Middle East

Middle East

Stretching from the Western Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, the Middle East continues to be a region struggling with violent conflict, political repression, and poor development. Numerous pro-democracy protest movements, a burgeoning youth population, and efforts to reform governments and lessen economic dependence on oil, however, are causes for optimism. The United States and the international community must remain engaged with the region to provide support for these positive moves and to address the many remaining challenges.

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The latest pieces from MENASource:


MENASource

May 7, 2026

Egypt’s bet on land monetization

By
Amir Asmar

There’s little doubt that Egypt's land development efforts will have measurable economic benefits, but they are unlikely, by themselves, to put the country’s economy on a solid footing.


North & West Africa


MENASource

May 5, 2026

Dispatch from Beirut: Israel-Hezbollah talks risk falling into a failed, decades-long pattern

By
Nicholas Blanford

As the war with Israel revives Hezbollah and divides Lebanon, the ongoing negotiations echo failed 1983 talks.


Conflict

Israel


MENASource

May 4, 2026

Syria needs a trustworthy digital ecosystem to support its revival

By
Nadia Farra

Robust digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and cybersecurity are no longer luxuries for high-income nations but fundamental requirements for national stability and economic resilience.


Freedom and Prosperity

Inclusive Growth

READ More from MENASOURCE

Through our Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, 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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Content

Event Recap

Sep 12, 2014

Despite Detours and Reservations, Egypt Navigating Transition Reasonably Well

By The Atlantic Council

Despite political detours and reservations, Egypt is moving forward and navigating its transition reasonably well, said Ahmed Galal, former Minister of Finance for Egypt and managing director of the Economic Research Forum. Galal was speaking at a Hariri Center public discussion, “Tackling Egypt’s Economic Dilemma” on September 10, 2014. Atlantic Council Vice President and Hariri […]

North Africa

In the News

Sep 12, 2014

Ricciardone on Turkish Role in Syria: We Had to “Agree to Disagree”

By Francis Ricciardone

Reuters quotes VP and Rafik Hariri Center Director Francis Ricciardone on Turkish support of extremist organizations in Syria: 

Syria Turkey

MENASource

Sep 12, 2014

Egypt’s Authorities Re-engineer the Public Space

The January 25 revolution brought Egypt nothing more than trouble and turmoil, bringing Egypt to the brink of civil war and collapse–or so the thinking goes among the firmly entrenched authoritarian mindset controlling the country.

North Africa

In the News

Sep 12, 2014

Hof: We Can’t Destroy ISIS Without Destroying Assad First

By Frederic C. Hof

Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic Hof writes for the New Republic on why President Obama’s strategy for combating the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham will be incomplete as long as it is not accompanied by more robust measures aimed at the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power:

Syria

New Atlanticist

Sep 11, 2014

Obama’s ISIS Strategy Likely to Put 5,000 US Troops Around Iraq Within 90 Days, Former CIA Chief Says

By Alex Ward and Liz Harper

Hayden: Plan Is a Step Forward, But US Should Know ‘We Are Putting Americans in Harm’s Way’ President Barack Obama’s new strategy for confronting the explosive growth of the ISIS militant movement in Iraq and Syria puts the United States “in a better place than we have been,” said General Michael Hayden, Atlantic Council board […]

Iraq Syria

Article

Sep 11, 2014

Column: Coalition Against Islamic State Must Include Iran

By Barbara Slavin

President Barack Obama is right to focus on the responsibility of the Sunni Muslim world to attack and expunge the cancer that is the militant group calling itself the Islamic State (IS). The group’s perversion of Islam in the service of its barbaric goals needs to be confronted first and foremost by those for whom […]

Iraq Saudi Arabia

Article

Sep 11, 2014

“Obama’s battle plan”

By Nicholas Burns

Obama’s foreign policy needs conviction of leadership IT’S NO secret that President Obama has had a troubled year in foreign policy. Critics from left, right, and center have lamented a global strategy lacking in toughness, strategic direction, and results. During the past few months, many of America’s closest friends have openly worried about America’s leadership […]

Iraq NATO

MENASource

Sep 11, 2014

The Ongoing Campaign to Restrict Egypt’s Public Space

By Sarah El Sirgany

Today, all TV journalists working in Egypt know that tasreeh—a monthly-renewable permit issued by the interior ministry for accredited journalists to film on the streets—is back. In the wake of the January 25 Revolution, it had disappeared from the bureaucracy, but now police are once again preventing journalists from filming without permission. While some, myself […]

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Sep 11, 2014

Obama’s ISIS Strategy: Is It Enough?

By The Atlantic Council

Following President Obama’s September 10 speech outlining the US strategy to “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS, the Atlantic Council held a conference call to assess the president’s plan. Listen to the audio below for expert analysis from Michael V. Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency, former CIA director, and Atlantic Council board director; […]

Iraq Middle East

MENASource

Sep 11, 2014

Expert Reactions to President Obama’s Speech on ISIS

President Barack Obama has faced tremendous pressure to respond to the stunning growth of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS, ISIL, or Islamic State). The group’s videos, showing the beheading of two American journalists, brought the conflict to bear directly on the United States in a way that captured domestic attention as never […]

Iraq Syria
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Experts

Staff

Matthew Kroenig

Vice President, Geostrategy and Fellows and Senior Director, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

China Defense Policy

Millennium fellow

Mayowa Kuyoro

Partner, McKinsey & Company

Millennium Leadership Program

Economy & Business Middle East

Staff

Andrew L. Peek

Director

Adrienne Arsht National Security Resilience Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Europe & Eurasia Intelligence

Fellow

Keir Lieber

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

China Defense Policy

Fellow

Shalom Lipner

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Crisis Management English

Fellow

Linda Lourie

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Artificial Intelligence Australia
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Events

Public Event Wed, May 13, 2026 • 9:00 am ET

The 2026 Iraq Dialogue
Geopolitics & Energy Security Iraq Middle East Politics & Diplomacy
Flagship Event Tue, June 9, 2026 • 9:00 am ET

2026 Global Energy Forum

The tenth Global Energy Forum will chart the course for continued innovation, collaboration, and leadership in the global energy transition. 
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