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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Winning the humanitarian war in Yemen

MENASource Mar 26, 2026

As Iran attacks, the US should provide air defense for Iraqi Kurdistan

Washington faces a choice: Continue to defer to Baghdad’s procedural objections while Iran conducts unimpeded strikes on Kurdish territory or acknowledge the strategic reality and take decisive action.

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Winning the humanitarian war in Yemen

MENASource Mar 17, 2026

A crisis in Egypt could be a warning sign for the global economy 

By Khalid Azim

Market watchers should keep an eye on Egypt as an oil shock could cause financial turmoil.
Economy & Business International Financial Institutions
Winning the humanitarian war in Yemen

MENASource Mar 11, 2026

Three lessons from Libya for the war in Iran

By Frank Talbot

Any outside power using force to attain a political outcome must define the end state it seeks, align coalition partners around a shared strategy, and establish credible escalation controls.
Conflict Iran

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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

MENASource

Sep 25, 2019

The democratic dilemma of the early Tunisian presidential elections

By Haykel Ben Mahfoudh

Cataclysm, atypical, and rupture are a few words to describe the situation in Tunisia after the exit poll results in the first round of the early presidential elections organized on September 15, 2019. People expressed mixed feelings about the candidates’ performances, but also voiced serious concerns regarding the long-term political outcomes of the electoral process. […]

Democratic Transitions Elections

MENASource

Sep 20, 2019

To deal, or not to deal: Iran remains divided on the United States

By Sara Bazoobandi

The Iranian leadership has been unable to find a consensus on when the negotiations should begin, or what a final agreement should achieve.

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion Iran

MENASource

Sep 19, 2019

Libya: Locked or moving forward?

By Karim Mezran

One of the unfortunate consequences of Libya’s crisis is that the main players with decision-making power in Libya’s conflict are the regional and international powers involved in the crisis.

Libya Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Sep 18, 2019

What the Abqaiq attack should teach us about critical infrastructure

By Thomas S. Warrick

The precision of the aerial attack on Abqaiq, whether it originated in Iran or outside it, shows both a willingness to target strategic critical infrastructure and a capability for extreme precision.

Crisis Management Geopolitics & Energy Security

MENASource

Sep 12, 2019

Factbox: Tunisia’s precarious 2019 presidential election

By Adam Aluzri and Christiana Haynes

Voting booths open for the Tunisian presidential election this Sunday, September 15, in one of the world’s youngest democracies. Tunisians will be selecting their second president from among twenty-six candidates, including two women, with hopes of a new vision for addressing pressing issues about the economy, security, and political reform.

Democratic Transitions Elections
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