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.

Learn more

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

May 13, 2019

On Iran, Europeans caught between multilateral and transatlantic realities

By Tarja Cronberg

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on May 8 that Iran may reduce its compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) if the non-US parties to the deal don’t find a way to provide Tehran with promised economic benefits.

Iran

MENASource

May 9, 2019

Xi Jinping’s promise of an open BRI bodes well for Chinese-Gulf relations

By Dan Katz

Promises made by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the biennial Belt and Road Forum about opening the Belt and Road Initiative to multilateral and third-party investment could bode well for Gulf-China relations and the Middle East more broadly by creating new opportunities for energy and economic cooperation.

China International Organizations

SyriaSource

May 9, 2019

Constant attacks continue to displace thousands in Syria

By Rana Riziq

The Syrian government along with its Russian allies launched a brutal assault on Idlib province, the last rebel-held areas, on Monday 30 April. The United Nations said the attacks included the worst use of barrel bombs by the Syrian army in 15 months. It said an estimated 323,000 people have been displaced in northwest Syria since last year.

Syria

MENASource

May 9, 2019

Can there be a peaceful solution for Libya’s conflict?

By Mustafa A.G. Abushagur

If the international community continues to stay on the sidelines, watching and allowing Haftar’s international allies to continue providing him with support, this war will continue with no foreseeable end and at a heavy price

Libya

IranSource

May 9, 2019

Former state broadcaster head does tell-all interview about the IRGC

By Maysam Behravesh

While growing US-led pressure on Iran is helping unify the Iranian polity around the flag of nationalism, it is also exposing fault lines among the ruling elite as they search for the key causes of the Islamic Republic’s failures forty years after its birth.

Iran

SyriaSource

May 8, 2019

Why Europe won’t rebuild Syria

By Eugenio Dacrema

Since the fall of 2018, we have seen increasing signals of disagreement among European Union (EU) member states regarding Syria.

Syria

IranSource

May 8, 2019

Iran withdraws from certain aspects of the nuclear agreement

By Holly Dagres

A year after the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and six months after it re-imposed sanctions, Iran has said it would reduce its compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement in sixty days unless the remaining parties take concrete steps to continue trade with Iran.

Iran

Event Recap

May 7, 2019

Private Roundtable on Iraq with DASD Mick Mulroy

By Atlantic Council

On May 7, the Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative hosted US Department of Defense Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Michael “Mick” Mulroy for a private, off-the-record discussion on Iraq. Atlantic Council Middle East Programs Director and Rafik Hariri Center Director William F. Wechsler moderated the conversation.

MENASource

May 7, 2019

Why the MENA region needs to better prepare for climate change

By Mahmoud Abouelnaga

Due to their strategic locations, countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have been hotspots for exploration and exploitation of energy resources—especially oil and gas—for decades. Yet, the Mediterranean climate is proven to be just as volatile as its security issues.

Climate Change & Climate Action

MENASource

May 6, 2019

Risking it all: The Palestinian Authority faces mounting challenges

By Grace Wermenbol

The appointment of Mohammed Shtayyeh as head of a new Palestinian government on March 10 constitutes an overt attempt to consolidate Fatah’s dominance in the Palestinian political arena and, in the process, delegitimize rival party Hamas. Shtayyeh’s installation as prime minister, however, does not just further complicate reconciliation attempts between the two feuding political parties. Heightened tensions with Israel’s overtly right-wing government and economic hardship in the West Bank mean that Shtayyeh faces an almost impossible task.

Israel Middle East
Load More