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 Day After: A Photo Essay

MENASource
Mar 26, 2026

As Iran attacks, the US should provide air defense for Iraqi Kurdistan

Washington faces a choice: Continue to defer to Baghdad’s procedural objections while Iran conducts unimpeded strikes on Kurdish territory or acknowledge the strategic reality and take decisive action.

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The Day After: A Photo Essay

MENASource
Mar 17, 2026

A crisis in Egypt could be a warning sign for the global economy 

By
Khalid Azim

Market watchers should keep an eye on Egypt as an oil shock could cause financial turmoil.

Economy & Business
International Financial Institutions

The Day After: A Photo Essay

MENASource
Mar 11, 2026

Three lessons from Libya for the war in Iran

By
Frank Talbot

Any outside power using force to attain a political outcome must define the end state it seeks, align coalition partners around a shared strategy, and establish credible escalation controls.

Conflict
Iran

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Content

MENASource

Feb 12, 2013

The Day After: A Photo Essay

By Roy Gunnels

One day after the Mubarak regime fell on Feburary 12 2011, Tahrir Square was scintillating with excitement and hope, and that ever-present Egyptian humor. The Square was the heart of the revolution, where many had suffered, been maimed or killed, and where many found courage they never knew they had. The invisible layers of past anguish […]

MENASource

Feb 12, 2013

Dispatch from Tripoli: Tension in Anticipation of February 17

By Karim Mezran

Libyans are anxiously anticipating what might happen this week, on February 17, the second anniversary of the Libyan uprising; the streets are tense and the government is preparing for the worst. Libyan officials are worried that citizens upset with the poor performance of the government, Qaddafi elements seeking to destabilize the country, and Cyrenaican federalists […]

Libya

MENASource

Feb 12, 2013

Top News: Prosecutor-General Investigates ‘Kill Opposition Figures’ Fatwa

By Egypt Source

Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered the arrest of a Muslim cleric, Mahmoud Shaaban who said leaders of the main opposition coalition should be condemned to death under Islamic law for seeking to topple President Mohamed Morsi.

MENASource

Feb 12, 2013

The President’s Decision-Making on Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

Washington was again caught by surprise last week in the wake of reports that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and ex-CIA Director David Petraeus had advised President Barack Obama last July to reverse policy and arm vetted Syrian rebels. The latest shoe dropped when Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint […]

Syria United States and Canada

MENASource

Feb 11, 2013

Tunisia’s Assassination Echoes in Egypt

By Nancy Messieh

As Tunisia reels from the implications of the assassination of Tunisian opposition leader Chokri Belaid, once again events in the small Maghreb country are reverberating further east in Egypt. A video of the ultra-conservative cleric, Mahmoud Sha’aban posted on YouTube days before the assassination has since gone viral, leading to nationwide condemnation from all sides of the […]

MENASource

Feb 11, 2013

The Black Bloc, or a Salmon Swimming Upstream in a River of Chaos / البلاك بلوك أو سمك السالمون يسبح ضد التيار في نهر الفوضى

By Ahmed Naje

I was sitting in a café just 400 meters from Tahrir Square waiting for a friend who was attending one of his leftist political meetings. On the way to the cafe, I had watched demonstrators seize a police armored vehicle and drive it to the center of the square where they celebrated their spoils for […]

MENASource

Feb 11, 2013

Top News: US Ambassador – Egypt’s foreign reserves at critical low

By Egypt Source

Saying that "Egypt’s numbers paint a bleak picture," US Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson said that the country must focus on its citizens’ economic needs. 

MENASource

Feb 11, 2013

Egypt Iran Rapprochement? Not Yet.

By Adel Abdel Ghafar

Pictures of Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mohamed Morsi warmly embracing in Cairo have reverberated around the world. For some, the pictures were cause for worry, for others, a cause for celebration. After the 2011 Egyptian uprising, there have been continued efforts on the diplomatic front for rapprochement between the countries who severed relations more than […]

MENASource

Feb 8, 2013

The Egyptian Civilizational Model

By Yussef Auf

Among the many external and internal challenges facing Egyptian state and society, the issue of how to reclaim Egypt’s historical regional leadership is the most pressing. In my opinion, creating an ‘Egyptian civilizational model’ is the key ingredient to renewed regional influence.

MENASource

Feb 8, 2013

Top News: Marches head to Tahrir against Brotherhood rule

By Egypt Source

Hundreds marched from Mostafa Mahmoud mosque in the Cairo suburb of Mohandeseen to Tahrir Square in an anti-government demonstration. 

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