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

MENASource

Mar 23, 2020

Amid US uncertainty in Syria, Kurdish YPG eyes bolstering ties with Russia

By Matthew Ayton

The YPG leadership is said to be reassessing the strategic importance of its ties with what is an increasingly unreliable Washington, and is looking to further diversify its portfolio of international partners, with an eye toward strengthening ties with Russia.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Mar 20, 2020

Amid COVID-19, Iraq remains US-Iran battleground

By Atlantic Council

Americans have been killed once again during attacks on Iraqi bases, and a series of strikes have been made by US forces and Iranian proxies within Iraq, with no immediate sign that the hostilities will abate anytime soon. Iran is trying to force a US withdrawal, and the United States is trying to protect its interests and reinforce its red lines. Caught in the middle once again, Iraq is simultaneously confronting a security crisis, a health emergency, and an economic free fall—all without the benefit of a functioning government in Baghdad.

Conflict
Coronavirus

IranSource

Mar 20, 2020

Iranian new year begins with a growing coronavirus crisis

By Mehrnaz Samimi

According to a Persian expression, “Springtime reveals what kind of a year we’d have,” meaning that should a year start well, it would continue and end well. If spring is unpleasant, however, one cannot hope for a good year.

Coronavirus
Iran

New Atlanticist

Mar 17, 2020

Another prime minister nominee in Iraq: Will this one take?

By Abbas Kadhim

Al-Zurfi’s success will depend on the Kurds and the Sunnis, whose opposition destroyed the chances of the previous nominee. For the Kurdish and the Sunni blocs, it is not a matter of whether Al-Zurfi is able to meet the governance challenges, but rather a question of if he will undertake enough political bargaining and ethno-sectarian apportionment of political positions that come with perks. Al-Zurfi will have to calculate how much he can give them to keep a semblance of legitimacy for his government.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

IranSource

Mar 17, 2020

Idlib is a stress test for Iranian-Turkish relations

By Sina Azodi and Giorgio Cafiero

The killing of scores of Lebanese Hezbollah members amid Turkey’s ongoing military campaign against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and various pro-Assad forces on February 28 raises important questions about how the Idlib crisis will impact Tehran’s relationship with Ankara.

Iran
Middle East

New Atlanticist

Mar 16, 2020

Two days of delays at major US airports show DHS not given the resources to do the job

By Thomas S. Warrick

DHS experts would have known in January, if not earlier, to begin urgent planning for the possibility of having to staff the screening of large numbers of incoming travelers at major airports around the country. All signs show that parts of this planning went well, but with one crucial failure: DHS was not given the resources necessary to scale the response to the president’s policy decision to screen arriving travelers from Europe.

Coronavirus
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Mar 16, 2020

What the coronavirus emergency means for the US-Iran conflict

By Kirsten Fontenrose

While the world is focused on the spread of a pandemic, the conflict between Iran and the United States is heating up. Without the laser-focused media attention of early January to temper the actions of both sides, we can expect to see riskier behavior and less concern for collateral damage.

Conflict
Coronavirus

IranSource

Mar 16, 2020

COVID-19: The latest shock to a battered Iranian system

By Barbara Slavin

How many shocks can a political system absorb and still remain in power?

Coronavirus
Iran

MENASource

Mar 12, 2020

Israel exemplifies how to respond to the coronavirus

By Daniel J. Samet

Israel’s stringent policies may help enlighten other nations in search of answers.

Israel
Middle East

New Atlanticist

Mar 12, 2020

Strike on Iraqi base kills US and Coalition soldiers: How will the US respond?

By Atlantic Council

“The attack on Camp Taji is another sign that Iraq is returning slowly to the pre-2011 insurgency,” Abbas Kadhim says. “The Iraqi government is unfortunately incapable of controlling the various armed groups that have the ability to strike anywhere they want inside the country.”

Conflict
Iraq
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