD-kVKr7GtmklSKzSsETYmC0DYfeM&gclid=CjwKCAiAmKnKBhBrEiwAaqAnZ4BMkSRiGh5BgTq7bQEtM6fYrRtxLPoUgDH0UJVwdW5WGkVoIxEiFhoCC4QQAvD_BwE]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aliaawadallah.substack.com [https://aliaawadallah.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Inside Voice Pilot Episode

For fourteen years, I’ve lived and worked in policy and politics in Washington—across government, think tanks, campaigns, and more. I’ve observed some of its most influential people up close, interrogated their journeys, sought their advice, and worked alongside them. I’ve had hundreds of mentorship coffees, read dozens of biographies, and sat as a fly on the wall in countless high-powered meetings. In that time, I’ve seen firsthand the unspoken rules, norms, and expectations that quietly govern how people operate in this space. I’ve also spent a lot of time with my own inside voice—the internal commentary that narrates mistakes, interpersonal tensions, failures, loyalty tests, criticism, and pressure. That combination is what led me to launch Inside Voice, a podcast about the world of ultimate insiders, and about bringing those internal monologues out into the open. The show follows a loose format that’s part cultural discourse, part conversations with friends, part advice, and part therapy. We’ll talk about ambition and difficult choices, generational divides, loyalty and disillusionment, and what it really means to be in the room where it happens—and how it feels once you’re there.I was thrilled that my friend Corey Broschak agreed to be my first guest and help me pilot the show. If you’ve spent time with Corey in the workplace you undoubtedly know him as supremely thoughtful, intelligent, and poised. If you’re personal friends with Corey, I’m certain you enjoy his inside voice, in all its color and hilarity, as much as I do. During the filming process I learned two important things. * My old MacBook Pro isn’t quite up to the task of filming the best quality video and audio. * I’m a little rusty when it comes to running a serious discussion intended for a public audience - especially with a friend. I’ll work on both of those things for future episodes, but for now I hope you’ll enjoy the bloopers at the end of the pilot around 38:40) . There are certainly a lot of them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aliaawadallah.substack.com [https://aliaawadallah.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]