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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For Lebanon, the only way out is either revolution or reform

MENASource Jul 31, 2026

Why GCC integration matters more than ever

Gulf countries can’t build their knowledge economies of the future on their own.

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For Lebanon, the only way out is either revolution or reform

MENASource Jul 13, 2026

Israel’s next government must prioritize the Abraham Accords

By Amit Yarom and Itai Melchior

The fall election could open a narrow window for Israel to reset its regional strategy and create momentum to expand normalization.
Israel Politics & Diplomacy
For Lebanon, the only way out is either revolution or reform

MENASource Aug 3, 2026

Can al-Zaidi separate the sects from the state in Iraq?

By Munqith Dagher

The biggest challenge facing Iraq’s prime minister is how to curb the role of sectarian institutions in shaping Iraq’s state decisions.
Conflict Iran

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MENASource

Aug 10, 2020

For Lebanon, the only way out is either revolution or reform

By Nabeel Khoury

The ingredients for Lebanese reform are there. However, it remains a cause that awaits the right champion.

Lebanon Middle East

MENASource

Aug 7, 2020

Ammonium nitrate didn’t belong to Hezbollah, but they knew about its dangers

By David Daoud

Hezbollah is acutely aware of the danger that such chemicals—even if not of a military grade—pose to nearby civilians, perhaps more so than any other entity in Lebanon.

Lebanon Middle East

MENASource

Aug 5, 2020

Jordan protests met with repression as government changes tactics

By Tuqa Nusairat

The Jordanian government must make a concerted effort to address the serious economic challenges and disparities that have marginalized a majority of Jordanians with little options left but to strike or protest the conditions they face.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Aug 4, 2020

Three years after the Caliphate, Iraq’s Christians find little incentive to return

By Paul Gadalla

The region’s few remaining Christians find themselves caught between Iran-backed Shia militias and an Iraqi government that, nearly twenty years after the American invasion, is politically paralyzed and still unable to provide basic security and services—let alone protect the country’s embattled minority populations.

Iraq Middle East

MENASource

Jul 31, 2020

The American moment: Creating a new balance of power in Syria

By Ayman Abdel Nour and Dania Koleilat Khatib

The United States should seize this moment on changes in the Syrian landscape to create a new balance of power in Damascus.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Jul 31, 2020

The Syrian parliamentary elections were a mockery

By Michel Duclos

All in all, the July 19 result was not great for the Bashar al-Assad regime, but the veneer of a normal election was achieved, especially given that the low turnout could be excused by the pandemic.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Jul 30, 2020

Syria’s inconsequential 2021 presidential elections must be ignored

By Jomana Qaddour and Danny al-Baaj

Russia and the United States will still have to contend with Iranian influence and its far more substantial ground presence in Syria.

Politics & Diplomacy Syria

MENASource

Jul 30, 2020

Iran-Syria air defense pact could cause Russian-Iranian friction

By Mark N. Katz

Neither Damascus nor Tehran has been happy about Moscow’s unwillingness to enable themselves or Syria to halt Israeli attacks. The signing of the Iran-Syria air defense pact, though, may change this.

Iran Middle East

MENASource

Jul 23, 2020

Iranian foreign minister’s visit aggravates Iraqi-Saudi rapprochement

By Abbas Kadhim

All the details were carefully planned for Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s first foreign tour since taking office. Saudi Arabia, strongly supported by the United States, was selected as the first destination for the untested Iraqi leader, who is facing insurmountable challenges on the home front. Kadhimi is eagerly looking for quick accomplishments to build […]

Economy & Business Iran

MENASource

Jul 21, 2020

Lebanon’s fate appears to be irreversibly tied to Syria

By Mona Alami

With hope for any solution dimming every day, and as Lebanon and Syria’s fate becomes increasingly intertwined, the situation in Beirut will grow more desperate.

Lebanon Middle East
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