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 8, 2026

New avenues for Syria-EU cooperation are forming amid conflict in the Middle East

By
Marie Forestier 

The May 11 EU-Syria High-Level Political Dialogue marks a step toward a closer partnership.


Energy & Environment

European Union


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

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

MENASource

Apr 7, 2014

What Yemen’s Youth Got Out of the National Dialogue Conference

By Rafat Al-Akhali

After ten months of extensive negotiations and discussions, Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference (NDC) concluded on the January 21, 2014. It is critical to analyze the NDC outcomes and assess whether it addresses the calls for change that Yemeni youth initiated in 2011.

Yemen

MENASource

Apr 7, 2014

US Rhetoric on Egypt and What it Means

By MENASource

To look at the US-Egyptian relationship is to look at the classic struggle between interests and values in a bilateral relationship with the United States. The relationship pits concerns over human rights and democracy against derived security and strategic advantages.

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 6, 2014

The Week in Egypt [April 6, 2014]

By Daniel Stoker

Catch up on the latest out of Egypt every week, with analysis, news updates, photos, videos, and more.

North Africa

SouthAsiaSource

Apr 4, 2014

This Week in South Asia: March 29 – April 4

Commentary from the South Asia Center on the most relevant news from the region, and suggested “must-read” analyses from the week. IndiaWith the world’s largest democracy set to head to the polls for national elections early next week, its relationship with the world’s oldest democracy took yet another unexpected turn as Nancy Powell, U.S. Ambassador […]

Afghanistan Iran

MENASource

Apr 4, 2014

Wishful Thinking: The Obama Administration’s Rhetoric on Democracy and Human Rights in Egypt

By Amy Hawthorne

By all credible indicators, a democratic Egypt appears more remote than ever, but President Barack Obama’s administration doesn’t seem ready to admit this grim truth.  A review of key statements on Egypt during the past month shows the wishful thinking shaping the discourse as the United States struggles to reconcile its declared support for democracy […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 4, 2014

A Mixed Bag of Human Rights in the Middle East

By EgyptSource

The wave of uprisings in the Middle East in 2011 adopted part of its ethos from a desire for stronger human rights protections and government accountability. The fall of dictators in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen promised a new Arab world in its wake, but political and economic realities quickly quashed the resulting euphoria, replacing […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 4, 2014

The Importance of Local Knowledge in Syria

By Faysal Itani

A US policy that does not account for the attitudes and aspirations of Syrians—both civilians and fighters—cannot achieve its goals of sustainable political transition and countering religious extremism. Yet policy-makers have paid little attention to these local factors, preferring a top-down approach to the conflict that focuses on geopolitical calculation and diplomacy.

Syria

SouthAsiaSource

Apr 3, 2014

This Week in South Asia: March 8 – 14

Commentary from the South Asia Center on the most relevant news from the region, and suggested “must-read” analyses from the week. IndiaA little over 3 months after Devyani Khobragade, India’s Deputy Consul General in New York, was arrested on charges of lying to the United States government to obtain a visa for her housekeeper, a […]

Afghanistan India

SouthAsiaSource

Apr 3, 2014

This Week in South Asia: March 22 – 28

Commentary from the South Asia Center on the most relevant news from the region, and suggested “must-read” analyses from the week. PakistanPakistan seems to have convinced the world community regarding the safety of its nuclear program. This week at the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, US Secretary of the State John Kerry was reported […]

Afghanistan India

MENASource

Apr 3, 2014

Syria’s Economic Glory Days are Gone

By Mohsin Khan and Svetlana Milbert

As the Syrian conflict enters its fourth year, the humanitarian costs continue to rise almost exponentially. The reported death toll from the civil war stands at more than 146,000, with more than 6.5 million displaced persons. Children have not been spared in the process.

Syria
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Experts

Expert

Ingrid Small

Deputy Director, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

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

Middle East Security & Defense

Fellow

Courtney Spivey Urschel

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Human Rights Middle East

Staff

Kate Springs

Former Program Assistant, Strategic Litigation Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Human Rights International Norms

Fellow

Jaime Stansbury

Nonresident fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

Arabic Economy & Business

Fellow

Gareth Stansfield

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Project

Iraq Initiative Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

Afghanistan Iraq

Fellow

Thomas Storch

Distinguished fellow, Project for Middle East Integration

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Economy & Business Energy Markets & Governance
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