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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Syria: Keeping it Simple

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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Syria: Keeping it Simple

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

Syria: Keeping it Simple

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 2, 2014

Syria: Keeping it Simple

By Frederic C. Hof

The complexity of Syria’s ongoing crisis and confusion over what to do about it should not obscure the choice facing the United States, its allies and its partners.

Syria

MENASource

Jun 2, 2014

EconSource: Egypt waters down stock market tax after bourse drops sharply

By EconSource

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

MENASource

Jun 2, 2014

The Kurds and the Future of Assad

By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

President Bashar al-Assad’s recent victories in Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus could pose a threat to Kurdish gains in the future. In the run-up to the Syrian presidential elections taking place on June 3, clashes increased between Kurds and government. If the stalemate continues, the Kurds will benefit, but if one side wins—either Assad, or the […]

Syria

MENASource

May 30, 2014

Top News: Anonymous Yemeni Security Official Says the Government Will Treat Houthis Like Al-Qaeda

By MENASource

A security official said, on the condition of anonymity, “the Houthis are like al-Qaeda in their use of arms and use of violence against… and will thus be dealt with as a terrorist group if they continue in their refusal to hand over heavy weapons.”

MENASource

May 30, 2014

Top News: NASL Calls for More Demonstrations Friday

By EgyptSource

The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy (NASL) thanked the Egyptian people on Thursday for boycotting the presidential elections. NASL also called for its followers to continued demonstrations in the coming weeks demanding that the military return to its barracks.

MENASource

May 30, 2014

Algeria’s Mirage of Stability

By Mohsin Khan and Karim Mezran

Despite the sporadic protests that shook Algiers during the Arab Spring season of 2011, the demonstrations calling for change brought forth nowhere near the same political transformation that rocked countries like Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia.

North Africa

MENASource

May 30, 2014

Egypt, the Election, and Sectarian Analysis

By Jayson Casper

One day before the beginning of presidential elections, the Egyptian Center for Media Studies and Public Opinion (ECMSPO) published the results of a counterintuitive poll. Based on personal interviews with 10,524 citizens throughout Egypt’s governorates, they predicted a turnout of only 10 percent.

Elections
North Africa

MENASource

May 30, 2014

EconSource: Fitch–Public finances remain key challenge after Egypt vote

By EconSource

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

MENASource

May 29, 2014

Egypt Elections: Preliminary Statements by Two International Observation Missions

By EgyptSource

The two major international election observation delegations present for the 2014 Egyptian presidential election, the European Union’s Election Observer Mission (EUEOM) and the US-based Democracy International (DI), released their preliminary statements at press conferences in Cairo today, May 29, the day after the polls closed. Both groups plan to prepare a final report in the […]

Elections
North Africa

MENASource

May 29, 2014

Dispatch from Assiut: No Country for Poor Men

By Laura Dean

There was really no need to fly a plane full of journalists to a campaign event in a town in Upper Egypt. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to win by a landslide. Upon arrival, there was little to see. The main event, a rally for the former army chief in the province of Assiut, boasted […]

North Africa
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