Founding years In 1946, architect George Camp Keiser strongly believed that the Middle East, a region he had traveled through prior to
World War II, should be better understood in the United States, so he brought together a group of like-minded people to form the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. His colleagues on the original Board of Governors included Halford L. Hoskins, Director of the
Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS);
Christian A. Herter, then-congressman from Massachusetts and later
Dwight Eisenhower's
Secretary of State; Ambassador
George V. Allen; Harold Glidden, Director of the Islamic Department at the
Library of Congress; and Harvey P. Hall, the first Editor of the
Middle East Journal, professor at the
American University of Beirut and
Robert College. Keiser was also MEI's chief source of financial support. In 1946, the Institute found a temporary home at 1906 Florida Avenue NW at SAIS. At the time, they were linked administratively through the Diplomatic Affairs Foundation, the parent organization of both SAIS and MEI. In its early years, MEI concentrated on establishing a library, publishing the
Middle East Journal, holding annual conferences and sponsoring formal courses in Middle East studies at SAIS. Keiser and his group recognized the need for studying the Middle East using the framework of
area studies. This interdisciplinary approach to training diplomats and businesspeople was a new phenomenon and closely linked to foreign policy initiatives in the United States. During its founding years, the institute was small, its membership resembling that of a club. The annual conference, held at the Friends Meeting House on Florida Avenue, brought together a close-knit group of approximately 150 people accustomed to writing short articles for the institute's newsletter to inform fellow members about their trips to the Middle East.
George Camp Keiser: founder of the Institute George Camp Keiser was born on November 2, 1900, in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After graduating from
Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1924, he went to
Columbia University to complete his graduate degree in architecture by 1930. Over the following years, he worked as a draftsman for
David Hyer and
James Gamble Rogers until he opened his own practice in 1938. Following his younger brother's career path, Keiser also became director of the Cuban-American Sugar Company and the Guantanamo Sugar Company. George Keiser built his family home inspired by
Islamic architecture, showcasing his fascination with the Middle East and Middle Eastern architecture in particular. In 1947, he founded the Middle East Institute. During
World War II, Keiser was a first lieutenant in the
U.S. Signal Corps. Further positions held over the course of his life include trustee of the Foreign Service Educational Foundation, the American Research Center in Egypt, and the Visitors Committee of the Harvard Center for Middle Eastern Studies. He was also a member of the
American Institute of Architects and president of the Symphony Orchestra of Central Florida. On March 23, 1956, he died after a brief illness and was buried in
Wilton, Connecticut.
The 1950s MEI continuously built its reputation by creating a language and a publications program;
St John Philby's
Arabian Highlands was published for MEI by
Cornell University Press in 1952. MEI also increased the number of lectures, art exhibits, and conferences. Themes of annual conferences like "The Evolution of Public Responsibility in the Middle East" (1955), "Current Tensions in the Middle East" (1956), and "Neutralism, Communism: The Struggle for Power" (1959) reflected the post-World War II uncertainties about the Middle East. After having split from SAIS in 1948, MEI needed to find a new location. After spending a year at 2002 P Street, Keiser discovered and negotiated in late 1954 the purchase of two inter-connecting townhouses in the
Dupont Circle neighbourhood at 1761–1763 N Street NW with a joint garden and carriage house. The house, formerly occupied by Senator
James B. Eustis and by architect
Henry Ives Cobb, is MEI's current location. Keiser's death in 1956 triggered a period of re-evaluation.
Edwin M. Wright took over as the second president until 1960, with Angus Sinclair briefly serving in 1958.
