Through our Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, the Atlantic Council works with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.

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Meet our blogs

MENASource

MENASource follows movements across the region and provides news and analysis on current events, including a platform for Middle Eastern perspectives, among others, on major issues—economic, political, security, cultural—that are at stake in the post-Arab Spring era.  

IranSource

IranSource provides a holistic look at Iran’s internal dynamics, global and regional policies, and posture through unique analysis of current events and long-term, strategic issues related to Iran.

All commentary & analysis

MENASource

Dec 14, 2020

Russian aid in Syria: An underestimated instrument of soft power

By Jonathan Robinson

Free from needing outside help by the international community, Russia’s self-sufficient aid ecosystem undermines, devalues, and rivals UN-led efforts in Syria, threatens to erode trust in the wider aid system, and provides a dangerous alternative narrative about the humanitarian environment in Syria for the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Dec 14, 2020

Is Jordan’s workforce ready for emerging opportunities in digital entrepreneurship?

By Nicole Goldin

By tapping into its large, tech-savvy youth population, which makes up more than half of its citizens, and its markedly underutilized female labor force, Jordan can position itself for dynamic post-COVID economic expansion.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

empowerME Conversations

Dec 11, 2020

EmpowerME Conversations Pilot

By Atlantic Council

The empowerME conversations podcast features conversations with business and government leaders shaping the Middle East. The podcast sheds light on key opportunities and challenges for companies and governments, and Season 1 will focus on top regional entrepreneurs and their path to success as well as struggles they faced along the way.

Middle East
Resilience & Society

MENASource

Dec 11, 2020

How Palestine refugees cope during the coronavirus

By UNWRA

While access to free healthcare, education, relief, and social services have been a mainstay of its operations from day one, UNRWA has adapted its presence on the ground in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the occupied Palestinian territory—including East Jerusalem—to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Dec 10, 2020

Experts react: What the Morocco-Israel deal means for the Middle East

By Atlantic Council

Atlantic Council experts react to the normalization of ties between Morocco and Israel and what it means for the wider region.

Africa
Israel

MENASource

Dec 10, 2020

Pity the nation: Assessing a half century of Assadist rule

By Steven Heydemann

The Syrian uprising is a more damning referendum on the Assad family legacy than any judgement that might be rendered by outsiders.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Dec 9, 2020

How the agri-food sector can turn Iraq’s economy around

By Hadi Fathallah and Timothy Robertson

Amidst Iraq’s economic meltdown, agri-food can play a pivotal role in turning the economy around and putting it back on a sustainable growth track.

Iraq
Middle East

MENASource

Dec 9, 2020

The GCC’s digital economy is growing, but risks must be managed

By Dominik Treeck

Gulf Cooperation Council governments need to establish effective protections for the digital economy to gain scale and become sustainable.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Dec 9, 2020

Working hand-in-glove: A first-hand account of Lloyd Austin’s leadership in Iraq

By Marc J. Sievers

Lloyd Austin was a great soldier, an inspiring commander to his troops, and a down-to-earth, approachable colleague who we civilians were privileged to work alongside.

Defense Policy
Iraq

MENASource

Dec 8, 2020

To move forward, US policy on Iraq requires balancing confrontation with Iran

By C. Anthony Pfaff

If Washington wants to shape Iranian behavior relative to Iraq—or anywhere for that matter—it has to give Tehran alternatives it can accept.

Iran
Iraq
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