Middle East Studies Chair

About

The Middle East Chair at Marine Corps University serves as a focal point for regional expertise, education, research, and engagement related to one of the United States' enduring theaters of strategic importance. Building on the work of the former Middle East Studies Center, the Chair supports professional military education across MCU while fostering sustained scholarly engagement with the region among faculty and students.

The Chair contributes to curricula throughout MCU, including instruction and electives at the Marine Corps War College, Command and Staff College, and Expeditionary Warfare School. Its educational approach examines the Middle East as a complex strategic environment shaped by history, culture, religion, military power, and regional and international competition. The Chair also supports MCU wargaming by providing subject-matter expertise on Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Mediterranean states and non-state actors.

Beyond MCU, the Chair provides lectures and briefings to U.S. and foreign professional military education institutions, government agencies, universities, and think tanks. It also oversees and supports MCU Insights, published by Marine Corps University Press and now in its seventeenth volume, and contributes scholarship on regional security, strategy, and military affairs.

The Chair's work reflects the continuing importance of the Middle East to U.S. national security, including the security of Israel, freedom of navigation through critical maritime chokepoints, counterterrorism, regional stability, and effective partnerships. Its central purpose is to help educate military leaders prepared to understand and operate within a region undergoing profound strategic change.

Global Studies program

Academic Year 2027

The Iran War:  A Strategic Reassessment

The Global Studies Program (GSP) is a selective Marine Corps War College initiative that brings together participants from across Marine Corps University to examine a major global strategic challenge through interdisciplinary study, engagement with subject-matter experts, seminar discussion, and policy-relevant research.

For AY27, the GSP will examine “The Iran War:  A Strategic Reassessment.” From September 2026 through April 2027, participants will explore the origins, conduct, and strategic consequences of the conflict through five seminar areas:

Origins of the Iran War – The historical and strategic evolution of U.S.–Iran, Israel–Iran, and Gulf–Iran competition and the road to direct conflict.

The Nuclear File and Counterproliferation – The JCPOA, Iran's post-2018 nuclear advances, Israeli counterproliferation efforts, and the evolving nuclear landscape.

Operation Epic Fury, Operation Lion's Roar, and Escalation Dynamics – The objectives, conduct, and strategic consequences of recent military operations and Iranian adaptation.

Hormuz, Maritime Security, and Freedom of Navigation – Iranian claims and capabilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz and their implications for maritime security, international commerce, and U.S. interests.

Strategic Futures After the Iran War – A forward-looking assessment of potential pathways for Iran, the region, and U.S. strategy based on conditions in spring 2027.

Eligible U.S. active-duty officers participating in the GSP will also have an opportunity to take part in a one-week fact-finding and professional military education visit to Israel in December 2026.

The GSP is open to eligible students and personnel from across MCU's resident PME schools and qualifying CDET programs. Participants will engage in independent study and seminar discussions and complete a policy brief addressing an aspect of the AY27 theme.

Applications are due 28 August 2026.

For application requirements, eligibility information, or questions about the program, contact:

contacts

Archive - outreach (2021 - 2024)

Dr. Amin Tarzi presented a virtual talk in Dari on Afghanistan's relations with the USSR at an event, "World Views of Ustad Pazhwak," 18 Oct 2024.

BruteCast series on Israel-Hamas conflict with Dr. Amin Tarzi & Dr. Christopher Anzalone, Episode 10: Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran (14 Oct 2024)

Dr. Amin Tarzi served as a plenary panel member and presented a paper, "Role of the Military in Politics," and was a discussant n a second panel dealing with the rule of the Afghan Taliban at the 2024 ALPA Annual Conference at American University, 12 Oct 2024.

CTX Conversations - The Future of Insurgencies and Radical Groups in Africa; Dr. Christopher Anzalone with the Naval Postgraduate School's Dr. Tim Jones (9 Jul 2024)

BruteCast series on Israel-Hamas conflict with Dr. Christopher Anzalone, Episode 9: Axis of Resistance (22 Jul 2024)

BruteCast series on Israel-Hamas conflict with Col Michael Aldridge & Dr. Amin Tarzi, Episode 8: US & USMC Support to UN Peacekeeping (24 Jun 2024)

BruteCast series on Israel-Hamas conflict with Dr. Amin Tarzi, Episode 7:  Iran After Raisi (7 Feb 2024)

BruteCast series on Israel-Hamas conflict with Dr. Christopher Anzalone, Episode #6: The Houthis & the Axis of Resistance (7 Feb 2024)

BruteCast series on the Israel-Hamas conflict with MES Director, Dr. Amin Tarzi, Episode #5 (8 Dec 2023)

BruteCast series on the Israel-Hamas conflict with MES Director, Dr. Amin Tarzi, Episode #4 (8 Nov 2023)

BruteCast series on the Israel-Hamas conflict with MES Director, Dr. Amin Tarzi, Episode #3 (27 Oct 2023)

BruteCast series on the Israel-Hamas conflict with MES Director, Dr. Amin Tarzi, Episode #2 (24 Oct 2023)

BruteCast series on the Israel-Hamas conflict with MES Director, Dr. Amin Tarzi, Episode #1 (11 Oct 2023)

MES Research Talk by Dr. S. M. Ali, "Options for Human-Centric U.S.-China Collaboration in Pakistan."

