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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Top News: Egypt Rebukes Israel, Palestine for Refusing Ceasefire Extension

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: Egypt Rebukes Israel, Palestine for Refusing Ceasefire Extension

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: Egypt Rebukes Israel, Palestine for Refusing Ceasefire Extension

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

Aug 8, 2014

Top News: Egypt Rebukes Israel, Palestine for Refusing Ceasefire Extension

By EgyptSource

Egypt’s ministry of foreign affairs rebuked Israel and Palestinian factions on Friday for failing to come to terms on an extension of the 72-hour ceasefire that expired early this morning, reported the state-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA).

MENASource

Aug 8, 2014

Airstrikes in Iraq, But Why Not Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

On August 7, President Barack Obama authorized both airstrikes and humanitarian relief in response to attacks launched by the ersatz caliphate of the criminal enterprise calling itself the Islamic State (IS).

Syria

MENASource

Aug 8, 2014

Tunisia’s Political Prospects

By Duncan Pickard

Consensus has characterized Tunisia’s transition to democracy. Ennahda, the self-styled Islamic party, governed in coalition with two secular parties. The National Dialogue, which made several important decisions about the stages of the transition, prompted Ennahda to agree to step down from power—a first for an Islamic party in the region—in favor of a technocratic government.

North Africa

MENASource

Aug 7, 2014

Building a Syrian National Stabilization Force

By Frederic C. Hof

The Obama administration’s request for $500 million in fiscal year 2015 money to arm and equip elements of the Syrian opposition has generated confusion and skepticism.

Syria

MENASource

Aug 7, 2014

Top News: ISIS Storms Army Base in Raqqa

By MENASource

Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) fighters stormed one of the government’s last military posts in the northern province of Raqqa in an overnight attack killing dozens of soldiers, activists said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced the clashes continued into Thursday and that there were still government troops in the base.

MENASource

Aug 7, 2014

Top News: Obama Says Al Jazeera Journalists Should be Released

By EgyptSource

US President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged the release of three Al Jazeera journalists sentenced to long prison terms in Egypt on charges of aiding the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood organization.

MENASource

Aug 7, 2014

The Nour Party’s Dilemma

By Khaled Dawoud

An accusation leveled at strict Salafist groups in Egypt, especially among political Islamic parties, has been that they are keen to maintain good relations with any government in power in order to maintain their presence, particularly in the mosques where they preach. This was the case, in particular, under ousted President Hosni Mubarak. While armed […]

North Africa

MENASource

Aug 6, 2014

Syria: “Caesar” and the Way Forward

By Frederic C. Hof

The July 31 testimony of “Caesar,” the former Syrian military police photographer who spirited out of Syria part of the Assad regime’s photographic archive of detainees it has tortured and starved to death, stunned members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Syria

MENASource

Aug 6, 2014

Top News: Saudi Arabia Offers One Billion Dollars to Lebanese Army

By MENASource

Saudi Arabian King Abdullah granted one billion dollars to help the Lebanese army bolster its security force as they battle Islamic militants from the al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra front and the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), who have seized the border town of Arsal on the Syrian frontier.

MENASource

Aug 6, 2014

Top News: Kerry Says Egypt’s Economic Reform Plans ‘Succeeding’

By EgyptSource

The United States appreciates Egyptian efforts to reform structural economic imbalances, US Secretary of State John Kerry said in recent talks with Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab during the latter’s visit to Washington, DC.

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