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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Yemen and the “Man on Horseback”

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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Yemen and the “Man on Horseback”

MENASource
Jan 13, 2026

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

By
Atlantic Council experts

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

Civil Society
Conflict

Yemen and the “Man on Horseback”

MENASource
Jan 12, 2026

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

By
Joze Pelayo, Kirsten Fontenrose, Ellie Sennett 

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. 

Iran
Oil and Gas

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Content

MENASource

Feb 29, 2016

Yemen and the “Man on Horseback”

By Nabeel Khoury

Yemeni President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi, currently residing in Riyadh, has appointed General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar to the post of Deputy Commander of Yemen’s Armed Forces—in essence giving him official command of the portion of Yemen’s military still loyal to President Hadi.

Yemen

MENASource

Feb 26, 2016

The Theories Behind Regeni’s Murder

By Karim Mezran

The ambiguous circumstances surrounding the tragic murder of Cambridge University’s doctoral candidate, Giulio Regeni, in Egypt have led to much speculation over who was behind the Italian student’s death. Many of these explanations appear to serve special interests, rather than trying to find the truth about the young researcher’s death and ensure the arrest of […]

Italy
North Africa

MENASource

Feb 26, 2016

Top News: Putin says groups in Syria ready to comply with ceasefire; Russian air strikes intensify

By MENASource

All parties expected to take part in a cessation of hostilities in Syria have said they are ready to do so, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, warning the peace process would be difficult nonetheless at a meeting with the FSB security service in Moscow.

MENASource

Feb 26, 2016

Top News: Kerry Defends US Stance on Egypt

By EgyptSource

Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged a “deterioration” in Egyptian freedoms in testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday, but defended the administration’s decision to waive human rights conditions on aid to the country. “There are disturbing arrests, there are disturbing sentences,” he said, but also pointed to Egypt’s strategic importance to the United […]

MENASource

Feb 26, 2016

EconSource: Morocco Suspends Contacts With EU Over Court Ruling on Farm Trade

By EconSource

Morocco said Thursday it had suspended contact with European Union (EU) institutions over a court ruling invalidating a farm trade accord.

MENASource

Feb 25, 2016

Libya: Thinking the Unthinkable

By Karim Mezran

Observers and commentators have floated many ideas on how best to support the Government of National Accord (GNA) born out of 18 months of UN-led negotiations. They range from advice to Western nations on how to implement an international stabilization force to provide security for the new government in Tripoli to strongly discouraging any foreign […]

Libya

MENASource

Feb 25, 2016

Top News: Egypt Sentences Coptic Students to Five Years in Jail for ‘Insulting Islam’

By EgyptSource

An Egyptian court convicted four Coptic Christian teenagers for contempt of Islam on Thursday, sentencing three to five years in prison, the maximum penalty for blasphemy. A fourth student, who is under 18, was referred to a juvenile detention facility.

MENASource

Feb 25, 2016

Top News: Syria army excludes rebel town near Damascus from truce

By MENASource

On Wednesday, Syria’s army said it would exclude an important rebel bastion near Damascus from a ceasefire set to begin at the weekend because rebel forces there include jihadists.

MENASource

Feb 25, 2016

EconSource: Gulf States to Introduce VAT in 2018

By EconSource

Emirati Minister of State for Finance Affairs Obaid al-Tayer said the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are expected to agree on a framework for a value-added tax by June, with implementation starting January 1, 2018.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Feb 24, 2016

Top News: French special forces waging secret war in Libya

By MENASource

French special forces and intelligence commandos are engaged in covert operations against Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants in Libya in conjunction with the United States and Britain, the French newspaper Le Monde reported on Wednesday.

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