BruteCast, "Special Update on Iran" (Nov 2022)

MES Research Talk by Dr. David Malet, "What to Expect When You're a Foreign Fighter in Ukraine."

MES Lecture by VADM Pascal Ausseur (France, ret.), "Rising Tensions in the Mediterranean." 

MES Research Talk by Dr. Jason Warner, "The Islamic State's Expansion in Africa."

MES Research Talk by Dr. Stig Jarle Hansen, "Phoenix Rising: U.S. Strategic Competition in the Red Sea Zone & Horn of Africa with China and Russia." 

BruteCast interview by MES Director Dr. Amin Tarzi with Ukrainian journalist and author Nataliya Gumenyuk (March 2022)

BruteCast interview by MES Director Dr. Amin Tarzi with Ukrainian researcher on security and defense policies and technology Anna Bulakh (March 2022)

MES Lecture by Dr. Dimitrios Triantaphyllou, "The Eastern Mediterranean in the Crosshairs" 

MES Director Dr. Amin Tarzi presented on a panel, "Afghanistan: Refugees, Relocations & Resettlements," at the International Stability Operations Association's (ISOA) Middle East Conference, 18-20 January 2022.  Dr. Tarzi was also one of the conference's keynote speakers

Dr. Christopher Anzalone presented a paper, "Islamizing Rebel Governance in Somalia: Al-Shabaab's Proto-State," at the 2021 Middle East Studies Association Conference. Click to read it.

Panel Event: "The U.S. in Afghanistan: Looking Back to Look Forward" with MajGen Julian D. Alford, Ambassador P. Michael McKinley, and Dr. Carter Malkasian; November 22.

Dr. Christopher Anzalone presented a guest lecture, "The Art of the Martyr and the Mujahid: Aesthetics & Narratives in Contemporary Jihadi Visual Culture," on November 17 at Duke University. 

The Art of the Martyr and the Mujahid: Aesthetics & Narratives in Contemporary Jihadi Visual Culture

Dr. Amin Tarzi presented and participated in the "Emotions and Strategy Workshop" organized by MIT and held in Israel, November 6-8, 2021.

Dr. Amin Tarzi participated in a roundtable event, "Turkish and Iranian Response to Refugees from Afghanistan," hosted by Ottoman and Turkish Studies at New York University on October 21. Here

MES Research Talk with Yun Sun (China Program Director, Stimson Center): "China's Afghanistan Strategy Post-U.S. Withdrawal" 

Middle East Studies Research Talk - Ms. Yun Sun, “China’s Afghanistan Strategy Post-U.S. Withdrawal”

Special BruteCast podcast episode on Islamic State-Khurasan/Khorasan Province (IS-KP; ISIS-K) with Dr. Amin Tarzi.  Access the episode here.

Dr. Amin Tarzi participated in a panel event, "Afghanistan, US Ends 20 Year Stay and Taliban Takeover" in August 2021 with The Scholars' Circle.  Access the recording of the event here.

Dr. Christopher Anzalone participated in a panel, "Cyber Dimensions of Violent Extremism in Africa," organized by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at National Defense University, held on May 19.

Cyber Dimensions of Violent Extremism in Africa

AY21 MES Lecture Series: "The Routinization of Islamic State's Global Enterprise"

"Routinization of Islamic State's Global Enterprise"

MES Director Dr. Amin Tarzi presented on a panel, "Countering Violent Extremism in Fragile States," at the EMEA Regional Security and Stability Operations Conference, 6-8 April 2021, organized by the International Stability Operations Association (ISOA).

archive - In the News (2009 - 2015)

Insurgent Success in Afghanistan is Mystifying

NPR, 20090922

The insurgency in Afghanistan is getting stronger. According to a leaked assessment of the war, Taliban-led insurgents either control or are fighting in a "significant portion of the country." It's hard to understand why because insurgent fighters are vastly outnumbered by U.S., NATO and Afghan security forces, and their technology is inferior.

To read the full story, click here:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113052541

1979: Recalling the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

NPR, 20090819

As part of a series of conversations marking 1979 as a seminal year in the Muslim world, Afghan-born Amin Tarzi talks with Steve Inskeep about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Tarzi is director of Middle East studies at the Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. He was 15 when the Soviets attacked the presidential palace in Kabul, which Tarzi witnessed from a short distance away.

