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

Mar 8, 2014

A Drop of Light in a Sea of Darkness

By Mohammad Tolba

At the end of the second day at a conference in Beirut, I tried to avoid any distressing news as has been my habit for a long time if I want to sleep through the night, nightmare-free. I tried to steer clear of the story of the young hikers lost in a blizzard on St. […]

North Africa

Article

Mar 8, 2014

The False Promise of a Piecemeal Approach to a WMD-Free Middle East

By Bilal Y. Saab

Almost two decades have passed since the Middle East Resolution – agreed by the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – called to rid the region of all weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Yet the Middle East remains a heavily militarised theatre of conflict awash with such capabilities, […]

Israel Middle East

SouthAsiaSource

Mar 7, 2014

This Week in South Asia: March 1 – 7

Commentary from the South Asia Center on the most relevant news from the region, and suggested “must-read” analyses from the week.IndiaAs the current Lok Sabah, India’s lower house of parliament, approaches it end on May 31, The Election Commission of India announced the dates on which the nation’s 814 million voters will go to the […]

Afghanistan India

MENASource

Mar 7, 2014

The Gulf and Geoeconomics

By Mohsin Khan

The sizable financing provided by the Gulf countries, in particular Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Egypt since the popular uprising in 2011 led many observers to conclude that Gulf states have started using their vast resources to shape the region, direct political developments, and mold strategic relationships; in other […]

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Mar 7, 2014

What Mexico Can Teach Tunisia on Electoral Gender Parity

By Cory Siskind and Duncan Pickard

Tunisia’s new constitution tackles a recurring problem in republican politics: disproportionately low representation of women in national assemblies—a fact worth considering today on International Women’s Day.

North Africa

Issue Brief

Mar 7, 2014

Breaking taboos: Youth activism in the Gulf States

By Kristin Diwan

In a new Atlantic Council issue brief, Breaking Taboos: Youth Activism in the Gulf States, Visiting Senior Fellow Kristin Diwan contends that youth activists are bringing new forms of civic engagement and political contestation to the Arab states in the Gulf region.  Evaluating  youth movements in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain, Diwan contends that although […]

Saudi Arabia The Gulf

MENASource

Mar 7, 2014

Dispatch: Libya’s Rome Conference

By Karim Mezran

Libya’s international partners and allies gathered in Rome yesterday in a show of support for the North African country’s transition to democracy since Qaddafi’s ouster in 2011.

Libya

MENASource

Mar 7, 2014

Syria: The Risk Factor

By Frederic C. Hof

Perhaps the single greatest cause of Obama administration paralysis on Syria is the president’s assessment of risks involved in departing significantly from his current policy.

Syria

MENASource

Mar 7, 2014

Dispatch from Cairo’s Courts: The Jazeera Trial

By Bel Trew

It was the moment the Egyptian courtroom had been waiting for: the evidence proving three jailed Al-Jazeera English journalists were involved in terrorist activity. It took almost two hours for the presiding judge Mohamed Nagi to inventory the contents of the hotel room of the “Marriot terror cell”, the nickname given by local media to […]

North Africa

Article

Mar 6, 2014

Empty Tough Talk from US Hawks

By Rajan Menon

You would think it’s self-evident that Ukraine’s current crisis and the controversies sparked before its eruption by Iran’s nuclear program, China’s muscle-flexing against Japan and the Philippines over disputed tiny islands, and Syria’s continuing carnage are distinct—that they have little, if anything, in common. Well, you’d be wrong, at least in the eyes of the […]

China East Asia
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Experts

Millennium fellow

Sharif Abdelrazeq

Sustainability and Innovation Engineer, Consolidated Contractors Company

Millennium Leadership Program

Economy & Business Middle East

Fellow

Nasredeen Abdulbari

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Project for Middle East Integration

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Africa Arabic

Fellow

Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley

Distinguished Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Middle East National Security

Fellow

Ahmed Aboudouh

Former Nonresident Fellow

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

Arabic China

Fellow

Grace Abuhamad

Former Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Digital Policy Internet

Millennium fellow

Ramzi Abunemreh

Architectural Manager, Consolidated Contractors Company

Millennium Leadership Program

Central Asia Economy & Business
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