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

Feb 25, 2021

Rewriting the rules of mediation and conflict resolution: The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum

By Hafed Al Ghwell and Karim Mezran

Good news for the Joe Biden administration may strangely come from the recent results of the inter-Libyan negotiations in Geneva.

Libya
Middle East

IranSource

Feb 23, 2021

With the boycott over, Qatar tries to reclaim top regional mediator role

By Ali Fathollah-Nejad and Cinzia Bianco

Qatar is trying to use its connections to both Turkey and Iran to re-position itself as the key regional mediator it was before the 2011 Arab Spring.

Middle East
The Gulf

MENASource

Feb 23, 2021

Optimism mixed with realism about the Biden administration’s promises on Yemen

By Khaled H. Alyemany

The appointment of Ambassador Tim Lenderking as US Special Envoy to Yemen is the right step towards streamlining United States’ efforts internally and externally with allies to end the war, address its humanitarian impact, and avert the looming famine.

Middle East
The Gulf

MENASource

Feb 23, 2021

Don’t rely on Moscow to help with “reconciliation” in Syria’s Daraa province

By Jomana Qaddour, Abdulrahman al-Masri

Any deal Russia strikes in Syria’s southern province will be volatile and temporary, given that resolving underlying conditions are impossible under the Bashar al-Assad regime and Russia’s direction.

Middle East
Russia

MENASource

Feb 22, 2021

America steps back into the ring with the Palestinians

By Jonathan H. Ferziger, Shalom Lipner

The renewed US effort to engage with the Palestinian leadership comes against the backdrop of the past four years, during which the Mahmoud Abbas government found itself consistently on the defensive.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Feb 22, 2021

China is happy about the Abraham Accords and the GCC crisis coming to an end

By Jonathan Fulton

Middle Eastern dispute resolution benefits lots of countries with interests in the region and several can be expected to capitalize. However, given China’s increasingly deep MENA footprint, it will capitalize more.

China
East Asia

MENASource

Feb 18, 2021

The Biden administration may have hit the reset button in Libya

By Karim Mezran

Despite its marginality and irrelevance for US’s interests, Libya has come to constitute the litmus test of this perceived change in the world political landscape.

Libya
Middle East

MENASource

Feb 18, 2021

Israel’s upcoming election: A referendum on the handling of the coronavirus

By Shalom Lipner

March 23 will see Israelis trek to the polls—for the fourth time since April 2019—after the close of an election campaign that has, thus far, entertained discussion of little else other than the coronavirus and its ramifications.

Israel
Middle East

MENASource

Feb 17, 2021

Responding to Iranian proxies in Iraq: Lowering the cost of accountability

By C. Anthony Pfaff

Rather than being faced with doing nothing, leaving, or being kicked out, such a joint approach can make the US the more attractive partner, undermine Iran’s ability to control the narrative, and improve prospects for future security cooperation.

Iran
Iraq

MENASource

Feb 17, 2021

What it takes for MENA to be the next leading venture capital opportunity

By Amjad Ahmad, Christopher Schroeder, and Allison Holle

Investing in venture capital in the Middle East is not merely an opportunity to gain financial dividends, but also to impact the lives of hundreds of millions of people by adding value and creating local wealth that can then address manifold social challenges. This will allow talent to rise and strengthen the ecosystem further.

Economy & Business
Middle East
Load More