MENASource

Jun 13, 2019

The decline of MENA students coming to the United States: Why that’s a problem

By Ambassador Richard LeBaron and Sarah Aljishi

Fewer students from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are pursuing university studies in the United States. In its most recent “Open Doors” report, the Institute for International Education measured an 8.7 percent reduction in the number of undergraduates from the region attending US colleges and universities for full-time studies and 5.2 percent decline in graduate students.

Middle East Youth

IranSource

Jun 13, 2019

Iranian society shaken by former mayor’s murder of his wife

By Tahereh Hadian-Jazy

In Iran, as in other societies, citizens wish to see those in high political office as exemplars of positive values and ideals such as virtue, decency and morality.

Iran

MENASource

Jun 12, 2019

Tunisia 2019’s elections: Is it time to negotiate or to rehabilitate democracy?

By Haykel Ben Mahfoudh

In October 2019, an estimated 6.7 million Tunisians will head to the polls to elect their next parliament and the following month elect a new president of the republic. Yet, the gains are significant in terms of consolidating the democratic process that started in 2011. However, five years after the adoption of a progressive constitution in 2014, the democratic transformation of the country reveals that it is still in its early stages.

North Africa

IranSource

Jun 12, 2019

A decade after Iran’s Green Movement, some lessons

By Borzou Daragahi

To those on the ground, the vote result was obviously rigged. The margin of victory by incumbent hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was grossly out of line with previous and subsequent Iranian election results with high turnouts.

Iran

MENASource

Jun 11, 2019

In the face of climate change: Challenges of water scarcity and security in MENA

By Amal A. Kandeel

Renewable freshwater resource constraints constitute one of the most critical challenges to sustainable development and human security in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Climate change is expected to exacerbate this challenge.

Climate Change & Climate Action

IranSource

Jun 11, 2019

Japan’s historic opportunity to play peacemaker between the US and Iran

By Sachi Sakanashi

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will finally make a trip to Iran on June 12. Since becoming prime minister at the end of 2012, every time Abe attempted to visit Tehran, the idea was eventually withdrawn mainly due to US disapproval, according to rumors.

Iran Japan

IranSource

Jun 10, 2019

A non-subversion pact for the Persian Gulf?

By Barbara Slavin

A major complaint of those who rejected the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is that it did nothing to curb Iran’s regional interventions and actually may have spurred them.Iran, these opponents argue, remains a theologically driven hegemon out to subvert Arab states and turn them into states too weak to threaten Tehran. Thus they reject recent proposals […]

Iran Saudi Arabia

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
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
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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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