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.

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Is ISIS Still “Remaining and Expanding”?

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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Is ISIS Still “Remaining and Expanding”?

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

Is ISIS Still “Remaining and Expanding”?

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

Mar 2, 2015

Is ISIS Still “Remaining and Expanding”?

By Jeppe Sorensen

Kurdish forces in late January expelled fighters from the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIS) from Kobani in northern Syria. They later retook villages surrounding the city, reportedly without much fighting. With the radical organization’s losses mounting, observers of the Syrian conflict should ask the question: “What is next for ISIS?”

Syria

MENASource

Feb 28, 2015

The Egyptian Parliament: A Presidential Right to Dissolution

By Yussef Auf

With the many legal challenges facing Egypt’s coming parliament, even if it is not dissolved by a ruling of the Supreme Constitutional Court, it may still be dissolved by the president. The political system in Egypt’s Constitution is a distorted one, based on the consolidation of the powers of the president at the expense of […]

Elections North Africa

MENASource

Feb 27, 2015

If We Fail in Libya

By Hafed Al-Ghwell

A former US State Department official wrote several weeks ago: “Observing events in Libya since the revolution has often been like watching someone set his dining room table while the house is on fire.” The reality is, it is not just Libya’s house that’s on fire, but the whole neighbourhood, while everyone idly looks on. 

Libya

MENASource

Feb 27, 2015

Top News: UNESCO Chief decries “cultural cleansing” in ISIS video

By MENASource

Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, described on Friday Islamic State’s (ISIS or ISIL) destruction of ancient statues and artifacts as “cultural cleansing” and a war crime that the world must punish.

MENASource

Feb 27, 2015

Top News: Ahmed Ezz Appeal Dismissed; New Decree Tightens Security on Libya Border

By EgyptSource

The Egyptian cabinet issued an appendix to an earlier decree on Wednesday regarding the country’s political borders and tightening military control on the border with Libya. The addition to the November 2014 decree requires residents who moved to the western border city of Salloum after 1967 to obtain a written military clearance. 

MENASource

Feb 27, 2015

EconSource: IMF Forecasts 3 Percent Growth for Tunisia in 2015

By EconSource

According to IMF representative to Tunisia, The growth rate in Tunisia will reach 3 percent in 2015, an increase with the respect to the 2.4 percent of 2014. According to IMF estimates, inflation will rise 5 percent in 2015 in Tunisia (compared to 4.9 percent in 2014) and the current account deficit will improve reaching […]

MENASource

Feb 26, 2015

The ISIS Game Plan in Libya

By Chris Chapman

The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) has expanded beyond its original territory in Iraq and Syria and is working to establish a base of operation in North Africa. Libya is the catalyst for such aspirations, given its chaos since the fall of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.

Libya

MENASource

Feb 26, 2015

The Egyptian Parliament: Constitutional Short-Comings of the Laws Regulating Elections

By Yussef Auf

There have been various legal reasons used to challenge the constitutionality of the laws organizing the upcoming parliamentary elections. For the most part, these reasons are based on controversial legal articles, many of which were rejected by a large segment of the political forces in Egypt.

Elections North Africa

MENASource

Feb 26, 2015

The Egyptian Parliament: After a Lengthy Absence, an Uncertain Future

By Yussef Auf

According to a timeframe put in place by the High Elections Commission (HEC) in January, a new Egyptian parliament should be elected and convened by mid-May, 2015, at the latest. However, a study of the current situation, particularly in legal and constitutional terms—irrespective of the political context and electoral alliances that may be formed—indicates that […]

Elections North Africa

MENASource

Feb 26, 2015

Top News: Congress Doesn’t Object to Proposed Egypt Military Aid Package

By EgyptSource

US lawmakers did not raise any objections to a proposed $1.3 billion military assistance package for Egypt during two days of hearings with Secretary of State John Kerry. Their silence is the clearest sign yet that Congress is lining up behind President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as he takes on the Islamic State and other Islamists. 

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