The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies (MDC) is a non-partisan interdisciplinary research center devoted to the study of the contemporary Middle East and Africa. For over half a century, the MDC has helped to explain the complexities of the modern Middle East. Our guiding principle is that in order to understand the region, one must understand its cultures, peoples, languages, religions, and history, alongside more traditional diplomatic and political factors. MDC researchers, who have been trained in a variety of theoretical backgrounds and disciplines, and collectively possess a command of English, Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish, and Farsi, capitalize upon their linguistic and cultural expertise to develop new analytical paradigms for understanding the region.  We believe that our approach, and our mission, has never been more critical.  While the future path for the region is fraught with uncertainty, we will continue to guide the way for scholars, practitioners, and the public alike.