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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What do the renewed protests in Iraq mean?

MENASource
Jul 12, 2025

Netanyahu’s trip to Washington ends with conflicting signals

The moment of truth may yet come when Trump’s leverage on Netanyahu, which is considerable, may not be expressed only in private settings.

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What do the renewed protests in Iraq mean?

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

What do the renewed protests in Iraq mean?

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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Content

MENASource

Sep 19, 2018

What do the renewed protests in Iraq mean?

By Caroline Rose

Civilian unrest in Iraq has refocused its attention on Haider al-Abadi and the Islamic Dawa party. Ongoing demonstrations this month in the southern city of Basra indicate trouble ahead for the Iraqi federal government and foreshadow an end to Haider al-Abadi’s run as prime minister, as he does not seek a second term.

Iraq

MENASource

Sep 17, 2018

One year later, the UN Action Plan for Libya is dead

By Elissa Miller

In September 2017, on the sidelines of a gathering of global leaders at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to Libya Ghassan Salame presented an “action plan” for Libya that aimed to surmount Libya’s political stalemate and address persistent instability.

Libya

MENASource

Sep 11, 2018

Saudi’s Vision 2030 continues to solicit concerns

By Stephen Grand

The Saudi government shelved plans in late August for an initial public offering (IPO) of shares in Saudi Aramco, the state’s mammoth oil company. King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman had intended the proceeds from the sale of a portion of the company’s stock to underwrite their “Vision 2030” program, an ambitious roadmap […]

Saudi Arabia

MENASource

Sep 6, 2018

Can Plan B save Libya? Here are the obstacles it must overcome

By Emadeddin Muntasser and Mohamed Fouad

There is no denying that Libya is in a far worse state than at any time since the 2011 revolution. In a country of vast oil and gas wealth, basic services are frequently interrupted as armed gangs control the capital in the west. In the east, once feared leaders like Khalifa Haftar find their forces […]

Libya

MENASource

Sep 5, 2018

Finding salvation through the chaos in Libya

By Karim Mezran and Federica Saini Fasanotti

On the night of September 2nd, most of the personnel from the Italian embassy in Libya—the only operating embassy—were quickly evacuated on a ship bound for Malta.

Libya

MENASource

Aug 29, 2018

Bilateral basing squabbles: Incirlik and America’s out of area wars

By Aaron Stein

The American alliance with Turkey is in crisis. The two NATO allies have divergent interests in the Middle East, stemming from differing policies towards non-state actors. The United States, as the dominant external power in the Middle East, has made counter-terrorism the focal point of its Middle East strategy. American policy is linked to pervasive […]

Middle East NATO Partnerships

MENASource

Aug 28, 2018

Egypt leads the pack in internet censorship across the Middle East

By Elissa Miller

Internet censorship around the world, including in the Middle East, is not a new phenomenon. Freedom of expression facilitated by the internet can pose a threat to authoritarian leaders around the world who seek to maintain strict control over both the content their citizens consume and the content they post. A clear pattern of authoritarian […]

Internet Media

MENASource

Aug 23, 2018

Factbox: Turkey and the future of the F-35

By Rachel Rossi

The F-35 is the next generation fighter jet designed to ensure NATO’s air superiority for the next twenty to thirty years. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter development program is a nine-country international consortium, which includes a tiered system of states that collectively contributed to the aircraft’s development and manufacture. Turkey is a Level III partner, […]

Defense Policy Defense Technologies

MENASource

Aug 22, 2018

Syria and Yemen could have been Jordan

By Erin A. Neale

Recently the World Bank published its annual world income categorization of 189 countries and 28 other economies. Jordan, Syria, and Yemen were among the nine countries whose status climbed or fell to reflect changes in gross national income (GNI). Jordan progressed from a lower-middle income to an upper-middle income country ($3,896–$12,055 per capita). The effects […]

Middle East Syria

MENASource

Aug 21, 2018

Three pressing barriers to forming an Iraqi government

By Andrea Taylor

Protests raging in southern Iraq foretell the potentially dire consequences if political leaders in the country are unable to form a government in the coming months. Unrest has culminated, after subsequent summers with widespread power outages and frustration in a government widely perceived as corrupt, in at least fourteen demonstrator deaths since early July and […]

Democratic Transitions Elections
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