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 crumbling Haftar illusion: Last call for the international community?

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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The crumbling Haftar illusion: Last call for the international community?

MENASource Jan 28, 2026

Trump’s National Security Strategy doesn’t downgrade the Middle East, it redefines it

By Kristian Alexander

Trump’s strategy is a sophisticated refinement of “America First.” For the Gulf, the implications are significant, but manageable.

Middle East National Security
The crumbling Haftar illusion: Last call for the international community?

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

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MENASource

May 8, 2020

The crumbling Haftar illusion: Last call for the international community?

By Karim Mezran and Dario Cristiani

The international community should seize the moment to do everything to stop Haftar’s dictatorial regime.

Libya North Africa

MENASource

May 7, 2020

New Iraqi government must face a pandemic and oil price drop

By Abbas Kadhim

The formation of a fully authorized government provides a chance for Iraq to address its most pressing twin crises.

Coronavirus Iraq

MENASource

May 5, 2020

Aid groups desperately look for other options to combat coronavirus

By Borzou Daragahi

The pandemic has prompted organizations to reconfigure the way they provide aid.

Coronavirus Middle East

MENASource

May 4, 2020

Will Saudi Arabia’s private sector be able to hold up during a pandemic?

By Abdullah F. Alrebh

On April 3, the Saudi government issued a royal decree allocating $2.4 billion to compensate citizens who work in the private sector in facilities affected by the pandemic. However, such bounteous support might only reduce the problem, not solve it.

Coronavirus Middle East

MENASource

May 1, 2020

Have COVID-19 and Iran tensions doomed Coalition anti-ISIS strategy?

By Seth Frantzman

After five years of a successful campaign against ISIS, the Coalition may be permanently crippled by tensions with Iran. Furthermore, the pandemic may serve as a convenient excuse for partners to wrap up their presence in Iraq.

Iraq Middle East

MENASource

Apr 30, 2020

The US military assistance program to the Lebanese Armed Forces must endure

By Nicholas Blanford

The US military assistance program has been a solid success in Lebanon and the LAF deeply appreciates the partnership. That partnership must endure as Lebanon faces an ominous future.

Lebanon Middle East

MENASource

Apr 24, 2020

Israel-Gulf ties, boosted by COVID-19 research, may trip over annexation plans

By Jonathan H. Ferziger

For policymakers, the prospect of West Bank annexation posed by Israel’s incoming coalition government is a reminder of the delicacy of Mideast peacemaking.

Coronavirus Israel

MENASource

Apr 23, 2020

How the US military should leave Iraq

By Barbara Slavin

It is still possible to retain US influence in Iraq and to offer Iraqis an alternative to complete domination by Iran.

Iraq Middle East

MENASource

Apr 22, 2020

Challenges for Iraq’s new government under Mustafa Al-Kadhimi

By Abbas Kadhim

The protests that started in October 2019 ushered in a new political era in Iraq. For the first time in the post-2003 process of democratic transition, a government was forced to resign due to popular pressure. The resignation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi’s cabinet forced the Iraqi political leadership to face contentious constitutional and procedural […]

Iraq Middle East

MENASource

Apr 21, 2020

Lessons the US can learn from the UAE about the decontamination of COVID-19

By Theodore Karasik

Since Gulf countries faced the imported coronavirus prior to it reaching the United States, they were weeks ahead in their thinking on how to prevent a second spike in infection. The UAE has taken a blended civil-military approach that is worth watching.

Coronavirus Middle East
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