My paper examines the perceived decline of area studies in the late and post-Cold War periods and contends that it was a consequence of the emergence of policy related think tanks with strong ties to U.S. government agencies. This paper is an excerpt from my dissertation and it challenges the claim that area studies “failed,” arguing instead that Middle East studies expanded and enhanced the U.S.’s understanding of the region while struggling with decreased funding and an uncertain mission. I profile two major think tanks related to the Middle East, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and asserts that their prominence was due to their support for U.S. policies in the region and strong financial backing. In addition, I discuss the relationship of both think tanks with the U.S. foreign policy establishment after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the emergence of the Bush Doctrine and American attempts to create a “New Middle East.”