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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The Kurdish Dilemma: Counterterrorism and Realpolitik in Iraq

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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The Kurdish Dilemma: Counterterrorism and Realpolitik in Iraq

MENASource
Jan 28, 2026

Trump’s National Security Strategy doesn’t downgrade the Middle East, it redefines it

By
Kristian Alexander

Trump’s strategy is a sophisticated refinement of “America First.” For the Gulf, the implications are significant, but manageable.

Middle East
National Security

The Kurdish Dilemma: Counterterrorism and Realpolitik in Iraq

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

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Content

MENASource

May 16, 2014

The Kurdish Dilemma: Counterterrorism and Realpolitik in Iraq

By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

Increased calls from the Iraqi army to the United States to provide promised F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters are aimed at destroying the Iraqi offshoot of al-Qaeda in Sunni heartland of Iraq. However, the Iraqi army’s fight against Sunni insurgents rather than increased border protection raises worries among Kurds that the Iraqi army could […]

Iraq

MENASource

May 15, 2014

Top News: Bouteflika Announces Presidential Terms Limits, Other Constitutional Reforms

By MENASource

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika proposed a two-term presidential limit and delegating more authority to the prime minister’s post as part of constitutional amendments after his reelection, a government source said on Thursday. Forty-seven proposed amendments were distributed to political parties on Thursday.

MENASource

May 15, 2014

Top News: Egyptians Abroad Head to the Polls as Elections Begin

By EgyptSource

Egyptians living abroad began Thursday to cast their ballots in a presidential poll that is expected to bring former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to power.

MENASource

May 15, 2014

Third Eye Blind: The State of the Egyptian Media

By Mohamed Selim

Consensus is nonexistent in contemporary Egypt. Politicians, academics, and activists comprise the actors in a perpetual tragedy, a circular argument filled with nonsensical disagreement and contention over ulterior motives and selfish pecuniary advantages.

North Africa

MENASource

May 15, 2014

Syria: Is the Revolution Finished?

By Frederic C. Hof

Homs, the mother of the Syrian revolution, has fallen. US officials agonize over material support to armed rebel nationalists, while Iranian officials proclaim victory. Lakhdar Brahimi, a tireless advocate for a negotiated political transition, steps aside.

Syria

MENASource

May 14, 2014

Top News: Lakhdar Brahimi Resigns From Post as UN-Arab League Envoy to Syria

By MENASource

International efforts to end the war in Syria faltered further on Tuesday as the United Nations mediator quit, citing frustrations over the moribund political negotiations. The United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, announced that he had accepted the resignation of his special envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, who told reporters, “It’s very sad that I leave this position […]

MENASource

May 14, 2014

Top News: Douma Transferred to Hospital, Shamy to Undisclosed Location

By EgyptSource

Egyptian activist Ahmed Douma was transferred to a hospital on Tuesday for medical investigations following several calls to action concerning his deteriorating health.

MENASource

May 14, 2014

Hagel’s Meeting with GCC Defense Ministers: How to Measure Results

By Richard LeBaron

In a significant policy speech in Manama in December, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was in full reassurance mode, letting our Gulf allies know that the United States was committed to their security and would maintain a strong military presence in the Gulf for a long time to come.

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

May 13, 2014

Top News: Foreign Minister Says Saudi Will Negotiate with Iran

By MENASource

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, said on Tuesday Riyadh had invited Iran’s foreign minister to visit the kingdom. “We sent an invitation to the foreign minister to visit Saudi Arabia, but this intention to visit has not become a fact … But any time he sees fit to come, we are ready to […]

MENASource

May 13, 2014

Egypt 2014: Debunking the Neo-Nasserist Myth

By Amr Hamzawy

Amid the grating cries of today’s agents of darkness, who propagate the fascist slogan “you are either with us or against us,” who serve our “sultan,” and not surprisingly buy into the deal of “obedience to the government for protection and profits;” amid the voices that justify injustices and violations of human rights and freedoms, […]

Elections North Africa
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