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

Top News: Police Allowed to Deport Gay Foreigners, Rules Egypt Court

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.

Read More

Top News: Police Allowed to Deport Gay Foreigners, Rules Egypt Court

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: Police Allowed to Deport Gay Foreigners, Rules Egypt Court

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

Stay Updated


Content

MENASource

Apr 15, 2015

Top News: Police Allowed to Deport Gay Foreigners, Rules Egypt Court

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >EgyptSource</span>

Egypt’s Administrative Court issued a ruling on Tuesday allowing the Interior Ministry to deport homosexual foreigners and deny them entry into the country. The decision follows a court ruling which upheld an interior ministry decision to ban a Libyan student accused of being a homosexual from entering the country. 

MENASource

Apr 15, 2015

EconSource: Reinforcements Sent to Battle ISIS at Iraq’s Largest Oil Refinery

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >EconSource</span>

Hundreds of additional Iraqi troops are being sent to reinforce forces working to fight off an attempt by the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) to overrun Iraq’s largest oil refinery.

MENASource

Apr 15, 2015

Tunisia’s Security Sector and Countering Violent Extremism; Part 1: Controlling the Narrative

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Fadil Aliriza</span>

In the wake of the hostage shootout at Bardo Museum in Tunis that left more than twenty dead, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently announced that US military aid to Tunisia would triple to combat “those who threaten the freedom and safety of the nation.”

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 14, 2015

Top News: President Obama, Iraq’s Prime Minister Abadi to Discuss ISIS Fight in Washington

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >MENASource</span>

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and President Barack Obama will discuss the fight against Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) on Tuesday at a White House meeting likely to be dominated by Iraqi requests for US arms and tension over Iran’s role on the battlefield.

MENASource

Apr 14, 2015

Top News: No Egyptian Ground Troops in Yemen says Military Spokesman

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >EgyptSource</span>

Egypt’s military has said that it has not deployed ground troops to war-torn Yemen as part of the Saudi-led military offensive against Houthi rebels there.

MENASource

Apr 14, 2015

EconSource: Iraqi Prime Minister, in Washington, Seeks Billions to Overcome Deficit

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >EconSource</span>

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi used his first official visit to Washington this week to pursue billions of dollars in loans and international assistance as his government struggles with plunging oil prices and a large budget deficit.

MENASource

Apr 14, 2015

The UNSMIL Draft Agreement and International Engagement with Libya

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Azza K. Maghur</span>

Since UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon nominated Mr. Bernardino Leon as the UN Special Representative and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in August 2014, stagnant Libyan waters have moved.

Libya

MENASource

Apr 13, 2015

Egypt’s Azhar Flexes its Muscles

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Khaled Dawoud</span>

Egypt’s oldest Islamic establishment, Al-Azhar, came out in full force this week against what it claims is an organized plan to undermine its historic role in representing “moderate Islam.” After an initial complaint to the Free Media Zone Authority asking it to ban a controversial television talk show critical of traditional Islamic schools of thought […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 13, 2015

Top News: Egyptian Court Sentences Fourteen to Death Fourteen Killed in Sinai Attacks

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >EgyptSource</span>

The Cairo Criminal Court ratified on Saturday death sentences served to Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and thirteen other Brotherhood leaders. Thirty-seven other defendants were sentenced to life in prison, including Egyptian-American Mohamed Soltan.

MENASource

Apr 13, 2015

Top News: United States Expands Role in Saudi-Led Campaign in Yemen

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >MENASource</span>

The United States is expanding its role in Saudi Arabia’s campaign in Yemen, vetting military targets and searching vessels for Yemen-bound Iranian arms amid growing concerns about the goals of the Saudi-led mission, according to US and Arab officials.

Load More