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: What Does the President Really Want?

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: What Does the President Really Want?

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: What Does the President Really Want?

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

May 29, 2014

Syria: What Does the President Really Want?

By Frederic C. Hof

President Barack Obama’s West Point commencement address seemed to signal, albeit ambiguously, a new direction in US policy toward Syria: one in which “the president will seek the support of Congress in arming, training, and equipping Syrian rebels.” But not so fast. In a subsequent background briefing an unnamed senior administration official said that what […]

Syria

MENASource

May 29, 2014

Top News: Obama Points to Yemen Campaign, Announces $5 billion Counterterrorism Fund

By MENASource

President Barack Obama highlighted the Yemen campaign against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in his foreign-policy speech yesterday, pledging to train the Arab nation’s army to help it fight the militants. Obama said yesterday that he will set up a fund of as much as $5 billion to help US allies fight terrorism, and […]

MENASource

May 29, 2014

Top News: Egypt’s Sisi Wins Presidential Election

By EgyptSource

Former Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won a landslide victory in a presidential election on Thursday but a low turnout may have deprived him of the strong mandate he needs to fix the economy and face down an Islamist insurgency.

MENASource

May 29, 2014

Egypt Will Greet New President with Economic Crises

By Mohsin Khan

As Egypt concludes its latest presidential election, its new leader will have no choice but to address the country’s looming and deep-seated economic woes. With macroeconomic indicators tanking since the uprising in 2011, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi–all but officially announced as the winner of the top post–will have to grapple with rising inflation, widespread unemployment, […]

North Africa

MENASource

May 28, 2014

Syria: President Obama At West Point

By Frederic C. Hof

In his graduation ceremony remarks of May 28 at the United States Military Academy, President Obama implied an explicit new policy direction with respect to Syria. The president announced that he would call on Congress “to support a new Counter-Terrorism Partnership Fund of up to $5 billion, which will allow us to train, build capacity, […]

Syria

MENASource

May 28, 2014

Egyptian Elections: First Conclusions

By Mohamed El Dahshan

A military brass band in a polling station, the right to draw little hearts on official ballots, one explosion, and an unplanned day off: as the voting in Egypt’s twenty-first day of national elections since 2011 ends, there were only a few surprises but some preliminary conclusions can already be made.

Elections
North Africa

MENASource

May 28, 2014

Three Immediate Economic Problems Sisi Must Tackle

By Mohsin Khan

The next Egyptian president, who by all accounts will be Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, is going to inherit an economy in distress. All of Egypt’s main macroeconomic indicators have gone south since the uprising that overthrew Hosni Mubarak in January 2011.

North Africa

MENASource

May 28, 2014

Top News: Low Voter Turnout Continues as Presidential Elections enter Third Day

By EgyptSource

Egyptian authorities scrambled to rescue the country’s presidential election from the embarrassment of low voter turnout, but few people trickled to the polls Wednesday even after the balloting was extended for a third day.

MENASource

May 28, 2014

Top News: Third Day of Voting Begins as Egypt Authorities Fear Low Turnout

By MENASource

Egyptian authorities scrambled to rescue the country’s presidential election from the embarrassment of low voter turnout, but few people trickled to the polls Wednesday even after the balloting was extended for a third day. On Tuesday PM Ibrahim Mahlab threatened to fine those who choose not to vote. He also said that according to the latest reports voter turnout exceeded […]

MENASource

May 28, 2014

Yemen: Building a Federalist State

By MENASource

Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference, designed to guide the constitution drafting process and hailed as a significant milestone in Yemen’s transition, established a consensus for a decentralized system of governance to address the country’s challenges.

Yemen
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