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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What do the new protests in Iraq mean?

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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What do the new protests in Iraq mean?

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
What do the new protests in Iraq mean?

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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Content

MENASource

Oct 25, 2019

What do the new protests in Iraq mean?

By MENASource

Protests intensified in Iraq on Friday, as Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd to disperse thousands of demonstrators.

Corruption Iraq

MENASource

Oct 23, 2019

Israel needs a stable government, and fast

By Carmiel Arbit

Now that Prime Minister Netanyahu has failed to form a government, opposition leader Benny Gantz gets his turn.

Elections Israel

MENASource

Oct 21, 2019

Egypt’s latest protests are an alarm bell for Sisi

By Alessia Melcangi and Giuseppe Dentice

Other waves of protests could create serious consequences for the economic sector and for political stability. This is the main challenge for the president, but it is also an important testing ground for the resilience of this peculiar stratocratic system.

Corruption Macroeconomics
Turkish flag with Twitter logo superimposed

MENASource

Oct 17, 2019

Digital Forensic Research Lab explores disinformation campaigns in the Middle East

By MENASource

Online information and disinformation has been playing a pivotal role in shaping public opinion throughout the Middle East and North Africa for over a decade. In the past week alone, Atlantic Council researchers with the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) have published four articles examining the origins of various MENA-based disinformation campaigns and the tell-tale […]

Disinformation Middle East

MENASource

Oct 17, 2019

Protests in Iraq may unseat the government

By Rend al-Rahim

The sudden outbreak of protests in Iraq on October 1 was part of a pattern the country has witnessed in recent years. Understanding this context as well as the grievances driving the protestors helps explain the latest unrest. As it stands now, Iraq is in precarious moment in which bold, concrete action from the government […]

Civil Society Corruption

MENASource

Oct 16, 2019

Winning the humanitarian war in Yemen

By Hadi Fathallah

While Saudi Arabia came into Yemen very sensitive of the regional Iranian challenge and Houthi threat, its war strategy and foreign policy lacks any awareness of the looming and ongoing environmental and humanitarian war that will affect the overall outcome of the peace in Yemen.

Conflict Middle East

MENASource

Oct 10, 2019

Iraqi IDPs amid US-Iranian tensions

By Leah Hickert

As Iraq protests in the past week escalated and settled down, real grievances issued by Iraqi citizens—related to crumbling infrastructure, high unemployment, and lack of services—need to be resolved by the government to destabilize the situation. However, there are additional issues concerning the internally displaced people (IDPs) in Iraq who may lack the agency or […]

Economy & Business Human Rights

MENASource

Oct 7, 2019

Trump withdraws US troops from northern Syria

By Middle East experts

An October 6 phone call between US President Donald J. Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan resulted in a partial withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria and Trump’s endorsement of Turkish plans to send their own military forces into the region.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Oct 3, 2019

Iraq protests: How should the government and the US respond?

By C. Anthony Pfaff

This week Iraq has experienced the largest protests to date against Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi’s government, if not any Iraqi government since the fall of former President Saddam Hussein.

Economy & Business Iraq

MENASource

Sep 27, 2019

Teachers’ protest challenges Jordanian status quo

By Tuqa Nusairat

Teachers in Jordan are starting the third week of one of the longest strikes by educators in the region’s history. Negotiations with the government have stalled, and there is no end in sight.

Civil Society Economy & Business
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