Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East Programs

The MENA Futures Lab, a flagship initiative of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, is dedicated to harnessing innovation, entrepreneurship, and human capital to build a more prosperous future for the Middle East and North Africa.

The Project for Middle East Integration is helping policymakers leverage a dynamic moment to foster greater political and economic integration between all the countries of the Middle East.

The Realign For Palestine project is committed to challenging violent extremism, divisive narratives, and hatred by elevating common-sense approaches through policy and action. The project believes in promoting nonviolence and the two-nation solution as the only credible, humane path forward for peace between the Palestinian and Israeli people.

The initiative injects fresh thinking into how governments and practitioners can apply legal tools to advance human rights and accountability around the world.

The Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative (SMESI) provides policymakers fresh insights into core US national security interests by leveraging its expertise, networks, and on-the-ground programs to develop unique and holistic assessments on the future of the most pressing strategic, political, and security challenges and opportunities in the Middle East. 

The Rafik Hariri Center’s Transatlantic Project aims at strengthening US-European cooperation on the most critical opportunities and challenges facing the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The Iran Strategy Project is designed to synchronize and bring together the Atlantic Council’s policy and analytical efforts on Iran under a single banner, reflecting the unprecedented level of discord and uncertainty in Iran.

The Iraq Initiative is driving policy-oriented programs and analysis that advance Iraq’s stability and sovereignty, regional integration, and democratic and economic development. It also aims to promote a strengthened US-Iraq partnership.

The North Africa region holds strategic and political importance for the US and Europe because of its geographical location in a critically strategic position at the crossroads between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The region has witnessed tumultuous uprisings, rising autocratic regimes, and glimmers of economic and political progress that warrant closer study.

Our work on Syria sheds light on the ongoing struggle of Syrians to fulfill their desire for democratic self-governance as the United States and the international community grapple with the aftermath of a devastating civil war, millions of refugees across the Middle East and Europe, and ongoing security and political challenges spilling over Syria’s borders.

The North Africa Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East analyzes the strategic, political, and economic importance of the region for the United States and its allies. Since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, North Africa has undergone political and economic transformations that have impacted stability and security in the region. With its geographic crossroad between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, North Africa continues to be an integral partner in addressing shared interests and concerns.