The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies (MDC) is an Israeli think tank based in Tel Aviv, Israel, focused on the contemporary study and analysis of the Middle East and Africa. The idea for the Center was originally proposed by Reuven Shiloah, who was the first Director of the Mossad. Following Shiloah's death, the Reuven Shiloah Institute was created, and existed independently for a brief time before becoming incorporated into Tel Aviv University in 1966. In 1983, the University established the Moshe Dayan Center, which combined the Shiloah Institute and other documentation units dealing with the Middle East. Its stated primary mission is to serve as a resource for decision makers and the public at large, both in Israel and internationally, though it differentiates it