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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Government Regulations to Place Mosques under Azhar Control

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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Government Regulations to Place Mosques under Azhar Control

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

Government Regulations to Place Mosques under Azhar Control

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

Sep 17, 2013

Government Regulations to Place Mosques under Azhar Control

By Amir Beshay and Nancy Messieh

The Egyptian Ministry of Endowments recently announced that it will stop granting licenses to imams who are not affiliated with al-Azhar. In an unprecedented move, the measure will be applied retroactively, with over 55,000 imams losing their licenses in the process, while all other imam licenses will be revoked if they are not renewed within […]

North Africa

MENASource

Sep 17, 2013

Top News: Weaponry Plundering Prompts US Training Withdrawal from Libya

By MENASource

The US defense department has confirmed to the Libya Herald that US equipment was stolen in a raid by an unidentified militia on a US base in Tripoli, where US Special Forces were training Libyan army personnel. 

MENASource

Sep 16, 2013

Top News: UN Says “Convincing Evidence” of Syria Chemical Attack

By MENASource

UN inspectors said in a report Monday there is “clear and convincing evidence” that chemical weapons were used on a relatively large scale in an attack last month in Syria that killed hundreds of people.

MENASource

Sep 16, 2013

Top News: Security Forces Retake Control of Islamist Stronghold in Upper Egypt

By EgyptSource

Security forces backed by armored vehicles and helicopters on Monday stormed a town south of Cairo, Delga, that had been held for over two months by militants loyal to the ousted Islamist president, swiftly taking control despite some resistance from gunmen.

North Africa

MENASource

Sep 16, 2013

Syria: The Chemistry of Continuing Conflict

By Frederic C. Hof

The framework agreement arrived at by Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, is a good beginning to a worthy end: removing all chemical weapons and their components from the arsenal of a regime that has used them in its longstanding and continuing campaign of mass terror against Syrian civilians.

Syria

MENASource

Sep 16, 2013

Libya: Divided They Fail

By Karim Mezran and Lara Talverdian

Attention in Washington to the one-year anniversary of the Benghazi attack that took the lives of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans gives reason to believe that a commitment still exists to assist Libya as it faces grave challenges in trying to achieve the goals of its revolution.

Libya

MENASource

Sep 14, 2013

This Week in Egypt – September 14, 2013

By Amira Mikhail

Catch up on the latest out of Egypt every week, with analysis, news updates, photos, videos, and more.

MENASource

Sep 13, 2013

Top News: Syria Peace Conference Option Hinges on Chemical Talks

By MENASource

A proposal for an international peace conference to end the brutal Syrian civil war could be revived if negotiations over ridding the country of chemical weapons succeed, top US and Russian diplomats said Friday.

MENASource

Sep 13, 2013

Top News: Detention of Former President and His Chief of Staff Renewed

By EgyptSource

Egypt’s deposed president Mohamed Morsi and his former chief of staff Rifa’a al-Tahtawi were given a further thirty days’ detention on Friday pending investigations.

North Africa

MENASource

Sep 13, 2013

Advice to President Obama on Syria

By Fred Hof

At a recent conference I was given the following question to answer: “What advice would you give President Barack Obama and his military advisers as they consider military and diplomatic action with regard to Syria?”  Here, for better or worse, is how I responded:

Syria
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