Journalist. Analyst. Storyteller.
A Midwesterner in the Mideast, Taylor tells personal stories on a global scale.
As The Christian Science Monitor's Senior Middle East Correspondent, Taylor tackles some of the biggest challenges of our day: climate change, polarization, migration, inequality, democracy and war. His narrative journalism blends reporting, analysis and story-telling to bring humanity and clarity to events shaping the Middle East and the wider world.
A former Global Fellow at The Wilson Center, Taylor also writes forward-looking analyses on emerging dynamics in a Middle East in flux. Taylor advises as a consultant on regional interconnectivity projects, cross-border opportunities and investment-led sustainable growth.
Read more about Taylor’s humanity-focused writing approach or browse a bio recapping his 19-year career in the Middle East. For analysis and consulting services, visit the analysis section.
The Christian Science Monitor’s Senior Middle East Correspondent Taylor Luck talks to Al Jazeera English from Amman on the recent terrorist attack on a church in Jordan and what it means for a community that prides itself on Muslim-Christian interfaith solidarity on Oct. 23, 2026.
INTERVIEW: Al Jazeera English- Oct 23, 2026
US-Iran War 2026
October 25, 2026- The US and Iran continue to escalate a regional war that has had far-reaching consequences for the Middle East, the global economy and voters back home in America. From the Strait of Hormuz to missile-struck capitals, I am on the ground in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Syria and farther afield reporting on the war’s fallout on a Middle East in flux.
To read more exclusive insights, sign up to my regular newsletter or follow my Substack. Follow The Christian Science Monitor’s Monitoring the Middle East Substack for weekly exclusive insights from the newspaper’s veteran Middle East team. You can also send along questions to thetaylorluck@gmail.com.
In the months ahead, I will continue to report on the post-America Middle East rapidly taking shape. With the American security umbrella shattered and allies left to fend for themselves, I am following the new alliances forming and the strategic shifts in thought in Arab states once bound to Washington, and the struggle for the regional balance of power.
When it comes to the Middle East’s next chapter, we are not at the beginning of the end, but merely at the end of the beginning.
LATEST NEWS
LATEST HEADLINES
Oct 23 2026: Church attacked in Jordan region known for Christian-Muslim coexistence
Oct 23 2026: INTERVIEW: Al Jazeera English on Jordan church attack and interfaith relations
Oct 15 2026: Substack: Iran, Houthis and the Weaponization of Middle East Air Travel
Oct 13 2026: As Houthi attacks undermine Saudi security, a careful kingdom recalibrates
Oct 1 2026: Substack: Who’s doing the heavy lifting in Syria’s transition?
Aug 27 2026: Monitoring the Middle East: Arab States Are Keeping Iran War Economic Shocks At Bay. The US Keeps Upping the Costs
Aug 25 2026: As US Applies ‘D-Day’ Pressure on Iran, the Battleground Shifts to Iraq
Aug 14 2026: New Alliances Spell the End of the American Middle East. Why America Should Support Them.
Aug 11 2026: With Middle East at war, a new alliance emerges
Aug 4 2026: US-Iran War Crossroads: Wider War or an Iranian Hormuz
Aug 4 2026: Syria’s parliament has limited power, high expectations
Aug 4 2026: Syria’s parliament has limited power, high expectations
July 29 2026: After a brief pause, the Iran War is expanding
July 27 2026: Targeted by Iran, this Gulf nation emerges stronger
July 24 2026: As US-Iran fight over the Hormuz continues, the battle for the Red Sea begins.
July 22 2026: Saudi nuclear deal: What US policy shift means for Mideast diplomacy
July 21 2026: Under Iranian fire, Jordan faces a balancing act….and a messaging challenge
July 15 2026: Is Syria safe? As some put on a brave face after Damascus bombings, security remains an issue.
June 16 2026: The Strait of Hormuz remains a problem. Syria offers a solution.
June 11 2026: The Post-Hormuz Middle East is Now (so where is the international community?)
