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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Top News: Syrian opposition not in Geneva on the day of peace talks

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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Top News: Syrian opposition not in Geneva on the day of peace talks

MENASource
Jan 28, 2026

Trump’s National Security Strategy doesn’t downgrade the Middle East, it redefines it

By
Kristian Alexander

Trump’s strategy is a sophisticated refinement of “America First.” For the Gulf, the implications are significant, but manageable.

Middle East
National Security

Top News: Syrian opposition not in Geneva on the day of peace talks

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

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Content

MENASource

Jan 29, 2016

Top News: Syrian opposition not in Geneva on the day of peace talks

By MENASource

UN officials said Syrian peace talks will begin in Geneva as planned Friday, despite an ongoing boycott by the main Syrian opposition group, which continues to stay away pending assurances from the UN chief on the implementation of Security Council resolutions related to humanitarian issues.

MENASource

Jan 29, 2016

A US War Resolution Against ISIS, Revisited

By Daniel R. DePetris

On December 6, 2015 President Barack Obama spoke to millions of Americans in a nationally televised address on the progress that has been made in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) in both Iraq and Syria.

Iraq
Syria

MENASource

Jan 29, 2016

EconSource: Morocco Suspends Contacts with EU Delegation Over Trade Row

By EconSource

Morocco has suspended contacts with the European Union (EU) delegation in Rabat over a trade dispute, a move that could slow multi-million dollar development projects.

MENASource

Jan 29, 2016

Five Years On: Egypt’s Minorities

By Elissa Miller

The climate for Egypt’s religious minorities has improved little since the 2011 revolution. Coptic Christians, Shias, Baha’is, and atheists have been subject to discrimination, hate-speech, arrests, and violence under successive governments.

North Africa

MENASource

Jan 29, 2016

Top News: Reuters Says EgyptAir Mechanic Suspected in Russian Plane Crash; Russia, EgyptAir Deny

By EgyptSource

In a report Friday Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter, said an EgyptAir mechanic whose cousin joined the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) in Syria is suspected of planting a bomb that brought down a Russian passenger plane in Egypt late October. A senior security official at the airline denied that any of its […]

MENASource

Jan 28, 2016

Top News: Human Rights Remain in Crisis in Egypt says HRW in Annual Report

By EgyptSource

Human Rights Watch said in its annual review on Wednesday that human rights remained in crisis in Egypt in 2015. In the introduction to the review of over 90 countries, HRW’s Executive Director Kenneth Roth wrote “the spread of terrorist attacks beyond the Middle East…led many governments to curtail rights in misguided efforts to protect […]

MENASource

Jan 28, 2016

Top News: United States weighs military options in Libya

By MENASource

The United States is weighing potential military options in Libya as Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) extremists expand their influence, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said on Wednesday.

MENASource

Jan 28, 2016

Five Years On: Security and Economy

By Elissa Miller

In the past five years, economic demands of the January 25 uprising continue to resound, but have also been joined by another key demand among the Egyptian population: one for stability. From increased militant attacks in the Sinai to assassinations of government and security figures, the Egyptian government has made its war on terror a […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jan 28, 2016

Yemen’s Image Problem and the Ongoing Conflict

By Jillian Schwedler

Less than a year after Saudi Arabia launched its war to restore former Yemeni President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi to power, it has retaken enough control of Aden for Prime Minister Khalid Bahah and his cabinet to return after months in exile. Bahah and other cabinet members posted selfies on social media to prove their presence […]

Saudi Arabia
Yemen

MENASource

Jan 28, 2016

EconSource: Kuwait Sees Budget Deficit Jumping by 50 Percent in 2016-17

By EconSource

Kuwait’s Finance Ministry said Thursday that the country’s 2016-17 draft budget forecasts a deficit of 12.2 billion dinars ($40.2 billion), an increase of almost 50 percent compared to the previous year.

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