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.

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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

Apr 29, 2020

US-EU tensions set to escalate over Iran’s coronavirus crisis

By Giorgio Cafiero and Maysam Behravesh

On top of strong disagreements with President Donald Trump’s decision to pull Washington out of the 2015 nuclear deal and re-impose stifling sanctions on the Islamic Republic in May 2018, America’s longstanding partners in Europe also oppose the Trump administration ramping up “maximum pressure” on Tehran amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

Iran
Middle East

IranSource

Apr 28, 2020

Iran’s satellite launch carries more political weight than military significance

By Sina Azodi

The IRGC’s move should be analyzed more in terms of Tehran’s political posturing instead of as a strategic leap toward developing ICBMs.

Iran
Middle East

MENASource

Apr 24, 2020

Israel-Gulf ties, boosted by COVID-19 research, may trip over annexation plans

By Jonathan H. Ferziger

For policymakers, the prospect of West Bank annexation posed by Israel’s incoming coalition government is a reminder of the delicacy of Mideast peacemaking.

Coronavirus
Israel
IRGCN Vessels Conduct Unsafe, Unprofessional Interaction with U.S. Naval Forces in Arabian Gulf

IranSource

Apr 23, 2020

Trump’s Twitter threat to destroy Iranian boats isn’t guidance

By John W. Miller

In a tweet on April 22, US President Donald Trump announced that he ordered the US Navy to destroy any Iranian boats harassing US warships. While the tweet may seem like new and escalatory guidance from the Commander in Chief to his forces in the region and an indication of a substantial increase in tensions between the United States and Iran, it is neither.

Iran
Maritime Security

MENASource

Apr 23, 2020

How the US military should leave Iraq

By Barbara Slavin

It is still possible to retain US influence in Iraq and to offer Iraqis an alternative to complete domination by Iran.

Iraq
Middle East

MENASource

Apr 22, 2020

Challenges for Iraq’s new government under Mustafa Al-Kadhimi

By Abbas Kadhim

The protests that started in October 2019 ushered in a new political era in Iraq. For the first time in the post-2003 process of democratic transition, a government was forced to resign due to popular pressure. The resignation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi’s cabinet forced the Iraqi political leadership to face contentious constitutional and procedural […]

Iraq
Middle East

MENASource

Apr 21, 2020

Lessons the US can learn from the UAE about the decontamination of COVID-19

By Theodore Karasik

Since Gulf countries faced the imported coronavirus prior to it reaching the United States, they were weeks ahead in their thinking on how to prevent a second spike in infection. The UAE has taken a blended civil-military approach that is worth watching.

Coronavirus
Middle East

New Atlanticist

Apr 20, 2020

At long last, Israel to form a government

By Daniel J. Samet

Most Israelis want to avoid a fourth election. Most Israelis want to see an empowered government—not a caretaker regime—in place to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Elections
Israel

IranSource

Apr 20, 2020

The Supreme Leader doesn’t want détente with the United States—ever

By Shahir Shahidsaless

Iran’s Supreme Leader has cemented no talks and no relations with the United States as the grand strategy guiding Tehran’s foreign policy. He offers some arguments behind this strategic thinking and they are all flawed.

Iran
Middle East

MENASource

Apr 16, 2020

China’s soft power during the coronavirus is winning over the Gulf states

By Jonathan Fulton

As COVID-19 continues to batter the world, China has managed an impressive transition. A recent article in the New York Times notes that, through the short life of the coronavirus crisis, China has been able to reposition itself not as “the authoritarian incubator of a pandemic but as a responsible global leader at a moment […]

China
Coronavirus
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