The 1960s Following Keiser's death, MEI faced financial troubles. A series of part-time presidents including
Edwin M. Wright, James Terry Duce, and
Kermit Roosevelt, Jr., who all served in addition to their professional or business responsibilities, chiefly launched new projects with the hope that they would be self-supporting. Among these were
Lands East, an illustrated magazine, and the
Middle East Report of the Week, an "insiders" newsletter which was produced on a
mimeograph machine. By 1966, MEI realized it could not survive without full-time leadership. Ambassador
Raymond A. Hare stabilized the organization at a relatively low level of activity appropriate with its resources, concentrating on fundraising and expanding the base of corporate donations. As a result of these efforts, additional projects were financed by the Ford Foundation, a few conferences were organized for the
U.S. Department of State, and the
Rockefeller Foundation financed a series of discussion dinners.
Georgetown University invited the institute to hold its annual conference there, providing free accommodations and volunteer staff. In 1969, Ambassador
Parker T. Hart led MEI into renewed activity. His vision for MEI to become an important national player led to an increased number of programs (like an annual conference on Middle East Business) and partnerships across the country and the world, a new internship program for undergraduate and graduate students, renewal of the MEI language program, and the publication of the Middle East Problem Papers.
The 1970s The 1970s were marked by an unprecedented number of timely programs and events, many on the
Cold War. Panels on Soviet Aims and Interests such as "The Arab–Israeli Conflict in View of the U.S.–Soviet Conflict" and "The Strategic and Political Dimensions on the Cold War" meant to provide the public with in-depth information. Furthermore, MEI started a program called "Dialogue" in 1974 in cooperation with the Arabist Travel Program. It sent small teams of scholars and students to seven Arab countries. The program was repeated in 1978, funded by the
United States Information Agency and the
State Department. MEI also introduced
The Middle East Monitor, an insider newsletter, published between 1971 and 1975. Its logo is the source of MEI's current logo, which is adapted from the design on a 10th-century platter unearthed near
Nishapur,
Iran, and now in the collections of New York's
Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The 1980s Taking on the MEI president's role in 1975, L. Dean Brown served until 1986— the longest presidential tenure in MEI's history. Under Ambassador Brown, MEI focused on business and investment opportunities between the Middle East and the United States. The 1980s also saw a continued increase in MEI's research and program ventures on issues like the theocracy of Iranian Islamic Clergy and Egyptian perceptions of the U.S. presence in Egypt. After having already served a short term as MEI's president from 1974 to 1975, Ambassador
Lucius D. Battle returned from 1986 to 1990. Under his leadership, MEI absorbed the American Institute for Islamic Affairs (AIIA) functions, dedicated to the Sultan Qaboos bin Said Research Center, and its endowment. He and then-Vice President Ambassador
Christopher Van Hollen also began a tradition of traveling throughout the Middle East to gain support for MEI's mission.
The 1990s MEI's agenda in the 1990s was shaped by persistent volatility in the Persian Gulf States, the Arab–Israeli peace process, women in the Arab world, and contentious U.S. foreign policy. Ambassador
Robert Keeley succeeded Ambassador Brown and served as president until 1995. During his tenure, MEI became a leading source for information on the
Persian Gulf region, in particular, organized its first language-focused trip to the Middle East, set up a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian officials in
Cairo, and renovated the building extensively. The next man to assume this post was Ambassador
Roscoe S. Suddarth, who stayed on as president until 2001. During this time, the Foundation for Middle East Peace began renting space in the building (1996) and MEI celebrated its 50th anniversary. Furthermore, MEI established the Public Policy Center in 1999, bringing together MEI scholars-in-residence and adjunct scholars to provide expert commentaries on pressing issues in the Middle East.
The 2000s Ambassador
Edward S. Walker, Jr., assumed the presidency in 2001 and left the post in 2006. Walker highlighted America's struggle with the
Arab–Israeli conflict, the challenge of global terrorism, and the
Iraq War. In 2007, Ambassador
Wendy Chamberlin became the first woman to hold this position. She was succeeded in 2018 by Paul Salem. In September 2019 the organization moved back from its temporary housing at 18th St. NW to its headquarters at 1761 N St. NW after a two-year renovation. The institute was gifted $20M by the
United Arab Emirates to fund the renovation. ==Organizational structure==