MEF Policy Notes
Short, Sourced Notes on Middle East Policy Questions before Congress
Each note fits on two printed pages. It opens with labeled one-line findings, cites every figure to published Middle East Forum research or a primary record, and closes with questions for oversight. Every note comes with a PDF, narrated audio, citation files, and a republishing license.
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6 notes
- MEF-PN-2026-01
Qatari Funding of U.S. Universities and Section 117 Disclosure
Qatar is the largest foreign source in the Education Department’s Section 117 file. This note sets out what the disclosures show, how six branch campuses absorb most of the money, and where reporting is thin.
- Foreign Influence
- Higher Education
- Qatar
- MEF-PN-2026-02
Iran’s Shadow Fleet and the Limits of Oil Sanctions
Iran kept oil moving through 2025 with a tanker network built to hide where its crude comes from. This note covers how the fleet works, who buys, what enforcement has achieved, and what changed in 2026.
- Iran
- Sanctions
- Maritime
- MEF-PN-2026-03
Designating the Muslim Brotherhood: The Record So Far
The United States now lists Muslim Brotherhood chapters one at a time. This note sets out the executive order, the listings made under it, the arguments on each side, and the branches that remain unlisted.
- Islamism
- Counterterrorism
- Designations
- MEF-PN-2026-04
Houthi Attacks on Red Sea Shipping: From Campaign to Coastline
The Houthis have moved from firing at ships from inland highlands to holding the coast of the Bab el-Mandeb. This note traces the campaign, the support network behind it, and the U.S. record.
- Yemen
- Maritime
- Iran
- MEF-PN-2026-05
Hezbollah’s Finance Networks after the War
Battlefield losses have not closed Hezbollah’s revenue lines. This note covers the gold and shadow-bank channel in Lebanon, the Turkish corridor, and the Latin American networks.
- Hezbollah
- Terrorist Finance
- Sanctions
- MEF-PN-2026-06
Turkey and Hamas: Sanctuary, Money, and U.S. Exposure
Turkey hosts Hamas officials and a listed company that Treasury designated as 75 percent Hamas-owned, while remaining a NATO ally and U.S. arms customer. This note sets out the hosting record, the money trail in U.S. filings, and the strategic stakes.
- Turkey
- Hamas
- Terrorist Finance