MENASource

As the MENA region continues to be the epicenter of news headlines, the Atlantic Council’s MENASource is a hub for thought-provoking and hard-hitting analyses about the latest trends, ideas, and debates. This online publication provides fast reactions and in-depth commentary on breaking news and key regional topics by a diverse team of experts and contributors.

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.

Learn more about the Middle East

Civil Society in Egypt Still Matters

MENASource
May 14, 2026

Five ways the Iran war will forever alter the Middle East

Expect the war to weaken the Iranian regime, keep the US in the Middle East, harm Israel’s standing in the region, and more.

Read More

Civil Society in Egypt Still Matters

MENASource
Jun 4, 2026

Iraq’s militias are fracturing as Iran turns from theocracy to juntocracy

By
Munqith Dagher

Iraq’s militias face a spiritual and organizational dilemma that gravely endangers their existence, in the wake of Iran’s leadership change.

Conflict
Iran

Civil Society in Egypt Still Matters

MENASource
May 26, 2026

An oil windfall will not fix Libya’s economy

By
Ahmed Shalghoum and Frank Talbot

Libya’s new unified budget needs transparency, accountability, and oversight to deliver for the people.

Economy & Business
Libya

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Content

MENASource

Apr 22, 2016

Civil Society in Egypt Still Matters

By Brian R. Braun

In late March, Egypt’s Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Magdi al-Agati, indicated that the government would soon submit to parliament a new law regulating the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the country. According to Agati, the proposed law will make it easier for Egyptian civil society organizations (CSOs) to operate and defend the rights of […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 21, 2016

From Reassurance to Shared Interests: Bridging the Gulf at the Riyadh Summit

By Muath Al Wari and Elisa Catalano Ewers

President Barack Obama’s meeting with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Saudi Arabia this week is a previously scheduled follow-up to last year’s Camp David meeting, which notably secured the Gulf states’ passive endorsement of the Iran nuclear deal. There is no comparable deliverable expected this week, and the case for low […]

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Apr 21, 2016

Keeping the Possibility of Peace in Yemen Alive

By Jillian Schwedler

The talks at the GCC summit this week provide an opportunity for President Barack Obama to address the war and humanitarian crisis in Yemen. The delegation representing the Houthis and ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s General People’s Congress (GPC) delegations finally turned up today for peace talks in Kuwait, but the prospects for ending the […]

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Apr 19, 2016

The Missing Multilateralism: Building Institutional Relations between the US and the GCC

By Jessica Ashooh

Ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to the GCC Summit in Riyadh, the focus from the White House is all on the immediate. In what is likely the last trip to the Gulf of the Obama presidency, issues like the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) and Iranian regional activities dominate. The agenda for the […]

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Apr 19, 2016

Three Questions That Could Make or Break Yemen’s Peace Talks

By Daniel DePetris

The beginning of a UN-mediated ceasefire in Yemen on April 10 comes at a critical time for Yemeni, Gulf Arab, and UN diplomats. For the first time since December 2015, the warring parties are preparing for the resumption of comprehensive, face-to-face peace talks. As it stands, the talks have already been delayed due to ongoing […]

Saudi Arabia Yemen

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
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