With curated multimedia series focused on hard hitting issues such climate change as well as current events, MENASource seeks to explore all facets of life in the region as affected by political, security, economic, and cultural issues.

Of particular focus and interest are the minorities, women, and the youth populations across the region and how they are affected by the changing environments.

The views expressed in MENASource are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

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Will the Presidential Election Bring Stability to Egypt?

MENASource
Sep 19, 2025

How Israel’s strike on Doha is forcing a Gulf security reckoning

The Gulf monarchies have displayed strong unity at a time when rethinking twenty-first-century Gulf security is no longer optional.

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Will the Presidential Election Bring Stability to Egypt?

MENASource
Sep 19, 2025

Snapback sanctions threaten to further derail Iran nuclear deal hopes

By
Rob Macaire

Now would be the best time for the West to negotiate a deal with Iran—but snapback sanctions threaten a derailing into further confrontation.

Economic Sanctions
Iran

Will the Presidential Election Bring Stability to Egypt?

MENASource
Sep 17, 2025

In landmark Syria elections, women still face electoral hurdles

By
Marie Forestier 

As the indirect electoral process begins, Syrian officials could take several steps to increase women’s chances in this process.

Civil Society
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Content

MENASource

May 24, 2012

Will the Presidential Election Bring Stability to Egypt?

By Magdy Samaan

For three weeks Egypt has witnessed presidential campaigning, rallies, debates, and the rest of the paraphernalia of electoral politics. It has seemed as if Egypt is turning from authoritarianism to democracy, but a close look at the process suggests that it continues to be a virtual simulation, lacking the essence of the democratic process. There […]

MENASource

May 24, 2012

U.S. Senate Approves $5 Million Aid Cut to Egypt For NGO Workers’ Bail

By Tarek Radwan

US senators subtracted $5 million from aid provided to Egypt on Wednesday, to reimburse the US Treasury for money it paid to bail out American pro-democracy activists facing charges there earlier this year.  

MENASource

May 23, 2012

Egypt’s Presidential Candidates Envision New Regional Role and Foreign Policy

By Mustafa El-Labbad

In the days leading up to the presidential election, political debates in Egypt have focused disproportionately on domestic issues. Voters and candidates have sidestepped concerns over Egypt’s regional role and strategic interests and the avoidance of these issues has resulted in a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the trajectory of foreign policy after the revolution. […]

MENASource

May 23, 2012

Massive Turnout Expected as Polling Begins, with Minor Violations Reported

By Tarek Radwan

Millions of Egyptians head to polling stations across the country Wednesday to cast their ballots in Egypt’s first genuine multi-candidate presidential election. By most accounts, 30-40 million citizens (60–75 per cent of eligible voters) are expected to head to the polls on Wednesday out of a total of 53 million eligible voters.  

MENASource

May 23, 2012

Egypt’s Next President Will Inherit an Unemployment Crisis

By Maye Ehab

Today, Egyptians began voting in the first truly democratic presidential elections in recent history. Egypt’s next president will face a multitude of challenges, foremost among them the urgent need to revive the ailing economy. Since the January 25 revolution, Egypt’s economy has been languishing under the strain of political instability and lack of security. Many […]

MENASource

May 23, 2012

Shafik Referred to Prosecutor General for Violating Electoral Law

By Mara Revkin

Just hours after the opening of polls on the morning of May 23, presidential candidate and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik has already been referred to Egypt’s Prosecutor General over a flagrant violation of the electoral law’s ban on campaigning 48 hours prior to and during the election days. Shafik appears to have crossed the […]

MENASource

May 22, 2012

How Egyptians Will Vote

By Michele Dunne

Predictions that Egyptians will head to the presidential poll in large numbers on May 23 and 24 are firm and consistent, but forecasts of how they will vote diverge significantly.

MENASource

May 22, 2012

SCAF’s Plan to Clarify Presidential Powers Leads to Confusion and Alarm

By Mara Revkin and Tarek Radwan

With the ups and downs of unreliable polling data, it is no surprise that observers of Egypt’s landmark presidential election have been fixating on the near-term competition between the presidential candidates. What remains in question is the legal and constitutional framework in which the next president will operate. A bold decision by the Supreme Council […]

MENASource

May 22, 2012

Top News: Egypt Allows International Monitors to Begin Work

By Tarek Radwan

Egyptian authorities have finally allowed observers of this week’s presidential election to start work, monitoring groups said on Tuesday, too late for them to draw a full picture of Egypt’s first genuine leadership contest. Many international monitors arrived in April but waited weeks for the necessary paperwork, forcing them to miss most of an election […]

MENASource

May 22, 2012

Egyptians Asked for Change … But Are They Ready for It?

By Hoda Youssef

Nothing expresses a desire for change more powerfully than a revolution. The word “revolution” itself has always been synonymous with fundamental shifts and processes of change. In politics, “revolution” refers to an upheaval in which the incumbent government or system is replaced, but it also has an equally important significance in sociology, where it refers […]

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