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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Egypt’s Sisi: Reformer or Strongman?

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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Egypt’s Sisi: Reformer or Strongman?

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

Egypt’s Sisi: Reformer or Strongman?

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

May 21, 2015

Egypt’s Sisi: Reformer or Strongman?

By Dwight Bashir

This past weekend’s mass death sentences handed down to former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and more than 100 others is another stark reminder of the government’s relentless assault on all forms of dissent in Egypt. By far the biggest targets have been supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, but also opposition figures, critics, journalists, and rights […]

North Africa

MENASource

May 21, 2015

EconSource: Libya’s General National Congress Approves Subsidies Reforms

By EconSource

Libya’s General National Congress (GNC) has approved a potentially controversial decision to replace state subsidies for basic goods with direct cash payments, which it said would reduce smuggling.

MENASource

May 21, 2015

Train-and-Equip Alone Will Not Help Tunisia

By Haykel Ben Mahfoudh

Tunisia has faced increasingly complex security problems since its uprising in 2011 and in the country’s post-revolution phase. Tunisia’s government has taken some steps towards addressing its security concerns by placing security logistics as a top priority and key political actors—including police unions—have debated security reforms within the public discourse.

North Africa

MENASource

May 21, 2015

Can Turkey Compete with Iran in Iraq?

By Faysal Itani and Jeppe Sorenson

The United States in March extended its support to the Iraqi forces in Tikrit from reconnaissance to airstrikes, wisely predicted by the Iraqi president, in an attempt to hit two birds with one stone: defeating the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) in Tikrit and to halt Iranian political influence and prevent “sectarian improprieties” in Iraq’s […]

Iran
Iraq

MENASource

May 21, 2015

Ramadi in Context: Insurgents Not Resurging

By Ramzy Mardini

In what was a major setback to a government offensive to retake control of Anbar province, Iraqi security forces fled Ramadi as militants of the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) took full control of the provincial capital city on May 17.

Iraq

MENASource

May 20, 2015

Top News: Egypt’s Judges Club Head Appointed New Justice Minister

By EgyptSource

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday named a controversial senior judge known for his deep hostility toward the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood as justice minister.

MENASource

May 20, 2015

Top News: ISIS Seizes Part of Syria’s Palmyra

By MENASource

ISIS militants took control of the northern sector of Syria’s historic city of Palmyra Wednesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

MENASource

May 20, 2015

US Support for Tunisia Needed Now

By Karim Mezran and Lara Talverdian

Tunisia has provided a glimmer of hope in a region that continues to be roiled by the aftermath of the Arab Spring. That hope risks being extinguished as the North African nation now grapples with the daunting challenges of governance.

North Africa

MENASource

May 20, 2015

EconSource: IMF Extends Standby Loan for Tunisia; Data Shows Fall in Industrial Activity

By EconSource

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it has extended a standby loan for Tunisia by seven months in order to give the North African nation more time to enact banking and fiscal reforms.

MENASource

May 20, 2015

Q&A: Everything You Need to Know About the Morsi Verdict

By EgyptSource

On May 16, Judge Shaaban al-Shami sentenced 122 defendants, including former president Mohamed Morsi, to death in two cases. Morsi was sentenced to death on prison break charges, and will be sentenced on espionage charges on June 2.

North Africa
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