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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Violence Clouds Upcoming Elections

MENASource
Jul 22, 2025

Why the violence in my hometown, Swaida, goes beyond ‘rivalry.’

US officials described the events as “a rivalry” between Syria’s Druze and Bedouins. But this framing strips the crisis of its historical and political context.

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Violence Clouds Upcoming Elections

MENASource
Jul 17, 2025

Facing scarcity, the Gulf’s ‘smart water’ future lies in desalination

By
Hany Ghanem

Desalination-enhanced regenerative data centers can help tackle the challenges of limited water resources and the post-oil economic shift.

Climate Change & Climate Action
Energy & Environment

Violence Clouds Upcoming Elections

MENASource
Jun 26, 2025

Dispatch from Damascus: Church attack shows transition’s fragility

By
Ibrahim Al-Assil

The bombing at Mar Elias Church is more than an isolated tragedy. It is a signal that Syria’s transition remains vulnerable to sabotage.

Democratic Transitions
Middle East

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MENASource

Nov 23, 2011

Violence Clouds Upcoming Elections

By Mohamed Elshahed

Less than five days before the first post-Mubarak elections, the situation in Tahrir Square is the worst it has been since Mubarak stepped down on February 11 earlier this year. The level of force and the brutality of the security forces surpass anything that was seen in a single incident during the 18-day uprising. The […]

MENASource

Nov 23, 2011

Poll Shows Most Egyptians Planned to Vote Before Violence

By Mara Revkin

A new Gallup poll based on surveys conducted in September reveals that most Egyptians planned to vote (74%) and expected the elections to be fair and honest (71%) before massive anti-military demonstrations erupted last week. But the latest confrontation between the military and protesters could unravel the existing transitional roadmap and elections schedule. Major political parties […]

MENASource

Nov 22, 2011

Dispatch from Tahrir Square: By Tarek Radwan

By Tarek Radwan

Tarek Radwan, an Egyptian human rights activist, has been on the ground in Tahrir Square since the outbreak of protests on November 18, leaving only briefly to update his Facebook and Twitter feeds, he says. Tarek offers this snapshot of the defiant mood on the ground, shortly after a disappointing speech by Field Marshal Tantawi, […]

MENASource

Nov 22, 2011

Video: SCAF Offers Referendum on Power Transfer

By Mara Revkin

In a televised speech on November 22, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi expressed “regret” over the clashes in Tahrir Square and announced several concessions: The SCAF is prepared to hold a referendum on immediately transferring power to civilian authority if people demand it. Tantawi pledged to hold presidential elections no later than June 2012 and […]

MENASource

Nov 22, 2011

New Poll Shows Disillusionment with Military Rule

By Mara Revkin

Reverting to one of Mubarak’s favorite tactics, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is trying to delegitimize the demands of street protesters by claiming that the crowd in Tahrir Square is an unruly collection of hooligans, radical soccer fans and religious zealots who do not represent Egyptian public opinion. On November 21, SCAF […]

MENASource

Nov 22, 2011

The SCAF’s End Game

By Magdy Samaan

“I want the country to be cleansed” said activist Ahmad Harara, a young dentist in his thirties who lost his right eye in the beginning of the Egyptian Revolution on January 28 and lost his left eye last Saturday, November 19, when he was shot by police snipers.  Rooftop snipers have not been seen since […]

MENASource

Nov 22, 2011

News Update: November 22, 2011

By Mara Revkin

Tens of thousands of protesters remain in Tahrir Square as the demonstration enters its fourth day, with the official death toll climbing to 28. Most major political forces are calling for the formation of a “national salvation government” and Field Marshal Tantawi reportedly met with several candidates for the premiership in an emergency meeting. Meanwhile, […]

MENASource

Nov 21, 2011

Calls for a “Salvation Government” Suggest New Transition Roadmap

By Michele Dunne and Mara Revkin

Egyptian political parties are trying to translate the anti-SCAF anger of protestors in Cairo and elsewhere into a set of specific demands.  While each major party has a slightly different version, the two key demands are holding a presidential election by April 2012 and forming a “national salvation government” to run the country until that […]

MENASource

Nov 21, 2011

News Update: November 21, 2011

By Mara Revkin

Clashes between security forces and protesters in Tahrir Square escalated dramatically on November 19 and 20, resulting in at least 35 casualties and 1,700 injuries, as riot police used tear gas, rubber bullets as well as live ammunition and attacked field hospitals in an effort to disperse the crowd. As several prominent parliamentary candidates and […]

MENASource

Nov 21, 2011

Would a new Trade Union Law resolve labor protests?

By Nadine Abdalla

Social protests and labor strikes have escalated to unprecedented levels in Egypt since the January 25 uprising. In recent months, workers have staged hundreds of protests spanning almost all industrial and service sectors in Egypt. Although labor activism has been on the rise since the revolution, the surge in labor protests actually started before the […]

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