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: UN Investigators May Release Syria War Criminal Lists

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: UN Investigators May Release Syria War Criminal Lists

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

Top News: UN Investigators May Release Syria War Criminal Lists

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 23, 2015

Top News: UN Investigators May Release Syria War Criminal Lists

By MENASource

UN war crimes investigators said Friday that they were prepared to publish secret lists of alleged war criminals in Syria to help stem an “exponential rise” in human rights violations in the country.

MENASource

Feb 23, 2015

Syria: Forget About Arming the Opposition?

By Frederic C. Hof

My friend and former governmental colleague Robert Ford was recently depicted in a newspaper article as having done a U-turn on the question of arming Syrian nationalists currently resisting both the Assad regime and the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL). Ambassador Ford will, I suspect, take pen to paper soon to present a more nuanced […]

Syria

MENASource

Feb 20, 2015

Before We Reach an Oil-for-Food Moment in Libya

By Hafed Al-Ghwell

Almost four years to the day of the start of Libya’s civil war, February 17, 2011, the country remains in turmoil. The failure of Libya’s “transition” into some sort of stable democracy along with the ensuing civil war has not only qualified it as the worst in the Arab Spring so far, but also as […]

Libya

MENASource

Feb 20, 2015

Who is Participating in Egypt’s Parliamentary Elections?

By Nancy Messieh and Ali Mohamed

With the High Elections Commission (HEC) closing the door to candidate registration, over 5,000 Egyptians have applied to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections slated for March 22. 3,514 applied to run as independent candidates, while 1,539 applied to run on a party list. Of the 5,000 applicants, only 212 are women.

Elections
North Africa

MENASource

Feb 20, 2015

Top News: Transitional Council Agreed Upon in Yemen

By MENASource

Yemen’s political parties have agreed on a transitional council to govern the country. The agreement keeps Yemen’s old 301-member House of Representatives, which consists overwhelmingly of members from the former ruling party thought to be sympathetic to the Houthis.

MENASource

Feb 20, 2015

EconSource: Yemen foreign exchange reserves stabilize but borrowing balloons in political crisis

By EconSource

Yemeni Central Bank data showed that Yemen’s foreign exchange reserves have stabilised after a steep fall due to its political turmoil, but ballooning government debt issuance indicates the country may be moving closer to a fiscal crunch. Gross foreign reserves, which had sunk to $4.65 billion in November, recovered slightly in December to $4.67 billion, […]

MENASource

Feb 20, 2015

Top News: GCC Secretary-General Denies Criticizing Egypt, Blames Media

By EgyptSource

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council has denied that he criticized statements made by an Egyptian diplomat who accused Qatar of supporting terrorism, saying he was misquoted by the media. Abdullatif al-Zayani said in a statement on Thursday that he “denied” media reports about an earlier statement by him. 

MENASource

Feb 19, 2015

A Lacking Resolution in the War on ISIS

By Daniel R. DePetris

Despite unnecessary arguments from the White House that a brand new Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) for the war against the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL), President Barack Obama decided to take the advice of the United States Congress by submitting a draft resolution to Capitol Hill.

MENASource

Feb 19, 2015

Top News: The United States identifies 1,200 fighters for Syria training

By MENASource

The United States has so far identified about 1,200 Syrian opposition fighters for potential participation in a US military-led program to help train and equip them to battle the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL).

MENASource

Feb 19, 2015

Top News: Qatar Recalls Ambassador to Egypt over Accusations of Supporting Terrorism

By EgyptSource

Qatar said Thursday it has recalled its ambassador to Cairo to protest comments made by Egyptian delegate to the Arab League, Tarek Adel, over his country’s decision to carry out air strikes in neighboring Libya. While the Arab League issued a statement saying it “understands” Egypt’s position, Qatar had expressed reservations over the attack and the arming […]

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