MENASource brings you up-close to a region at the epicenter of geo-political headlines. It is the Atlantic Council’s hub for in-depth commentary about breaking news, key topics, and trends from our team of experts on the Middle East and North Africa.

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

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What Egypt’s Red Sea Island Protests Mean

MENASource
Jan 14, 2026

Voices from Iran: As rejection of government reaches all-time high, Iranians also wary of foreign intervention

If Trump is serious about peace, stability, and a lasting legacy, the path forward does not run through air strikes or transactional deals with a failing theocracy.

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What Egypt’s Red Sea Island Protests Mean

MENASource
Jan 13, 2026

Eight questions (and expert answers) on the SDF’s withdrawal from Syria’s Aleppo

By
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Our experts unpack why violence erupted, what it means for Kurdish safety and integration in Syria, and how Washington is engaging.

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What Egypt’s Red Sea Island Protests Mean

MENASource
Jan 12, 2026

The Venezuela-Iran connection and what Maduro’s capture means for Tehran, explained 

By
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Our experts break down Iran’s ties to Venezuela and the impact Maduro’s capture could have on Tehran’s interests in and outside of its own borders. 

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Content

MENASource

Apr 19, 2016

What Egypt’s Red Sea Island Protests Mean

By H.A. Hellyer

Thousands of protesters gathered in Cairo and elsewhere on April 15 to demonstrate against the transfer of two islands from Egyptian control to Saudi Arabia. They were the largest non-Islamist demonstrations since the forced removal of former president, Mohamed Morsi, in 2013 by the military. Then, as Defense Minister, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was proclaimed as […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 18, 2016

Institutionalizing Ties and Rebuilding Relations

By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

As President Barack Obama heads to the region one last time, US-Gulf relations are at their lowest point in the past three decades. Relations have come under significant strain since 2011, driven by a general dissatisfaction among ruling elites in the Gulf with the administration’s approach to regional affairs. A variety of factors have contributed […]

International Organizations
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Apr 15, 2016

In Year of Summits, Weighing the Benefits and Challenges of NATO-GCC Cooperation

By Owen Daniels

The passports of high-ranking NATO and GCC officials seem to tell a tale of impending dialogue in the coming days. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s recent flights to Kuwait, the UAE, and Washington, and Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al-Zayani’s visit to Brussels presage talk of the GCC working with NATO […]

International Organizations
NATO

MENASource

Apr 14, 2016

President Obama and GCC Leaders: Let’s Talk about Jobs

By Richard LeBaron

When President Barack Obama meets his Gulf Cooperation counterparts in Riyadh on April 21, he will yet again reassure them about the US commitment to Gulf security and once again they will work through a litany of regional issues, focusing on Syria, Yemen, and Iran.  There is little expectation of startling results, and given the […]

International Organizations
North Africa

MENASource

Apr 13, 2016

The United States Has No Gulf Allies

By Bilal Y. Saab

The word “ally” is used far too casually in Washington’s Middle East lexicon. It’s time to break this bad habit, because the truth is that with the exception of Turkey—a NATO member—the United States does not share a single alliance with any Middle Eastern country. As the US-GCC summit in Riyadh approaches, understanding what really constitutes an alliance […]

International Organizations
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Apr 13, 2016

Rebalancing International Forces to Safely Carry out Their Mission in Egypt’s Sinai

By Zack Gold

Amid deteriorating security in North Sinai, a Pentagon spokesperson acknowledged on April 12 that the Obama administration is reviewing options to minimize exposure of international peacekeeping forces to a growing threat in the peninsula. Despite unprecedented security relations between Israel and Egypt, both insist on the importance of the Multinational Forces and Observers (MFO); and […]

Israel
North Africa

MENASource

Apr 13, 2016

Working in Tandem on Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

From the beginning of the Syrian crisis Washington and key GCC players have approached the problem with fundamentally differing priorities inspired by one key player: Iran. For Riyadh in particular, the salient feature of Syria’s agony and destruction has been Tehran’s aggressive, aggrandizing reach into the Arab world. For Washington, reaching a nuclear agreement with […]

International Organizations
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Apr 12, 2016

He Offered Us Bread In Exchange For Freedom: A Documentary on Nasser

By MENASource

Nasser’s Republic: The Making of Modern Egypt begins with footage of Gamal Abdel Nasser visiting the Aswan High Dam for the first time. The cheering crowds seen in the footage are a common sight in the documentary about Abdel Nasser, a polarizing figure in Egypt’s history. As Galal Amin puts it, “Many people would attribute […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 12, 2016

Q&A: The Egypt-Saudi Island Deal

By Margaret Suter

During King Salman’s recent visit to Cairo, Saudi Arabia and Egypt signed several investment agreements and cooperative deals, including a 60 billion Saudi Riyal investment fund. Among the more notable elements of the bilateral agreements are a proposed bridge that would link Saudi Arabia and Egypt through the Red Sea, and Egypt’s decision to cede […]

North Africa
Saudi Arabia

MENASource

Apr 8, 2016

The GNA Goes to Tripoli

By Mohamed Eljarh

The Presidential Council of Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) arrived to the capital Tripoli on March 30 aboard a navy vessel after failing to fly into Tripoli twice. Since its arrival in the capital Tripoli, the Council has managed to consolidate its position as the internationally backed executive branch of government, but the […]

Libya
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