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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On Death Sentences and Bans

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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On Death Sentences and Bans

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

On Death Sentences and Bans

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

Apr 30, 2014

On Death Sentences and Bans

By Amr Hamzawy

Bear with me a moment… the only thing that helps me deal with the absurdity of the situation we are in is distancing myself from the details, and thinking about their underlying vision, interests, and goals.

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 30, 2014

Top News: Iraqis Vote as Violence Grips a Divided Country

By MENASource

Iraqis voted on Wednesday in their first national election since US forces withdrew in 2011. Iraq’s western province of Anbar is torn by fighting as Sunni Muslim militants battle the Iraqi military. Its economy is struggling and incumbent Prime MInister Nuri al-Maliki faces criticism that he is aggravating sectarian splits and trying to consolidate power. […]

MENASource

Apr 30, 2014

Top News: Fahmy Continues US Visit; Leahy will not Sign off on Military Aid to Egypt

By EgyptSource

Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Fahmy is scheduled to continue meeting high-level US government officials on Wednesday.

MENASource

Apr 30, 2014

Bassem Sabry Remembered

By Mohamed El Dahshan

On April 29, analyst, writer, and an essential voice covering Egypt since the 2011 uprising, Bassem Sabry, passed away. He was 31. His death has seen an outpouring of condolences and remembrances on Twitter. A regular contributor to Al Monitor, as well as being published in The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, Al Masry Al Youm, and […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 29, 2014

FACTBOX: Backlash Over Egypt’s Mass Trials

By EgyptSource

On April 28, another 683 Morsi supporters were sentenced to death in a mass trial before the same Minya judge who sentenced 529 defendants to death late last month. Following is a summary of where each verdict stands, local and international responses to the verdict, as well as the Egyptian government’s response to criticisms of […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 29, 2014

Iraq’s Maliki, A Third Term?

By Ramzy Mardini

Today, Iraqis head to the polls to take part in the country’s parliamentary elections, the first since the United States completely withdrew its military forces in December 2011. While elections will only initiate the game in shaping the next government in Baghdad, it is the post-election gamesmanship, which involves an interplay of internal and external […]

Iraq

MENASource

Apr 29, 2014

Why the US Should Continue Funding Democracy and Governance Programs in Iraq

By Beza Tesfaye

While US policymakers shift away from Iraq, recent events threaten to plunge that country into a new civil war. Sectarian conflict has become a source of chronic tragedy: So far this year, terrorist attacks and bombings have killed over 2,000 civilians. As Iraqis head to the polls in the first election to be held since […]

Iraq

MENASource

Apr 29, 2014

Top News: Explosions Kill Forty-Five in Homs; Fourteen Dead, Eighty-Six Injured in Damascus

By MENASource

Mortar shells slammed into a religious school campus in central Damascus on Tuesday, killing at least fourteen people and wounding eighty-six. The school, an Islamic law center where students from Syria and abroad study religious jurisprudence, taught students as young as fourteen, but it was not immediately clear if there were children among the dead or wounded. […]

MENASource

Apr 29, 2014

Top News: Egyptian and International Groups Condemn Minya Death Sentences

By EgyptSource

The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy has called for protests against the death sentences passed against 683 people in Minya on Monday. In a protest against the death sentences in Damietta, a man was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Monday.

MENASource

Apr 29, 2014

YemenSource | New NDC Implementation Panel Created

By YemenSource

President Hadi created a new panel to oversee implementation of the outcomes and conclusions of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC). This panel will be comprised of eighty-two delegates who participated in the NDC. The formation of the panel was mandated by the concluding document of the Dialogue, though it remains unclear what specific powers, scope, […]

Yemen
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