With curated multimedia series focused on hard hitting issues such climate change as well as current events, MENASource seeks to explore all facets of life in the region as affected by political, security, economic, and cultural issues.

Of particular focus and interest are the minorities, women, and the youth populations across the region and how they are affected by the changing environments.

The views expressed in MENASource are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

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How Aya Hijazi Ended Up in Sisi’s Seat at the White House

MENASource
Jun 16, 2025

Twenty questions (and expert answers) on the Israel-Iran war

The escalation between Israel and Iran has raised many important questions about a region already facing crises on multiple fronts.

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How Aya Hijazi Ended Up in Sisi’s Seat at the White House

MENASource
Jun 13, 2025

China’s basing quest in the Gulf: Pipe dream or strategic reality?

By
Leonardo Jacopo Maria Mazzucco

While the Gulf remains central to China’s long-term maritime aspirations, its near-term military footprint is likely to stay limited.

China
Maritime Security

How Aya Hijazi Ended Up in Sisi’s Seat at the White House

MENASource
Jun 10, 2025

Why DDR programs are the missing link to Syrian stability

By
Muhsen al-Mustafa

With the end of Western sanctions, Syria faces a rare opportunity to address the imbalances of the post-conflict period.

Middle East
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

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Content

MENASource

Apr 28, 2017

How Aya Hijazi Ended Up in Sisi’s Seat at the White House

By Dalia Rabie

President Donald Trump did not waste time boasting about his role in the release of Aya Hijazi, Egyptian-American charity worker who had been jailed in Egypt for the past three years. “Did you see Aya?” Trump asked an Associated Press reporter at the beginning of his interview this week. “I asked the government to let […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 26, 2017

The Endless Battle in Taiz

By Maysaa Shuja al Deen

Taiz is the site of the longest-running battle ground in the Yemen war, which began when Houthi forces took over the city on March 25, 2015. Initially, the Houthis were confronted by peaceful demonstrations which they repressed heavily, killing six demonstrators in the process. The situation rapidly developed into armed conflict when the war erupted […]

Yemen

MENASource

Apr 24, 2017

Riyadh & Cairo: A Relationship of Alignment

By Dr. H.A. Hellyer

This past Sunday, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visited Riyadh for an official state visit to the Saudi Kingdom. It comes at a time when many are speculating about the future and current state of Saudi-Egyptian relations, particularly after the furor about the status of the islands off the coast of Sinai. But much of […]

North Africa Saudi Arabia

MENASource

Apr 21, 2017

Trump on Libya: What Now?

By Karim Mezran and Elissa Miller

The situation in Libya seems to be simultaneously stalemated and wavering on the brink of collapse. The Presidential Council and Government of National Accord (PC/GNA), which emerged from the UN-led Libyan Political Agreement at the end of 2015, has made little progress in solidifying its authority in the country. The United Nations is increasingly weak […]

Libya

MENASource

Apr 17, 2017

Raising the Stakes: Egyptians Have Questions About a New Emergency Law and the State of Security

By Mirette F. Mabrouk

The dead were buried without a mass. On April 9, two suicide bombers hit two churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria in Egypt. The next day, the first burial was held for seven of those killed at St Mina Monastery in King Mariout, on the outskirts of Alexandria. The Eastern Orthodox Church does […]

North Africa Political Reform

MENASource

Apr 12, 2017

Egypt Church Bombings Leave Copts Insecure in the Face of ISIS Threats

By Jihad Abaza

“My father and I still have headaches and a buzzing sound that has been in our ears since after the attack,” said the 27-year-old Ashraf Ramzy, a survivor of the explosion on Tanta’s St. George’s Cathedral that killed twenty-nine worshippers on Palm Sunday.  

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 12, 2017

Iraq’s Fall Elections Can Help Stabilize the Country—if Steps are Taken Now

By Husayn Hosoda

For the first time since the outbreak of the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) conflict, Iraqis across the country will be able to make their voices heard at the ballot box in provincial elections in the fall of 2017. Voters will elect provincial councils in every governorate, and especially in places affected by the Islamic […]

Iraq

MENASource

Apr 10, 2017

Sisi’s Visit to Washington: Not Much Expected, Not Much Happened

By Dr. H.A. Hellyer

Amidst the anticipation of the first visit of an Egyptian president to Washington DC since 2009, there were a number of articles on Abdal Fattah El-Sisi’s visit to the White House in the first week of April. Much of the analysis was about what the Trump administration should want from Cairo. But the harsh reality […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 7, 2017

Al-Azhar and Sisi’s Regime: Structural Roots of Disagreement

By Belal Abdallah

Tensions between Egypt’s religious leadership and its political leadership—represented by the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb, and Egypt’s President respectively—have reached a point where they can no longer be concealed. The underlying disagreement has become public, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has raised this issue in his public speeches, the most recent of […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 5, 2017

Egyptian Media Hails New Era in US-Egypt Relations

By Dalia Rabie

After years of condemning and rejecting what it considered an intrusive relationship, Egypt’s state media finally hailed a new era of bilateral relations between the US and Egypt ushered in by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s first meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump on Monday.

North Africa
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