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: Amid Fear and Pressure, Syrians Vote for President

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: Amid Fear and Pressure, Syrians Vote for President

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: Amid Fear and Pressure, Syrians Vote for President

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

Jun 3, 2014

Top News: Amid Fear and Pressure, Syrians Vote for President

By MENASource

Syrians lined up to vote Tuesday morning across government-controlled areas in a disputed ballot—denounced as “fake” by the French—that is certain to hand Bashar al-Assad another seven-year term.

MENASource

Jun 3, 2014

Egypt and the Return of the ‘Old Time Religion’

By Maged Atiya

Posters featuring former Defense Minister and president elect Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and both Coptic Pope Tawadros II and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb of Al-Azhar are not uncommon in Egypt, offered both in praise and in condemnation. In praise, they attempt to burnish Sisi’s legitimacy as a man uniting all of Egypt and bridging the religious divide. […]

Elections
North Africa

MENASource

Jun 3, 2014

Elections, Elections Everywhere and Not a Democracy in Sight

By Adam Simpson

The United States, the European Union, and the United Nations all affirm their intention to facilitate democratic transition in the Middle East and North Africa. Despite this claim and in the face of deeply flawed elections, they remain married to political niceties and empty diplomatic rhetoric.

Elections
Middle East

MENASource

Jun 3, 2014

Top News: Due to Pressure Bassem Youssef Announces End of Satirical Show

By EgyptSource

Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef said Monday he has canceled his landmark TV show, which broke ground by lambasting the nation’s politicians and elites and mocking the pro-military fervor of the past year. 

MENASource

Jun 3, 2014

A Renewed Case for a Syria Tribunal

By Ryan J. Suto

Last month, China and Russia predictably vetoed a French UN Security Council proposal to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Without Syria’s ratification of the Rome Statute, the Security Council is the only body that can refer investigation of the conflict to the ICC.

Syria

MENASource

Jun 3, 2014

EconSource: Citibank report on Egypt– Fiscal deficit to remain in double digits, inflation unlikely to rise

By EconSource

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

MENASource

Jun 2, 2014

An IMF Program for Egypt Finally?

By Mohsin Khan

With the election of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the prospects of an Egyptian agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a program have brightened.

Economy & Business
Elections

MENASource

Jun 2, 2014

Eight Killed, Fifteen Wounded in Clashes in Libya’s Benghazi

By MENASource

Eight people were killed and fifteen wounded when fighting broke out today between army units loyal to retired general Khalifa Haftar and Islamist militants in Benghazi. The Ansar al-Sharia militant group attacked a camp belonging to army special forces, residents there said, and Haftar’s forces later joined the battle using combat helicopters.

MENASource

Jun 2, 2014

Top News: Egypt Publicly Seeking to Monitor Social Media

By EgyptSource

Egypt’s interior ministry has asked foreign technology firms to help it monitor social media websites to prevent crime and track down terrorists, officials said on Monday. Seven foreign firms have offered proposals for monitoring social media websites, an interior ministry official said. 

MENASource

Jun 2, 2014

Indirectly Aiding Hezbollah?

By MENASource

Is the United States indirectly helping Hezbollah by providing aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)? US assistance—in excess of $1 billion since 2006—has been directed towards building the capacity of the Lebanese military as an independent institution, moderating the tension between the Shia militant group Hezbollah and Sunni rivals. But the aid relationship is […]

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