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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ISIS in Sirte: From Caliphate to Insurgency

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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ISIS in Sirte: From Caliphate to Insurgency

MENASource
Jun 17, 2025

Why Hezbollah is unlikely to engage in the Israel-Iran war—for now

By
David Daoud

As wave after wave of Israeli jets continue to strike Iran, Tehran’s proxy on Israel’s northern border remains quiet.

Iran
Israel

ISIS in Sirte: From Caliphate to Insurgency

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

Nov 18, 2016

ISIS in Sirte: From Caliphate to Insurgency

By Marco Arnaboldi

With the Libyan city of Sirte almost completely liberated from the Islamic State, the group appears to be adapting rather than collapsing. Despite a significant decline in interactions with outsiders, recent statements by ISIS leaders and the tactics used in its fight in Sirte point to how it might deal with the aftermath. In its […]

Libya

MENASource

Nov 16, 2016

Factbox: On the IMF Loan to Iraq

By Sali Mahdy

In late September, the Iraqi parliament voted to dismiss Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari over corruption allegations. Zebari had led Iraq’s efforts to secure aid to manage its economic crisis, and most recently, successfully negotiated an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan for Iraq. A day after the vote, the IMF reaffirmed its commitment to work with […]

Iraq

MENASource

Nov 16, 2016

The Uncertainty of Trump and the Middle East

By H.A. Hellyer

As the United States recoils from the aftershock of an outsider from the DC establishment—President-elect Donald Trump—winning the presidency, the international community, including the Arab world and the wider Middle East, does the same. There will be those who will favor his victory –Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt being the most obvious example – but […]

Middle East

MENASource

Nov 14, 2016

Tal Afar: Prospect for Escalation

By Ramzy Mardini

The international media often describes the city of Mosul, the capital of Ninawa province, as the Islamic State’s (ISIS) last remaining stronghold in Iraq. However, there is another major stronghold that may soon be a flashpoint between rival factions of the anti-ISIS coalition. In late October, Iraq’s Shia militias opened a new front in the […]

Iran Iraq

MENASource

Nov 10, 2016

What a Donald Trump Presidency Means for the Middle East

By MENASource

On November 8, Donald J. Trump was elected the forty-fifth president of the United States. In transcribed interviews, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East experts weigh in on what a Donald Trump presidency means for the Middle East.

International Organizations Iraq

MENASource

Nov 8, 2016

Floating the Egyptian Pound – Finally

By Mohsin Khan and Elissa Miller

On August 11 this year, the Egyptian government, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), and an International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team reached an agreement on a three-year economic program under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility worth $12 billion. The announcement of the agreement was greeted with considerable fanfare, as it showed Egypt was ready, […]

North Africa

MENASource

Nov 8, 2016

What the Loss of Mosul Will Mean for ISIS

By Mona Alami

As Iraqi forces continue to push further into the Islamic State’s bastion in Mosul, the looming loss of this key city heralds the end of the Islamic caliphate as a pseudo state. The organization, however, may survive as an insurgency and more importantly through the continuity of its “ideological caliphate.”

Iraq Syria

MENASource

Nov 1, 2016

Anbar’s Iraqi Policemen: Between ISIS and a Hard Place

By Kamal al-Ayash, NIQASH

There have been plenty of calls for families who were displaced by the security crisis caused by the Islamic State group to return home, once their territories have been cleared of the extremists. But in the central province of Anbar, it seems that not everybody is welcome.

Iraq

MENASource

Oct 28, 2016

The Reality of Israel-Egypt Relations

By Moran Stern

While Israeli-Egyptian relations can be best described as “cold peace,” the security establishments in both countries have, in fact, developed impressive levels of cooperation in recent years. The outbreak of the so-called Arab Spring and the Egyptian revolution (or revolutions) that followed it have contributed to even closer relations between the states’ leaderships.

Israel North Africa

MENASource

Oct 25, 2016

Understanding Recent Egypt-Saudi Tensions

By Elissa Miller

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi recently gave a series of interviews to state-owned newspapers, his second such series of interviews with official press in the past three months. The interviews came on the heels of two votes in the United Nations Security Council on resolutions on Syria submitted by France and Russia, respectively. While Egypt […]

North Africa Saudi Arabia
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