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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Known Unknown: Why the Egyptian Referendum is a Black Box

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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Known Unknown: Why the Egyptian Referendum is a Black Box

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

Known Unknown: Why the Egyptian Referendum is a Black Box

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

Jan 17, 2014

Known Unknown: Why the Egyptian Referendum is a Black Box

By Matthew Hall

Voting for the Egyptian Constitutional referendum concluded Wednesday but it will be impossible to learn the actual outcome. Yes, on Saturday the High Electoral Commission will announce the official results, but the severely limited state of domestic and international electoral observation precludes independent verification of government assertions. This is a serious concern for an election […]

North Africa
Political Reform

MENASource

Jan 17, 2014

Top News: Five Killed as Security Forces Clash with Protesters

By EgyptSource

Five pro-Muslim Brotherhood protesters have been killed in clashes with security forces on Friday afternoon in cities around Egypt, according to security sources. 

MENASource

Jan 16, 2014

The Turnaround of the Egyptian Economy in 2014

By Mohsin Khan

Since January 2011, the Egyptian economy has been in a steady downward spiral. During the past three years economic growth averaged an anemic 2 percent per year, inflation was in double-digits, and the unemployment rate went from 9 percent in 2010 to over 13 percent in 2013. Finally, foreign exchange reserves of the Central Bank […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jan 16, 2014

Top News: Al-Qaeda Launches Assault On Three Security Force Targets In al-Bayda

By MENASource

Local sources are reporting that at least five Yemeni soldiers and six militants have been killed during the largest attack on government facilities by al-Qaeda-linked gunmen of the New Year. Two-hundred fighters were reportedly involved in the incidents, targeting two checkpoints and one police center. Three soldiers were abducted by the attackers who fled in […]

MENASource

Jan 16, 2014

Top News: Initial Referendum Results Show High Approval Rate, Turnout Uncertain

By EgyptSource

An overwhelming majority of Egyptians who voted on the country’s new constitution have backed the draft charter, a senior Egyptian official said Thursday. 

MENASource

Jan 16, 2014

A Turning Point for Algeria?

By Karim Mezran and Ilana Hosios

Following President Abdulaziz Bouteflika’s recent re-hospitalization in France, panic and widespread rumors have again inundated Algeria’s media and its political institutions. With the stability of the country closely linked to presidential elections hypothetically slated for April 2014, the results will undoubtedly determine Algeria’s political power configuration for the next decade. Bouteflika’s ability to run in […]

MENASource

Jan 16, 2014

Misreading Egypt’s Referendum

By Maged Atiya

As soon as polls closed on January 15 2014, after two days of voting on amendments to the 2012 Egyptian constitution, it was clear that approval was guaranteed by an overwhelming margin well above 90 percent. The final margin was in fact close to 98 percent. This was the occasion for many commentators and scholars, […]

North Africa
Political Reform

MENASource

Jan 16, 2014

Egypt’s Referendum: Calculated Choices Betting on a Better Future

By Hafsa Halawa

Over the past two days Egyptians have gone back to the polls to vote on their third constitutional referendum in as many years.  There has much written about the flaws of the document itself, similar in context and content to the criticism of the December 2012 constitution and the earlier March 2011 constitutional declaration, yet […]

North Africa
Political Reform

MENASource

Jan 16, 2014

Lebanon: Mohamad Bahaa Chatah, 1951-2013

By Frederic C. Hof

Mohamad Bahaa Chatah, former finance minister and Lebanese Ambassador to the United States, was assassinated in Beirut on December 27, 2013. It has taken me this long to write something about the passing of a friend and a paragon of human decency. When I think back about the Lebanon-related disasters that have occurred during the […]

Middle East

MENASource

Jan 15, 2014

Top News: Day Two of the Referendum Marked with Arrests and Boycotts

By MENASource

Undeterred after a day of sporadic violence, Egyptians on Wednesday lined up to vote on the second and final day of a key referendum on the country’s new constitution. Supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi blocked the Cairo Metro on Wednesday afternoon as they marched along the track of the southern Ain Helwan station. They […]

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