Ahram New Editor The Middle East Journal

The Middle East Institute (MEI) has announced the appointment of Dr. Ariel I. Ahram as the new Editor of The Middle East Journal (MEJ), MEI’s flagship print publication and the oldest scholarly journal in North America dedicated to the study of the modern Middle East.

Dr. Ahram, a professor at Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs, brings a distinguished record of scholarship and public engagement to the role. He is the author of several acclaimed books on regional conflict, governance, and security, and he has served as the principal investigator for the Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Ending Proxy Wars in the Middle East initiative. His appointment signals a new era for the Journal as it renews its focus on contemporary policy issues while maintaining its commitment to academic excellence.

Dr. Ahram’s hiring reflects an important inflection point in MEJ’s history. He will oversee a broad set of changes to the Journal. While retaining its standards for rigorous, insightful research and analysis, MEJ will increasingly emphasize the current affairs of the Middle East, the history that underlies its contemporary dynamics, and the policies of regional states as well as key external powers such as the United States. It will focus far more on the underlying causes and potential courses of action to address the problems and opportunities of the modern Middle East.

“We are honored to welcome Dr. Ahram to MEI as Editor of The Middle East Journal,” said Stuart E. Jones, President of MEI. “He possesses exactly the right mix of expertise, creativity, and policy acumen required to transform the Journal into a vital resource, broadening its impact, deepening its relevance, and elevating its role in today’s policy and academic conversations.”

“A new Middle East requires a new Middle East Journal,” said Dr. Kenneth Pollack, Vice President for Policy at MEI. “With Ariel at the helm, and with this new editorial direction, the Journal will continue to meet the highest standards of quality while offering vital insights for policymakers, analysts, and engaged readers alike. We are deeply grateful to our longtime subscribers and readers for their support, and we hope they will continue to follow the Journal as it evolves to meet the urgent policy challenges of today.”