Middle East Programs Commentary & Analysis

Our blogs feature thoughtful reflections and opinions on current events in the Middle East & North Africa.

Through our Middle East Programs, 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

Jan 4, 2021

A more serious agreement to end the Gulf rift would yield a bigger political payout for Saudi Arabia and the UAE

By Kirsten Fontenrose

Everyone wins if the rift ends now. Any later, and MBS loses his shot at immunity and the UAE loses its chance to please both political parties in the US. The time to act is this week.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Jan 4, 2021

Experts react: The US brokers another deal to end the Gulf rift

By Atlantic Council

On January 4, it was reported that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states are expected to sign a deal towards ending the “Gulf rift.” Atlantic Council experts react to the agreement and what it means for the wider region.

Democratic Transitions Middle East

Fast Thinking

Jan 4, 2021

FAST THINKING: What’s Iran thinking?

By Atlantic Council

Tehran seized a South Korean tanker while also announcing that it had begun increasing its uranium enrichment levels to 20 percent. Why?

Iran Korea

IranSource

Jan 4, 2021

Iran’s railway ambitions go beyond Afghanistan

By Maysam Bizaer

The first railway between Iran and Afghanistan was launched in December 2020. The project represents a major step toward increasing Afghan-Iran trade and opening landlocked Afghanistan to the rest of the world through the Iranian port of Chabahar.

Iran Middle East

IranSource

Jan 1, 2021

The Qasem Soleimani assassination feels like ages ago—but Iran hasn’t forgotten

By Holly Dagres

A year after Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani’s death, Iranians haven’t forgotten—and the Iranian government will make sure that they don’t.

Iran Middle East

IranSource

Jan 1, 2021

Soleimani assassination failed to re-establish ‘deterrence’ against Iran

By Barbara Slavin

The threat of a wider war between the US and Iran remains as both the Trump administration and Israel have recently deployed more assets to the region including submarines, aircraft carriers and B-52 bombers.

Iran Middle East

MENASource

Dec 24, 2020

How Moroccans reacted to normalization with Israel

By Zineb Riboua

Moroccans were not surprised to see their country became the fourth Arab nation to normalize relations with Israel—it was the US’s recognition of Western Sahara that astonished them since Morocco’s identity is intertwined with that of Western Sahara.

Middle East North Africa

IranSource

Dec 23, 2020

Zam: The family that picked their son over the revolution

By Arash Azizi

The regime’s forty-one-year history is filled with fathers who didn’t mourn the killing of their children by the republic they served.

Iran Middle East

MENASource

Dec 23, 2020

Five decades of Baathism survived because of nationalism

By Rahaf Aldoughli

Implicit in understanding the role of nationalism in maintaining the Assad regime’s survival is exploring the extent to which this ideology has given support to it.

Middle East Syria

MENASource

Dec 22, 2020

The quest for water: Will the Abraham Accords change the water landscape for the region?

By Rumaitha Al Busaidi

With the threat of climate change already creating direct consequences for water security and conflict, safeguarding water for the region will prove to not only be a challenging task, but an even more crucial one than during the last multilateral efforts in the 1990s.

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment
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