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 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

New Atlanticist

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

New Atlanticist

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

MENASource

Nov 2, 2020

The irrefutable logic of numbers and the inevitability of reform in Iraq

By Ahmed Tabaqchali

While, on the surface, the White Paper might appear to be yet another economic reform package in response to a fiscal crisis brought about by falling oil revenues, the lofty goals are likely to be forgotten as soon as rising oil prices rescue the state from its current quagmire.

Iraq Middle East

MENASource

Oct 29, 2020

Middle East business leaders provide perspective on the economic impact of the upcoming US presidential election

By Middle East experts

In an empowerME survey conducted in the last thirty days, thirty-two Middle East business leaders shared their views on the possible economic impact of the 2020 US Presidential election. Atlantic Council experts Kirsten Fontenrose, Amjad Ahmad, Mohsin Khan, and Jean-Francois Seznec analyzed the data and provided the following key takeaways.

Education Elections

MENASource

Oct 29, 2020

Iraq’s economic White Paper misses a key issue for the energy sector

By Harry Istepanian

On October 10, the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi issued a White Paper to reform Iraq’s economy. The energy sector’s future has taken considerable space in the blueprint alongside the country’s increasing demand for electricity.

Iraq Middle East

MENASource

Oct 28, 2020

For Turkey, the Libyan conflict and the eastern Mediterranean are inextricably linked

By Ahmed Helal

The proxy confrontation playing out in Libya has intensified a regional competition for resources in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean, where several overlapping claims for maritime jurisdiction by Turkey, Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus have fueled escalating tensions.

Europe & Eurasia Libya
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