The MENA Mix: Regional Recap is a monthly video podcast, produced by the Institute for Middle East Options (IMEO). Each episode features rotating experts who unpack and analyze key news stories shaping the Middle East and North Africa.
In this special Year-In-Review episode, Mani A. Jad (IMEO Executive Director) is joined by His Excellency Bisher Al Khasawneh (Jordanian Senator & Former Prime Minister), Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst (EU Ambassador to Egypt & the Arab League), and Ambassdador Dennis Ross (The Washinton Institute Counselor & Distinguished Fellow) to unpack 2025’s most defining regional moments—from the fragile Gaza ceasefire and Lebanon–Israel brinkmanship to Red Sea conflicts, Israel–Iran volatile tensions, and Sudan’s deepening crisis—and explore what’s ahead in 2026.
His Excellencey Bisher Al Khasawneh
His Excellency Bisher Al-Khasawneh is a member of the Senate in Jordan. He is also a senior visiting research fellow and diplomat in residence at Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in the UAE. His Excellency Al-Khasawneh served as the Prime Minister of Jordan from 2020 until 2024. He is also the former Minister of Defense of Jordan, serving from 2020 until 2024. His other positions include, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Jordan; former Minister of State for Legal Affairs of Jordan; former advisor for King Abdullah II for Policies; former advisor for King Abdullah for Coordination and Communications. Additionally, His Excellency Al-Khasawneh is the former Ambassador of Jordan to France, Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, the League of Arab States, UNESCO and the African Union.
Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst
Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst is the head of the EU delegation to Egypt and the League of Arab States. Before her 2024 appointment, she was managing director for Europe at the EEAS from 2020 until 2024 and previously led work on Europe and Central Asia. From 2015 to 2019, she served as deputy managing director and EU chief negotiator for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue. She was EU Ambassador to Lebanon from 2011 until 2015, and previously held key roles in Syria, Jordan, and Brussels. Her background spans EU development, external relations, the UN, and NGOs, with academic expertise in international law and Middle Eastern studies.
Ambassador Dennis Ross
Ambassador Dennis Ross is the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He also teaches at Georgetown University’s Center for Jewish Civilization. For more than twelve years, Amb. Ross played a leading role in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process, dealing directly with the parties as the U.S. point man on the peace process in both the George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations. He served two and half years as special assistant to President Obama and National Security Council senior director for the Central Region, spending the first 6 months of the Administration as the special advisor on Iran to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. His newest book is Statecraft 2.0: What America Needs to Lead in a Multipolar World (Oxford University Press, March 2025).
Mani A. Jad
Mani A. Jad is the Founder and Executive Director of IMEO. She works closely with IMEO’s Board of Advisors and staff to shape and execute the organization’s mission. She also cultivates strong partnerships with international and local donors, driving impactful projects that aim to create connections between the East and the West. Mani’s leadership at IMEO is rooted in over two decades of experience at UCLA’s Center for Middle East Development, where she co-founded and helped grow an internationally acclaimed peace-building dialogue program. As Deputy Director and Chief Administrative and Financial Officer, her strategic vision and operational expertise played a pivotal role in advancing the Center's purpose and global influence.