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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Israel, guess who’s back? Netanyahu is back again.

MENASource Dec 16, 2025

What will 2026 bring for the Middle East and North Africa?

As 2025 comes to a close, our senior analysts unpack the most prominent trends and topics they are tracking for the new year.

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Israel, guess who’s back? Netanyahu is back again.

MENASource Dec 7, 2025

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

By Elise Baker and Ahmad Helmi

The second year of a post-Assad Syria requires structural reform, victim-centered leadership, and international reinforcement.
Democratic Transitions International Norms
Israel, guess who’s back? Netanyahu is back again.

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

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Content

MENASource

Jun 9, 2022

Israel, guess who’s back? Netanyahu is back again.

By Amichai Stein

Yes, Israel might go, once again, to an early election, the fifth since 2019.

Israel
Middle East

MENASource

Jun 8, 2022

Trade trumps strategic competition in the Middle East

By Jonathan Fulton

Washington would do well to understand that many outside the US have a different view of China, and very few are interested in being a theater of strategic competition. 

China
Economy & Business

MENASource

May 31, 2022

Lebanon just had an election. Its result? Curb the optimism.

By David Daoud

Lebanon desperately needs genuine economic reforms to even halt its ongoing collapse. Political reform is a necessary precondition to establishing a sustainable economy. Neither are more likely today than under the previous parliament.

Elections
Lebanon

MENASource

May 26, 2022

I almost negotiated Israel-Syria peace. Here’s how it happened.

By Frederic C. Hof

In the summer and fall of 2010, American mediation aiming for peace between Israel and Syria was gaining momentum. Both sides had agreed that the United States could table a draft treaty and shuttle the text between Damascus and Jerusalem for comments and proposed revisions. 

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

May 23, 2022

Until Israel deals with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it can’t lead in the region

By Jean-Loup Samaan

The normalization momentum launched by the Abraham Accords could finally lead the Jewish State to not just co-exist with its Arab neighbors, but participate alongside those countries in defining the terms of a regional security architecture. It’s in the interests of Israel and the United States to achieve that goal.

Israel
Middle East

MENASource

May 19, 2022

The Gulf is lagging behind on gender equality. Here’s how it can catch up. 

By Salwa Balla and Iman Mohamed

The dialogue for gender parity in the workforce is still ongoing, but GCC nations have the advantage of prioritizing female employment in tandem with economic diversification.

Education
Middle East

MENASource

May 19, 2022

In Israel’s domestic political theater, the plot thickens

By Shalom Lipner

The tenuous prospects of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's ruling coalition are fanning speculation from critics that its box office run will be cut short. 

Israel
Middle East

MENASource

May 14, 2022

Memorializing Sheikh Khalifa, transition, and restoring US-UAE relations

By R. Clarke Cooper

The death of Sheikh Khalifa and the designation of his successor occurs during the fiftieth anniversary year of formal diplomatic relations with the US, marking decades of increasing security cooperation vital to supporting US interests in the Middle East. 

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

May 11, 2022

Emerging market investments are shrinking. How will MENA countries hit FDI targets? 

By Amjad Ahmad

A US economic slowdown or a recession couldn’t come at a worse time for emerging markets, particularly those in MENA, where most are fighting chronic unemployment, slowing growth, and higher debt levels.

Economy & Business
Middle East

Event Recap

May 10, 2022

Building a New Middle East – A Conversation with US Ambassador to Israel Thomas R. Nides  

By Salwa Balla

On May 3, the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs hosted a public event with Ambassador Thomas R. Nides, US Ambassador to Israel.

Israel
Middle East
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