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

New Atlanticist

Jan 3, 2020

Iraq’s parliament may be about to do President Trump a big fat favor

By Kirsten Fontenrose

The biggest favor the Iraqi Parliament can do for US President Donald J. Trump right now is to vote to evict the United States from Iraq. The US president has been clear on his preference for drawing down the US presence in the region rather than beefing it up. Right now, he is asking his advisers why the United States should stay in Iraq, where the two stated missions are to train the Iraqi Security Forces and conduct counterterrorism operations.

Conflict
Iran

New Atlanticist

Jan 3, 2020

Soleimani killing threatens to break open US-Iranian conflict

By David A. Wemer

The assassination of a top Iranian military official in Iraq on January 2 is the most dramatic step yet in the ongoing escalation between the United States and Iran in the Middle East.

Conflict
Iran

MENASource

Jan 2, 2020

Iraq: It’s not over yet

By Thomas S. Warrick

No one should think this crisis is over. Iran’s stepped-up campaign to drive the United States out of Iraq will continue in other ways.

Iraq
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jan 1, 2020

New low in US-Iraq relations: What’s next for 2020

By Abbas Kadhim

The attention on Iraq will shift away from the protesters and the reforms they are calling for to the “more newsworthy” events in the Green Zone and the aftermath of the attack on the US Embassy.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

New Atlanticist

Dec 31, 2019

US strikes in Iraq and Syria: Managing the escalation

By C. Anthony Pfaff

It is a very bad idea to turn Iraq into a battlefield (again). However, it is a worse idea to let Tehran use certain militias to continue to derail Iraq’s recovery, reconciliation, and reconstruction. It is certainly the case that the United States will have to accept a role for Iran in Iraq; however, the Iranians will likewise have to accept a role for the United States. If they do not, then the fault for turning Iraq into a battlefield lies with them.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

New Atlanticist

Dec 29, 2019

Experts react: United States retaliates against Iran-backed forces in Iraq and Syria

By Atlantic Council

The United States launched a series of airstrikes against the Iranian-backed group Kata’ib Hezbollah in Iraq and Syria on December 29, 2019.

Conflict
Iraq

SyriaSource

Dec 24, 2019

The relentless assault on Idlib

By Reema Hibrawi

The relentless airstrikes campaign on Idlib by the Syrian regime and Russia air forces predicted by many analysts, including this author, remains a defining battlefield to the regime in the Syrian conflict, nine years later. Seen as a last opposition stronghold populated by extremists and a millions of civilians and internally displaced people (IDP), Idlib province and its surroundings are a deadly place.

Conflict
Corruption

New Atlanticist

Dec 24, 2019

Saudi failure to convict Saud al-Qahtani is glaring

By Kirsten Fontenrose

For a purported lack of sufficient evidence, Saud al-Qahtani was not even brought to trial. This tells us one of three things: One, Saudi Arabia no longer values its relationship with the United States; two, the US intelligence community sees greater value in monitoring al-Qahtani’s activities than in seeing him imprisoned; or three, the Saudi court system is, impressively, more evidence-based than we knew.

Saudi Arabia

SyriaSource

Dec 24, 2019

Looking back at 2019: Our top five blogs

By Reema Hibrawi

It was an especially bleak year for Syria as displacement across the country continued especially in Idlib province. Below are our top five blogs in 2019 that touched on these important issues that captured the attention of our readers.

Corruption
Political Reform

IranSource

Dec 24, 2019

Japan balances Tehran and Washington

By Sachi Sakanashi

On December 19, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani visited Japan. The two-day visit was the first by an Iranian president since 2000. It also marked the third meeting between Rouhani and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this year. The Tokyo meeting covered an array of issues. The talks ranged from finding a means to utilize Iran’s […]

Iran
Middle East
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