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

Jun 7, 2019

INSTEX: More about politics than economics?

By Mohsen Tavakol

Ever since the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, the European Union (EU) has emphasized its sovereignty regarding both commercial and political relations with Iran, insisting that it could continue trade under the framework of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Despite that, trade has cratered and a mechanism—the […]

Iran

Event Recap

Jun 6, 2019

Event Recap: Can the United States and China Cooperate in the Middle East?

By David A. Wemer

This recap originally appeared in The New Atlanticist. Watch the video. While the United States and China grapple over trade, intellectual property rights, technology transfer, and geopolitical tensions in East Asia, open competition has not yet extended to the Middle East, a region where Washington remains a major player and Beijing has rapidly expanded its influence.

China Middle East

SyriaSource

Jun 6, 2019

Syria: why it still matters

By Frederic C. Hof

What has happened in Syria—one of history’s most sustained assaults on innocent human life—has not stayed in Syria. The consequences of mass homicide threaten the security of the United States and the entire Western alliance.

Syria
Beirut

MENASource

Jun 6, 2019

The evolution and aspirations of Beirut’s upcoming modern art museum

By Reema Hibrawi

The art industry in the Middle East had historically flourished in the cultural capitals of the region namely Beirut, Baghdad, Damascus, and Cairo. Over the last few decades, the arts lost their foothold in these capitals due to conflict, repression, and ongoing security threats; specifically in Cairo and Damascus.

Middle East

IranSource

Jun 5, 2019

How bank fees can help the Iranian economy

By Maziar Motamedi

Since the 1979 revolution, Iran’s banking system and the government-dependent central bank have not undergone any major reforms. Working in tandem with parliament, the administration of President Hassan Rouhani aims to finally instill much-needed reforms in the ailing Iranian banking system.

Iran

IranSource

Jun 4, 2019

Three decades after Khomeini’s death, his clan rules from the sidelines

By Arash Azizi

“Your smile smells of someone who stays, so stay! Make me a poet again, make me fall in endless love.” These cheesy lines are from a Persian language Instagram post on May 25 by Fatemeh Daneshpajooh dedicated to the 21st birthday of her husband, Ahmad.

Iran

IranSource

Jun 3, 2019

US sanctions are causing medicine shortages, according to Iranians

By Tahereh Hadian-Jazy

The re-imposition of US sanctions since President Donald Trump abandoned the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018 has had a devastating effect on the Iranian economy and has especially impacted the lives of those who struggle to provide medicine for themselves and their families.

Iran

MENASource

May 31, 2019

The Tripoli offensive: How did things escalate?

By Borzou Daragahi

The forces of Libya’s rebel army officer Khalifa Haftar are on the outskirts of Tripoli, the capital of Libya, in his ongoing bid to claim the city. Some of his forces traveled more than 1,000 kilometers from Libya’s eastern towns where Haftar has his stronghold.

Libya

MENASource

May 31, 2019

Deciphering the rhetoric and posturing of US-Iran tensions

By Mona Alami

Since his election, US President Donald Trump has pursued a maximum pressure policy toward Iran, in an attempt to push Tehran back to the negotiating table. Yet, despite increasing US pressure on Iran, tit for tat statements, and subversive operations in the Persian Gulf, Tehran is far from willing to antagonize Washington to the point of no return.

Iran

IranSource

May 31, 2019

How US sanctions hinder Iranians’ access to medicine

By Sina Azodi

The United States has over the past four decades imposed a wide range of economic sanctions to punish Iran for a number of undesired policies. While Trump administration officials continue to insist that food and medicine are exempt from US sanctions, and that sanctions do not hurt the Iranian people, evidence suggests that unilateral sanctions are collectively punishing the Iranian population by denying them adequate and reliable access to medicine.

Iran
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