Draft:Middle East International

Middle East International was a bi-monthly magazine published in London from 1971 until 2005, reaching a total of 761 editions. It was established by a group of senior British politicians, including Dennis Walters and Christopher Mayhew. Claud Morris was also a co-founder but left due to a policy disagreement. Mayhew was to remain the publisher until his death in 1997. It has been described as having been "one of the best-informed journals of current Middle East affairs".

Its aim was to "provide intelligent, authoritative, and independent news and analysis on the Middle East".

In a letter to subscribers announcing the increasing of the yearly subscription to £50, dated 19 December 1979, Christopher Mayhew stated the magazine was selling more than 2,500 copies worldwide.

Michael Adams, a former Guardian foreign correspondent, was the editor until 1981. He was succeeded by Michael Wall, who had also been a Guardian correspondent, before working for World in Action and then twelve years as The Economist Middle East and North Africa correspondent. Steven Sherman became editor on Wall’s retirement in 1995. Wall’s obituary in the Guardian described Middle East International as having a "less naive stance on Israel/Palestine".

Regular correspondents include Donald Neff in the United States, Peretz Kidron in Israel, with Helena Cobban and Jim Muir reporting from Beirut.

Directors of Middle East International’s publisher included Sir James Craig, Sir Harold Beeley and Sir Anthony Nutting.

Reporters and commentators who have referred to MEI in their books include David Hirst, David McDowall , David Gilmour , and Noam Chomsky

The Jewish Chronicle internet archive lists around fifty editions between 1971 and 2005 in which reference is made to Middle East International, describing it as the “authoritative voice of the pro-Arab lobby”.

Origins
In 1969 the Lebanese Ambassador to London, Nadim Dimechkie, invited recently retired Ambassador to Egypt, Harold Beeley, to a meal with Christopher Mayhew. In the discussion over how to present the Arab point of view in Britain, Mayhew put forward a proposal for the creation of a periodical as well as suggesting a means of gathering financial support. As a first step Beeley used his connections in Geneva to set up an account for the newly created Arab Non-Arab Foundation (ANAF) which was to become the financial backing for Middle East International. Beeley recalled one of the Genevan lawyers he approached as saying “Ici nous avons l’esprit plus ouvert”. ANAF board members included Mayhew, Dennis Walters, Hubert Argod (French Ambassador to Senegal ) and Helen von Bothmer. Beeley was to become vice-chairman of Middle East International.

Format
The first issue of MEI was printed in April 1971. Annual subscription was £3 or $12 internationally. It was 56 pages long and “It’s purpose is to repair, as far as possible, the damage done to the region over the years by prejudice and distortion by pursuing the truth about it.” The early editions carried advertisements for businesses and service providers trading in the Middle East, including airlines such as Middle East Airlines and Pan Am; banks such as Arab Bank, Standard Chartered, Gulf Bank of Kuwait and Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan; contractors and engineering firms OXY, Seddon Motors, Consolidated Contractors and TMA Cargo; other advertisers included Port of Milwaukee and Eterna. The second issue, May 1971, told readers that the June edition would be available from W.H. Smith. The July issue, now reduced to 48 pages, announced that MEI had readers in fourteen countries. In August it was claimed that it had “the largest international circulation of any paper in the world concerning Middle East public affairs.” The following month’s issue said MEI was being distributed in Tokyo, San Francisco and Cairo. The seventh issue, October 1971, announced that MEI had a “world wide circulation of ‘Class A’ readers with Middle East interests”.

By the 1980s most issues of MEI consisted of 24 pages, without any advertisements. Each edition started with an editorial of around 800 words. It was followed by a dozen or so reports from countries involved in unfolding events in the Middle East. These articles were 1,000 to 1,500 words long. Then there were several op-eds of similar length, written by academics, diplomats or politicians. Finally there were two or three book reviews and translations of an article from an Arab and a Hebrew newspaper. The back page always had a 1000 word article by a wide range of people, sometimes anonymous, entitled "Letter from ...".

With its head office in London and another office in Washington, Middle East International was published simultaneously in New York and London. It offered a range of annual subscription rates. Individuals were charged $59/£60 for 25 issues. Academic libraries $79/£60, Institutions/Companies $132/£105, Student/academic $39/£30 (1992 rates).

An index of the years content was published annually until 2001.

Finance
Middle East International was not a commercial operation. The gap between sales and expenditure was filled by donations. On his appointment as editor in 1981 Michael Wall was told by the board that the publication was on the verge of closing due to its financial situation. In 1995 the publication again came close to closure with only having funds for two or three months publication. The collapse in donations was blamed on the economic consequences of events in Kuwait after the 1990-91 crisis and the new situation in the Occupied Territories following the Oslo agreement. Dennis Walters, chairman of Middle East International, published an appeal for £200,000 to enable publication to continue for a further year during which time it was hoped a long term solution could be found. The appeal was aimed at “people of wealth and vision” and was seeking donations of £10,000 and above. At the time the journal employed four staff in London and two in Washington. Publication continued for a further ten years.

In his statement announcing the closure of Middle East International Dennis Walters wrote that one of the reasons for falling circulation was that the internet was providing free news and comment, a problem facing all periodicals. Donations were also falling as “the miserable situation in the Middle East” meant donors had other priorities.

Abstracting and indexing
The journal is abstracted and indexed in the Multidisciplinary databases (Periodicals Index Online). It was available on microfilm through University Microfilms International.