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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Experts React: What’s next after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire?

MENASource Jan 14, 2026

Voices from Iran: As rejection of government reaches all-time high, Iranians also wary of foreign intervention

If Trump is serious about peace, stability, and a lasting legacy, the path forward does not run through air strikes or transactional deals with a failing theocracy.

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Experts React: What’s next after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire?

MENASource Jan 13, 2026

Eight questions (and expert answers) on the SDF’s withdrawal from Syria’s Aleppo

By Atlantic Council experts

Our experts unpack why violence erupted, what it means for Kurdish safety and integration in Syria, and how Washington is engaging.
Civil Society Conflict
Experts React: What’s next after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire?

MENASource Jan 12, 2026

The Venezuela-Iran connection and what Maduro’s capture means for Tehran, explained 

By Joze Pelayo, Kirsten Fontenrose, Ellie Sennett 

Our experts break down Iran’s ties to Venezuela and the impact Maduro’s capture could have on Tehran’s interests in and outside of its own borders. 
Iran Oil and Gas

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MENASource

May 20, 2021

Experts React: What’s next after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire?

By Atlantic Council

After eleven days of cross-border fighting, Hamas and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire. Atlantic Council experts react to the news, assess the significance of the recent surge in violence, and offer their thoughts on how the international community should deal with the conflict moving forward.

Israel
Middle East

MENASource

May 18, 2021

Factbox: Iranian presence in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province

By Navvar Saban

Since the beginning of 2018, Iran has been directly involved in the battle against ISIS in eastern Syria. Through its participation, Iran has been able to carry out its expansion project specifically in Deir ez-Zor, a province bordering Iraq that is troubled by a fragile security situation.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

May 13, 2021

The escalation between Israel and Hamas: What’s new—and what’s not

By Shalom Lipner

While the intensity of the fighting appears to have caught some veteran practitioners of Middle East conflict and diplomacy by surprise, a trail of discernable factors led to this fraught outcome.

Israel
Middle East

MENASource

May 11, 2021

Co-opting cybersecurity in Egypt

By Bassant Hassib and James Shires

Cybersecurity is one of several frequent and overlapping justifications for censorship by the Egyptian government, in addition to strengthened counterterrorism and media regulation.

Digital Policy
Middle East

MENASource

May 10, 2021

Want resiliency in MENA? Invest in women-led startups

By Nadereh Chamlou

As MENA assesses how to rebuild better after the pandemic, women-led startups could be part of the solution.

Economy & Business
Middle East

MENASource

May 5, 2021

Qatar and Egypt are letting bygones be bygones

By Allison Nour

Ultimately, increased Qatari-Egyptian cooperation will likely do more to align with the Joe Biden administration’s interests in increasing diplomacy in the region at a time when the US is re-evaluating its military footprint.

Middle East
North Africa

MENASource

May 3, 2021

Syrian Transitional Military Council: A ‘social media invention’ or much more?

By Matthew Ayton

Recent weeks have seen a crescendo of rumors claiming that local, regional, and international support is growing to establish a Syrian Transitional Military Council. It would allegedly be led by defected Brigadier General Manaf Tlass, whose mandate would be to midwife the war-ravaged nation into a post-Bashar al-Assad future.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Apr 30, 2021

Déby’s death: A microcosm of the flaws of French foreign policy in Libya

By Emadeddin Badi

Far from being the sole architect of his premature death, the conditions that led to Chadian President Idriss Déby’s passing are also a direct byproduct of the myopic policies of his main Western ally—France—in neighboring Libya.

Iran
Middle East

MENASource

Apr 28, 2021

¡Viva los Arabes!: Underreported stories of the Arabs of the Americas

By Joze Pelayo

Due to the Iberian legacy it is argued that Arabs who migrated to Latin America felt much closer to home than those who migrated to the US.

Americas
Latin America

MENASource

Apr 26, 2021

In the game of Syria, the US and Europe hold the cards

By Rime Allaf

This is the time for the United States and European Union to exact concessions from Iran, which needs the financial benefits of a full nuclear deal, and from Russia, which needs reconstruction money.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy
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