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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Sisi’s Spin Man

MENASource
Mar 26, 2026

As Iran attacks, the US should provide air defense for Iraqi Kurdistan

Washington faces a choice: Continue to defer to Baghdad’s procedural objections while Iran conducts unimpeded strikes on Kurdish territory or acknowledge the strategic reality and take decisive action.

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Sisi’s Spin Man

MENASource
Mar 17, 2026

A crisis in Egypt could be a warning sign for the global economy 

By
Khalid Azim

Market watchers should keep an eye on Egypt as an oil shock could cause financial turmoil.

Economy & Business
International Financial Institutions

Sisi’s Spin Man

MENASource
Mar 11, 2026

Three lessons from Libya for the war in Iran

By
Frank Talbot

Any outside power using force to attain a political outcome must define the end state it seeks, align coalition partners around a shared strategy, and establish credible escalation controls.

Conflict
Iran

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Content

MENASource

Jul 1, 2014

Sisi’s Spin Man

By Gilad Wenig

Sometime before the July 2013 coup that put Egypt’s military in de facto command of the country, top officers gathered with Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, then the defense minister, to discuss their concerns about the military’s image. The sixteen months of direct military rule following Hosni Mubarak’s ouster damaged the military’s reputation, and the officers hoped […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jul 1, 2014

Acknowledging the Corn in Libya’s Wild West

Known for its crime, smuggling, and a rise in Islamic militant activity, Libya’s southwestern border region of Fezzan evokes images of a dry, lawless, and uncontrollable desert with a tribal flare.

Libya

MENASource

Jul 1, 2014

Top News: Jihadists Seize Key Town on Iraq Border

By MENASource

The jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)—also known as simply Islamic State (IS)—took control of the key Iraqi border town of Albu Kamal on Tuesday after a fierce three-day battle with rival fighters. A spokesman for rebels fighting IS as well as President Bashar Assad’s regime said the jihadists took over the town […]

MENASource

Jul 1, 2014

Top News: In June 30 Speech, Sisi Says Egypt Protected Islam From Extremism

By EgyptSource

In a speech marking the first anniversary of the June 30 mass protests that put an end to the rule of former president Mohamed Morsi, president Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said that on that day, Egypt protected the Arab region and Islam from a destructive plot.

MENASource

Jul 1, 2014

Gulf States Reactions to the New War in Iraq

By Nouf Al Sadiq

Since the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) took over (and now rebranded) territory in Iraq, Gulf States have been somewhat less alarmed by this new Sunni uprising than they have about other more political factors in the conflict.

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Jul 1, 2014

EconSource: Egypt prepares for EGP44 billion fuel subsidy cuts in new fiscal year

By EconSource

Follow the latest in economic news and developments about the Arab transition countries. 

MENASource

Jun 30, 2014

YemenSource | Islamists Attack Yemeni Airport as Bomber Hits Army Base

By YemenSource

Suspected Islamist militants attacked an airport in the eastern Yemeni city of Seiyun on June 26, killing at least one soldier. At around the same time, a suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden car into the entrance of an army base, killing four soldiers in Hadramawt province.

Yemen

MENASource

Jun 30, 2014

The Week in Egypt [June 30, 2014]

By Elissa Miller

Catch up on the latest out of Egypt every week, with analysis, news updates, photos, videos, and more.

North Africa

MENASource

Jun 30, 2014

Top News: ISIS Declares a Caliphate While Russia Sends Experts to Aid Iraqi Army

By MENASource

  The leader of the powerful Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant group was declared Sunday the caliph, or absolute ruler. The news was announced in a video, mostly in English, featuring a bearded fighter with an AK-47 on his back, explaining the new caliphate.

MENASource

Jun 30, 2014

Top News: Two Policemen Killed, Ten Injured In Blasts at Presidential Palace

By EgyptSource

Three homemade bombs went off near Egypt’s presidential palace in Cairo on Monday, killing two senior police officers and injuring ten other people on the anniversary of the mass protests that led to the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

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