June 9 2026: Syria flips the script. It’s an island of calm in the stormy Middle East
June 2 2026: Iran War soured Gulf Arabs on Iraq. Can new leader in Baghdad win them back?
May 18 2026: Tested by Iran War, Qatar is still faithful to its core mission: Mediation
April 29 2026: Hardest-hit by Iran, the UAE pivots from cooperation to confrontation
April 27 2026: Schrödinger’s Ceasefire: Why no US-Iran deal is worse than a bad deal
April 16 2026: Amid the ashes of the US-Iran war, a new Middle East order takes shape
April 15 2026: Hormuz workarounds, arms deals: Gulf states seek to ‘Iran-proof’ their future
April 13 2026: In Iran war, ‘the enemy of my enemy’ isn’t moving Gulf Arabs closer to Israel
April 10 2026: Fear, confusion, distrust: In Mideast, hopes are dim ahead of US-Iran talks
April 7 2026: ‘There are no winners’: Globe races to defuse Iran conflict
April 1 2026: Saudi Arabia hopes diplomacy works with Iran. It’s also preparing for a military response.
March 30 2026: Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, life calmly goes on amid Iran war
March 20 2026: Iraq was enjoying newfound peace and prosperity. Then came the Iran war.
March 19 2026: US-Iran: Where the Globalized Mideast War is Heading Next
March 13 2026: How the war in Iran is putting vital water resources in jeopardy
March 10 2026: This Ramadan, Jordanian hospitality welcomes travelers stranded by war
March 5 2026: Gulf Arabs lobbied for US-Iran diplomacy. Attacked, they’re tilting toward war.
March 2 2026: The US-Iran War Goes Global
March 1 2026: Iran retaliates for killing of supreme leader, threatening regional security
Feb 28 2026: Under fire by Iran, US Gulf allies seek to balance diplomacy and self-defense
Feb 28 2026: BREAKING US Strikes Iran, A Regional War Begins
Feb 19 2026:What a US-Iran War May Look Like- for the Middle East and Beyond
Feb 17 2026:In Gaza, Israel’s creeping Yellow Line takes Palestinians’ land, and lives
Feb 10 2026:What the Washington Post’s Cuts Mean for the Middle East
Jan 14 2026:Gulf powers fall out over Yemen. At stake is cooperation over Gaza and Syria.
Dec 24 2025:Across the Middle East, a focus on home, healing, and restored hope
Dec 8 2025: As joyful Syrians celebrate Liberation Day, their glass is half full
Dec 6 2025: Moderating Doha Forum 2025 Panel: Protecting Children in a New Era- Advancing Inclusive Humanitarian Response
Oct 31 2025: PODCAST: ‘Multiple truths’: Taylor Luck on Finding the fuller story in the Middle East
Aug 18 2025: Taylor Luck named finalist for the 2025 Waterston Desert Writing Prize
Doha Forum 2025 Panel: Children in Armed Conflict
On Dec 6, Taylor Luck moderated the Doha Forum 2025 Panel ‘Protecting Children in a New Era: Advancing an Inclusive Humanitarian Response’.
The two finalists for this year’s Waterston Desert Prize Writing are Taylor Luck and Charles Hood.
Luck, a journalist living in the Middle East, blends narrative writing with authentic storytelling. His submission, Beyond the Jordan, focuses on modern-day Jordan and the varied groups of people navigating a region in upheaval. Luck weaves his personal journey of belonging into the narrative…
Taylor Luck Finalist for 2025 Waterston Desert Writing Prize
TALK - The Trust Factor: From America to the Middle East
June 27, 2024
As part of CS Monitor’s Rebuilding Trust series, I took part in a panel discussion in Newport Beach, California, with Monitor Editor Mark Sappenfield, veteran White House and Congress correspondent Francine Kieffer, and former editor Marshall Ingwerson to discuss how mistrust has exacerbated the Israel-Hamas war, politicians’ and militia leaders’ deadly ‘algorithm of cynicism’, and potential rays of progress for the way forward.