Content

MENASource

Dec 19, 2025

Employment needs to take center stage in Gaza security plans

By Melanie Robbins 

The best way to undermine Hamas’s power in Gaza is to employ the people Hamas pays today.

Civil Society
Economy & Business

Russia Tomorrow

Dec 19, 2025

Narrating the war: Analyzing Russia’s narratives for its invasion of Ukraine

By Casey Michel

The latest report in the Atlantic Council's Russia Tomorrow series examines the Kremlin's narratives about its invasion of Ukraine.

Disinformation
Europe & Eurasia

Inflection Points

Dec 19, 2025

Dispatch from Riyadh: Why Syria is central to the Middle East’s future

By Frederick Kempe

One year after Bashar al-Assad's fall, a visit to Saudi Arabia reveals the opportunities emerging to ensure that Syria doesn’t again fall prey to Iranian adventurism and regional chaos.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Dec 18, 2025

What’s in the new US defense bill for Ukraine?

By Doug Klain

The NDAA includes the best legislative support from Congress that Ukraine has received all year. At the same time, it also underscores the dramatic reduction in overall US support for Ukraine during 2025, writes Doug Klain.

Conflict
Human Rights

UkraineAlert

Dec 16, 2025

The only winner from Ukrainian wartime elections would be Putin

By Yuriy Boyechko

Ukrainians are fighting to defend their democracy against Kremlin authoritarianism, but they are also in no rush to hold wartime elections amid relentless Russian bombardment and with millions of Ukrainians displaced, writes Yuriy Boyechko.

Conflict
Elections

MENASource

Dec 16, 2025

What will 2026 bring for the Middle East and North Africa?

By Atlantic Council experts

As 2025 comes to a close, our senior analysts unpack the most prominent trends and topics they are tracking for the new year.

Climate Change & Climate Action
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Dec 11, 2025

Russia’s insistence on a defenseless Ukraine betrays Putin’s true intentions

By Peter Dickinson

Russia's key demands during US-led peace talks all appear designed to leave Ukraine disarmed and defenseless. This is a clear indication of Vladimir Putin's intention to continue his invasion and complete the conquest of Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Disinformation

Inside the Taliban's gender apartheid

Dec 10, 2025

Resistance and resilience: Lessons from South Africa for Afghanistan’s fight against gender apartheid

By Farhat Ariana Azami

Zubeida Jaffar from South Africa and Tamana Zaryab Paryani from Afghanistan in conversation with Farhat Ariana Azami.

Afghanistan
Human Rights

UkraineAlert

Dec 10, 2025

Russian drones and blackouts test the resilience of Ukraine’s second city

By Maria Avdeeva

With Putin’s army now advancing to the east and the Russian bombardment of civilian targets intensifying, Kharkiv residents are now facing what may become the most difficult winter of the entire war, writes Maria Avdeeva.

Defense Technologies
Drones

MENASource

Dec 9, 2025

Western policy must include Iran’s neglected peripheries

By Rob Macaire

Now is the time for Western and regional policymakers to form a clear-eyed view of how they should engage with Iran’s minorities.

Iran
Middle East

Experts