MENASource

Apr 29, 2025

Why the US must not let Syria slip away

By Luke Wagner

Reconsidering the uneasy US-Syria relationship amid reports that Trump and al-Sharaa will meet during the US president’s Saudi Arabia visit.

Economic Sanctions Middle East

MENASource

Apr 25, 2025

Will Pope Francis’s Middle East legacy endure?

By Karim Mezran

The late Pope’s final address on Easter Sunday was a capstone in a track record of advocacy for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

International Norms Middle East

MENASource

Apr 10, 2025

No, Iran didn’t abandon the Houthis. It just wants Trump to think so. 

By Fatima Abo Alasrar

Instead of interpreting Iran’s narrative shift as a break from the Houthis, we might see it as tactical storytelling. And the story’s working.

Defense Policy Iran

MENASource

Apr 7, 2025

Can Donald Trump “completely annihilate” the Houthis in Yemen?

By Emily Milliken

The Trump administration’s Houthi strategy will require a more nuanced approach that deepens these non-military components.

Defense Policy Middle East

MENASource

Mar 25, 2025

After proxies and nuclear program threats, Iran may turn to terror abroad

By Alex Plitsas

Iran could turn to transnational terrorism as threats mount of Israeli strike on Tehran’s nuclear facilities, after a weakening of its numerous proxies since the Gaza war.

English Iran

MENASource

Mar 19, 2025

Why the United States must bridge the Iraq-Syria divide

By Sarkawt Shamsulddin

With leverage over both capitals, the United States emerges as the linchpin in delicate diplomatic moment between Baghdad and Damascus.

English Iraq

MENASource

Mar 19, 2025

Trump’s military cudgel in Yemen will not achieve US regional objectives

By Jacob Ware and Amir Asmar

Donald Trump risks falling into US pattern of short-sighted military action at the expense of constructing a sustainable plan for Yemen.

Defense Policy Middle East

MENASource

Mar 18, 2025

Landmark SDF-Damascus deal presents opportunity, and uncertainty, for Turkey

By Ömer Özkizilcik

Despite positive signals, critical ambiguities remain in agreement between Syrian President Ahmed Shara and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi.

English Middle East

Podcast

Jan 2, 2025

A mercenary client collapses

By Alia Brahimi

Host Alia Brahimi sits down with acclaimed author and former CIA analyst, David McCloskey, to discuss the spectacular collapse of a major mercenary client in Syria.

Conflict Crisis Management

MENASource

Oct 16, 2024

Vision 2030 has done wonders for women. But there’s still room to enhance their economic roles in Saudi Arabia.

By Beata Polok and Maha Akeel

Saudi Arabia’s progress under Vision 2030 is impressive, but the journey is not yet over.

Civil Society Economy & Business
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Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

The Atlantic Council’s work on social, economic and human development issues in the Middle East honors the legacy of Rafik Hariri and his life’s mission to unlock the human and economic potential of the Arab world.

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