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

IranSource

Nov 12, 2020

A Biden-Rouhani agreement can positively impact Iran’s political future

By Mehran Haghirian

If he manages to reach an agreement with the United States, President Hassan Rouhani will undoubtedly garner the support of the majority of Iranians like he did after signing an interim agreement in 2013. This will allow him to position himself as the person who finally resolved the dispute with the US after forty-two years.

Iran Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Nov 11, 2020

How the Biden administration will impact Middle East economies

By Amjad Ahmad

The Biden administration will not be a panacea for Middle East economies but will certainly have a positive impact.

Elections Middle East

IranSource

Nov 10, 2020

The US election was all Iranians talked about for the past week

By Holly Dagres

The Iranian establishment has repeatedly claimed that a Democrat or Republican wouldn’t matter for Iran, but the general Iranian population begged to differ as it watched the vote-counting process with bated breath.

Iran Middle East

MENASource

Nov 9, 2020

Netanyahu must adapt to the new Washington

By Carmiel Arbit

The 2020 US presidential election may be the splash of cold water needed to chasten Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Iran Middle East

IranSource

Nov 9, 2020

Nagorno-Karabakh: An unexpected conflict that tests and perplexes Iran

By Borzou Daragahi

More likely than not, a resurrection of a decades-old war on Iran’s sleepy northern border between two countries friendly to Iran was not high on the agenda of imminent threats—if on the list at all.

Iran Middle East

Elections 2020

Nov 7, 2020

Joe Biden just won the presidency: What does that mean for America’s role in the world?

By Atlantic Council

Atlantic Council experts weigh in on what the outcome of the 2020 election means for US foreign policy and America’s role in the world.

Economy & Business Elections

MENASource

Nov 5, 2020

Factbox: Iranian influence and presence in Syria

By Navvar Saban

This factbox presents a limited summary of Iran's military and security power in Syria, revealing the extent of its sway over Syrian society and its economy.

Iran Middle East

MENASource

Nov 5, 2020

Libyan ceasefire agreement faces hurdles due to foreign intervention

By Karim Mezran, Emadeddin Badi

There are virtually no coercion or accountability mechanisms that international stakeholders are committed to leveraging against domestic parties that are working to undermine the agreement with the support of foreign actors.

Libya Middle East

Elections 2020

Nov 4, 2020

What America’s allies and adversaries will make of the 2020 election

By William F. Wechsler

Rather than provide an opportunity to “bind up the nation’s wounds” once again, the election has instead clearly confirmed the deep divisions in American society by class, region, race, gender, religion, and culture. No matter who wins the presidency, the result will likely be a nation increasingly focused inward on the implications of these divisions.

Elections Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Nov 2, 2020

25 years after Rabin’s assassination and Israel resembles its old self

By Shalom Lipner

Much has changed in the world since Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, but striking parallels might also be drawn—counter-intuitively, perhaps—between Israel's circumstances around the time of Rabin's death and the prevailing situation in the country today.

Israel Middle East
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