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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Top News: Al-Azhar University Students Clash with Security Forces

MENASource
Dec 7, 2025

One year after Assad’s fall, here’s what’s needed to advance justice for Syrians

The second year of a post-Assad Syria requires structural reform, victim-centered leadership, and international reinforcement.

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Top News: Al-Azhar University Students Clash with Security Forces

MENASource
Nov 20, 2025

Saudi Arabia’s next horizon: Building human capital beyond Vision 2030

By
Khalid Azim

Riyadh still needs to take fully support small and medium-sized enterprises—the true engines of job creation.

Economy & Business
Middle East

Top News: Al-Azhar University Students Clash with Security Forces

MENASource
Nov 10, 2025

The Nile at a crossroads: Navigating the GERD dispute as Egypt’s floodwaters rise

By
Alessia Melcangi

The latest escalation between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia coincides with a diplomatic shift from the United States.

Africa
Climate Change & Climate Action

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Content

MENASource

Oct 21, 2013

Top News: Al-Azhar University Students Clash with Security Forces

By EgyptSource

A group of al-Azhar students clashed with security forces on Sunday after a staged protest denouncing the death and arrest of several al-Azhar students turned violent. Al-Azhar students’ protests began on Saturday to voice their rejection of the “military coup” which led to the unseating of former President Mohamed Morsi. Students rallied outside the administrative […]

MENASource

Oct 21, 2013

Top News: Gunmen Kill Four Near Church in Cairo Suburb

By MENASource

Gunmen on a motorcycle fired on Egyptian wedding guests outside al-Waraq’s Keniset Al-‘Adra (Church of the Virgin Mary) located in the Waraq suburb in the Giza governorate on Sunday night. This counts as the first attack on a church in Cairo since the army’s ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, which instigated attacks on Coptic Christian properties […]

MENASource

Oct 21, 2013

Syria & Sectarianism: Implications (Part II)

By Jonathan Paris

The Arab Spring accentuated two long-standing developments in the region: political Islam and Sunni-Shia sectarianism. While the path of political Islam is less certain following Egypt’s hot summer, the rise of sectarianism, especially in Syria, continues unabated.

Middle East
Syria

MENASource

Oct 18, 2013

Syria & Sectarianism: Drivers (Part I)

By Jonathan Paris

The Arab Spring accentuated two long-standing developments in the region: political Islam and Sunni-Shia sectarianism. While the path of political Islam is less certain following Egypt’s hot summer, the rise of sectarianism, especially in Syria, continues unabated.

Iran
Middle East

MENASource

Oct 18, 2013

Saudi Arabia Rejects Security Council Seat: Pique is Not a Policy

By Richard LeBaron

As the Hajj holiday wound down in Riyadh, the Saudi foreign ministry released a surprise statement Friday rejecting the Kingdom’s election to a two-year non-permanent position on the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Middle East

MENASource

Oct 18, 2013

Who Represents Egypt?

By Tarek Radwan

The Muslim Brotherhood recently suffered its most decisive blow yet. Egypt’s State Litigation Authority decided on October 8 to forego any challenge to the September court ruling that bans “the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood organization and its non-governmental organization and all the activities that it participates in and any organization derived from it.” This […]

North Africa

MENASource

Oct 18, 2013

Top News: Egypt’s Army and Muslim Brotherhood are Negotiating, Says Islamist Leader

By EgyptSource

A plan to end Egypt’s political deadlock will be unveiled after Eid al-Adha, al-Jama’a al-Islamiya’s Aboud al-Zomor told US website The Daily Beast. He said both the army and the Muslim Brotherhood have realized that neither is able to break the other. As a result, there was potential for a political breakthrough.

MENASource

Oct 18, 2013

Top News: Saudi Arabia turns down UN Security Council membership

Saudi Arabia said on Friday it will refuse to accept a rotating United Nations Security Council seat, saying the council is incapable of ending wars and resolving conflicts.

MENASource

Oct 17, 2013

The Rationale Behind European Union Efforts in Egypt

By Fady Salah

The European Union (EU) has been heavily engaged in ongoing events in Egypt over the past few months. As political unrest has prevailed, several EU officials visited Egypt to meet with government representatives, both of the current and former regimes, as well as party officials from across the political spectrum. The most notable EU official […]

North Africa

MENASource

Oct 17, 2013

Top News: Egypt Doesn’t Need IMF Loan at Current Time: Finance Minister

By EgyptSource

Finance Minister Ahmed Galal has said Egypt does not need a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the current time, Al-Ahram reported on Wednesday.

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