The Human Cost of Escalating Conflict in the Middle East
Table of Contents
Author(s)
Ana Martín Gil
Research Manager, Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle EastKelsey Norman
Fellow for the Middle East and Director, Women’s Rights, Human Rights, and Refugees ProgramDavid M. Satterfield
Director, Baker Institute for Public Policy | Janice and Robert McNair Chair in Public PolicyAbout the Episode
Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), escalating conflicts have forced millions of people from their homes — often not just temporarily, but for years or even generations. As wars drag on and humanitarian resources shrink, what happens when there are few clear paths home and millions are left navigating the lasting human costs of displacement?
Ambassador David M. Satterfield speaks with Baker Institute experts Kelsey Norman and Ana Martín Gil about the realities of protracted displacement across the region. Norman and Martín Gil are series editors of a new Baker Institute compilation report on protracted displacement in the MENA, which is particularly acute in the region and driven by complex political, security, and climate dynamics.
This conversation was recorded on May 14, 2026.
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