MENASource

Jun 20, 2019

Will Iraq have an uprising after sixteen years of political, social, and economic disillusionment?

By Aqeel Abood

Sixteen years have gone by since the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the country is still suffering from major unresolved political, economic, and social issues. Even the most pessimistic people in Iraq did not think that the situation would be this dire.

Iraq

IranSource

Jun 19, 2019

Iran looks to Chabahar and a new transit corridor to survive US sanctions

By Aveek Sen

The Trump administration has exempted the Chabahar port from US sanctions as a gesture toward India, which sees the outpost as a means of facilitating trade with Afghanistan. However, its true potential requires more integration between Iran and among Central Asian states.

Iran

MENASource

Jun 18, 2019

How to counter Iran’s proxies

By Dr. C. Anthony Pfaff

Solutions will emphasize political efforts to continue to isolate Iran from the international community, make dependence on Iranian support less attractive to its proxies, and cultivate partners who can provide the kind of good governance and responsible behavior that serve as a more attractive model than Iran’s divisive practices.

Iran Iraq

IranSource

Jun 18, 2019

Building on past experience, Iran leads the waltz with the US

By Banafsheh Keynoush

During 2013, Iran seized on a rare opportunity to talk directly with the United States for a new round of nuclear negotiations. European countries speaking at the time to Iran to cap its nuclear program asked the US, which had been part of the nuclear talks since 2006, to join in fresh discussions with Iran.

Iran

IranSource

Jun 17, 2019

GCC dispute pushes Iran and Qatar closer but with caveats

By Giorgio Cafiero and Andreas Paraskevopoulos

Despite the recent rise in tensions between the United States and Iran, Qatar is moving closer to its controversial neighbor as a blockade of Qatar by prominent Arab countries appears to have become a permanent feature of the regional geopolitical landscape.

Iran The Gulf

IranSource

Jun 14, 2019

No one wins a war in the Gulf, but Iran would be the biggest loser

By John W. Miller

Despite repeated assertions by regime officials in Tehran and key members of the Trump administration regarding a mutual desire to avoid war, tensions in the region continue to rise.

Iran United States and Canada

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

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.