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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Regardless of Sisi’s decision on Palestinian refugees in Rafah, he will not emerge as a winner  

MENASource Dec 16, 2025

What will 2026 bring for the Middle East and North Africa?

As 2025 comes to a close, our senior analysts unpack the most prominent trends and topics they are tracking for the new year.

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Regardless of Sisi’s decision on Palestinian refugees in Rafah, he will not emerge as a winner  

MENASource Dec 7, 2025

One year after Assad’s fall, here’s what’s needed to advance justice for Syrians

By Elise Baker and Ahmad Helmi

The second year of a post-Assad Syria requires structural reform, victim-centered leadership, and international reinforcement.
Democratic Transitions International Norms
Regardless of Sisi’s decision on Palestinian refugees in Rafah, he will not emerge as a winner  

MENASource Nov 20, 2025

Saudi Arabia’s next horizon: Building human capital beyond Vision 2030

By Khalid Azim

Riyadh still needs to take fully support small and medium-sized enterprises—the true engines of job creation.
Economy & Business Middle East

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MENASource

Feb 18, 2024

Regardless of Sisi’s decision on Palestinian refugees in Rafah, he will not emerge as a winner  

By Shahira Amin

Now that Israel has clarified its intent to undertake operations in Rafah, after evacuating the nearly 1.4 million displaced Palestinians who have sought a safe haven in the Gaza Strip’s southern city, it may only be a matter of time before the Egyptian's president's true intentions are revealed.

Conflict
Middle East

MENASource

Feb 15, 2024

Unraveling Egypt’s political economy puzzle: It’s more than just economics

By Racha Helwa

Egypt's economy continues to operate using piecemeal economic reforms, which are hindered by strong Nasser-era remnants, resulting in a slow and inconsistent pattern of implementation.

Corruption
Economy & Business

MENASource

Feb 14, 2024

The ‘day after’ is today: An evasive Netanyahu is abdicating his responsibility for Israel’s fate

By Shalom Lipner

Trapped between two cabinets with conflicting outlooks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resorted to stonewalling.

Elections
Israel

MENASource

Feb 13, 2024

Lebanon is using Hezbollah to blackmail Israel on border talks 

By David Daoud

The Lebanese government seems to believe that it will get better terms as international desperation to stop Hezbollah’s attacks grows.

Conflict
Israel

MENASource

Feb 8, 2024

Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea add to Egypt’s economic troubles

By Shahira Amin

The decline in Suez Canal revenues has put further strain on Egypt's already faltering economy at a time when the country faces a severe foreign currency shortage.

Conflict
Economy & Business

MENASource

Feb 2, 2024

Arab-Israelis are facing a crisis. But there’s a way out.

By Rachel Friedman

Arab-Israelis, Arab citizens of Israel living within the country’s official borders, have struggled relative to Jewish communities for decades. The causes are many

Civil Society
Conflict

MENASource

Feb 1, 2024

China doesn’t have as much leverage in the Middle East as one thinks—at least when it comes to Iran

By Jonathan Fulton

China is more likely to continue to be the regional actor it has been over the past decade—one that comes to the Middle East to trade and build, not lead. 

China
Conflict

MENASource

Jan 26, 2024

My son is being held hostage in Gaza. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, should October 7 be evoked?

By Jonathan Dekel-Chen

The destruction and suffering wrought by Hamas on that horrible day stand alone. 

Conflict
Israel

MENASource

Jan 25, 2024

Can whatever remains of Hamas in Gaza be administratively and politically rehabilitated?

By Ahmed F. Alkhatib

The realities on the ground and Israel’s inability to fully eradicate Hamas necessitate addressing this uncomfortable question.

Conflict
Israel

MENASource

Jan 23, 2024

The escalation no country in the Middle East wants but still pushes toward

By Karim Mezran and Nicola Pedde

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has returned from a fourth visit to the Middle East with the clear objective of preventing regional escalation from the Israel-Hamas war. This concern is shared by all countries in the region, who, for various reasons, understand how the evolution of current tensions into a wider conflict could generate […]

Middle East
North Africa
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