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.

Learn more

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

Mar 25, 2021

‘It’s not a zero-sum game’: MENA officials agree that regional integration is key to growth

By Heba Malik

Atlantic Council’s empowerME initiative and the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies co-hosted an event that discussed strategies for building regional cooperation to create a more attractive investment landscape and productive entrepreneurial ecosystem. These are some key takeaways.

Economy & Business
Middle East

IranSource

Mar 25, 2021

Why Iran will not let Arab states join nuclear talks

By Saeid Jafari

Iran’s opposition to including Arab states in potential new nuclear talks, while based on legal precedent, also has political and security dimensions.

Iran
Middle East

MENASource

Mar 24, 2021

Assad is testing Biden. The US president must not fail.

By Frederic C. Hof

Regardless of what the Biden administration may wish to think or acknowledge, it may well be sitting for an initial examination administered by Bashar al-Assad—the teacher of many harsh lessons to American presidents. Failing the test will not be consequence-free.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

IranSource

Mar 24, 2021

#No2IslamicRepublic: Just a hashtag or much more?

By Arash Azizi

On March 11, an anti-government campaign was launched with the hashtag #No2IslamicRepublic in English and Persian. The movement was announced via a statement signed by 640 Iranians, including those inside and outside Iran.

Iran
Middle East

IranSource

Mar 23, 2021

Rising concerns over the US-Iran impasse: A European view

By Michel Duclos

As Iran has hardened its stance, the Europeans have tried but have been unable to play the honest broker.

Iran
Middle East

MENASource

Mar 23, 2021

Weapons or food? Lebanon’s Armed Forces risk going hungry

By Nicholas Blanford

Prices of everyday goods have skyrocketed, businesses are shuttering, banks have slapped arbitrary capital controls on US dollar-denominated accounts, and the United Nations estimates that more than half of Lebanon’s population of six million live below the poverty line. Lebanon’s armed forces have been affected along with everybody else.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

Testimony

Mar 18, 2021

Fontenrose testifies to House Foreign Affairs Committee on human rights in Saudi Arabia

By Kirsten Fontenrose

Middle East Security Director, Kirsten Fontenrose testifies to House Foreign Affairs Committee on human rights in Saudi Arabia.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Mar 18, 2021

The real threat to modern Israel

By Dan Perry

The March 23 election could emerge as an inflection point because Haredi behavior during the coronavirus pandemic has underscored divisions, deepened mutual disdain, and convinced many Israelis things cannot continue as they are.

Israel
Middle East

IranSource

Mar 18, 2021

Khamenei may show more ‘heroic flexibility’ after Iranian elections

By Anonymous

The Supreme Leader expects the Biden administration to return to the JCPOA on Iranian terms. However, he is ready to wait for a few more months to achieve an equally if not more important domestic political objective: replacing Rouhani with a more hardline figure.

Iran
Middle East

MENASource

Mar 17, 2021

Down the rabbit hole of Israel’s electoral wonderland

By Shalom Lipner

Nothing is certain at this point other than the fact that Israel’s leadership is up for grabs. It will be ugly and could conceivably end in a stalemate.

Elections
Israel
Load More