To read the full story, click here:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112014775

Afghan War: 101

NPR, 20090529

Since Operation Enduring Freedom was launched in 2001, more than 600 United States service members have lost their lives in the country, and more than 1800 have been wounded. The Afghan war has been largely overshadowed since the U.S. invasion Iraq in March 2003. 

Amin Tarzi, a former Marine and current director of Middle East Studies at the Marine Corps University, explains the conflict, how the mission has changed and how long before the U.S. mission in Afghanistan will be complete.

To read the full story, click here:  www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104479351

Tarzi: Afghans Likely to be Disappointed at London Conference

CFR, 20090131

To read the full story, click here:  https://www.cfr.org/interview/tarzi-afghans-likely-be-disappointed-london-conference 

Afghanistan is not Vietnam

PRI’s THE WORLD, 20091007

To read the full story, click here:  http://www.theworld.org/2009/10/07/afghanistan-is-not-vietnam/

"The Taliban and the Crisis of Afghanistan"

FPC Briefing, 20090602

To read the full story, click here:  http://fpc.state.gov/124543.htm

Resourcing an Afghan Strategy

CFR Interview, 20090928

To read the full story, click here:  http://www.cfr.org/publication/20284/resourcing_an_afghan_strategy.html

Ahmad Zahir: The Voice of the Golden Years

NPR 20100201

Ahmad Zahir is the latest of NPR's 50 Great Voices, in which we're discovering influential singers around the world — living or dead, famous or not. The list includes Zahir, who's sometimes seen as Afghanistan's Elvis. His lifelong fans include a man who grew up with his music: Amin Tarzi. Tarzi, our guide to Zahir's life and music, is a U.S. citizen now, and teaches at the Marine Corps College. In the '70s, he was a boy growing up in Afghanistan.

To read the full story, click here:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123137188

Corruption Threatens U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan, Galbraith Says

ABC News.com 20100401 by Kristina Wong

"Former Ambassador Peter Galbraith, who stepped down last fall as U.N. deputy special representative to Afghanistan after alleging widespread election fraud in the Afghan national election, was not hopeful for the programs' success. At a recent lecture hosted by the Marine Corps University's Middle East Studies program, he pointed out at least three challenges to efforts to strengthen the rule of law in Afghanistan."

To read the full story, click here:  http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Afghanistan/afghan-corruption-threatens-u...

Afghanistan: The Way Forward

NPR WAMU 88.5 The Kojo Nnamdi Show 20101122

Dr. Amin Tarzi appeared as a guest on The Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU 88.5 FM. One year after a major policy review sent 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, the Obama administration and its allies are evaluating their success. While there have been measurable achievements on the ground, a looming 2011 deadline for withdrawing troops has cast a pall over strategy and Afghans' spirits. We discuss the way forward, and how the Middle East’s history can serve as a guide.

To read the full story, click here:  http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2010-11-22/afghanistan-way-forward

Al-Qaeda's effect weakens in Mideast

USA TODAY 20110504

Dr. Amin Tarzi was quoted in the USA TODAY story "Al-Qaeda's effect weakens in Mideast"

To read the full story, click here:  http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-05-03-alqaeda-terror-group-weake...

Editorial: Karzai still meeting low expectations

Minneapolis Star Tribune 20101029

Dr. Amin Tarzi was quoted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune "Editorial: Karzai still meeting low expectations"

To read the full story, click here:  http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/106346413.html

"Iran's Moderates Used Nuclear Deal to Save the Revolution", Bloomberg View, 20150826

Bloomberg View, 20150826

Dr. Amin Tarzi was quoted by Eli Lake in "Iran's Moderates Used Nuclear Deal to Save the Revolution"

"Amin Tarzi, the director of Middle East studies at the Marine Corps University, told me there is political tension between Rouhani's supporters and the leaders of Iran's revolutionary guard corps, the organization responsible for supporting groups like Hezbollah. He said Iranian elites like Qassem Suleimani, the commander of Iran's Quds Force, "are trying to show we have long hands elsewhere and we can determine some things in the region.

All of this is important for the internal politics of Iran because different factions are now competing not only for the ear of Iran's supreme leader, but also control of the contracts and ventures that will flood into Iran from new investment after sanctions begin to ease.

But this competition between Iran's elites is not, according to Tarzi, a struggle between reform and revolution. "Rouhani is a patient thinker. And this makes him more dangerous. He sends Rosh Hashanah Twitter messages to Jews, but he has a more long-term and a determined outlook," he told me."

To read the full story, click here:  http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-08-26/iran-s-moderates-used-n...