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The latest pieces from MENASource:

MENASource

Nov 18, 2025

Peace, pacts, and recognition: Saudi Arabia at the forefront of a new Middle East

By R. Clarke Cooper

Trump and other US officials remain eager to add Saudi Arabia to the Abraham Accords rota and to strike a defense pact.

Middle East
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

MENASource

Nov 18, 2025

The MBS visit to the White House could revive IMEC

By Afaq Hussain

After October 7, the corridor that once symbolized economic integration in the Middle East became a victim of regional instability.

India
Middle East

MENASource

Nov 18, 2025

The Trump-MBS meeting should center on Iran nuclear strategy

By Danny Citrinowicz  

The Saudi crown prince has significant incentive to raise the need to renew Iran nuclear negotiations in his meeting with the US president.

Iran
Middle East
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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

Podcast

Apr 27, 2023

What Russian mercenaries tell us about Russia

By Alia Brahimi

Host and nonresident senior fellow Alia Brahimi speaks with Russian defence analyst Pavel Luzin about what the proliferation of Russian mercenaries abroad tells us about Russia at home.

Conflict
Crisis Management

IranSource

Apr 27, 2023

Tehran’s gold market is a reminder that Iranians have lost confidence in a future with the Islamic Republic

By Ali Dadpay

Iranians do not believe in the ability of the Islamic Republic to bring either economic stability or prosperity as a governing body, which is why they are looking for ways to reduce financial risk.

Economic Sanctions
Economy & Business

In the News

Apr 26, 2023

Charai in The National Interest

By Ahmed Charai

The United States has left a vacuum in Africa and now its rivals have rushed in. It is not too late for America to offer the African continent what it really wants: peace, prosperity, recognition, and democracy. Ahmed Charai is a Moroccan publisher and an Atlantic Council Board Director. He is also an international counselor […]

Democratic Transitions
International Norms

In the News

Apr 25, 2023

Tantardini in Longitude on the geopolitics of energy.

By Atlantic Council

Marco Tantardini discusses how the evolution of energy markets is shaping world politics.

China
Energy Markets & Governance

IranSource

Apr 24, 2023

What the ICJ ruling on the Central Bank of Iran means for the US and the Islamic Republic—and those seeking reparations for state-sponsored atrocities

By Celeste Kmiotek

On March 30, the International Court of Justice issued its final judgment on a case between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States on the fate of “Certain Iranian Assets.” The judgment contains wins and losses for both sides.

Iran
Middle East

New Atlanticist

Apr 21, 2023

Is Saudi-Iran reconciliation threatening the future of Israeli normalization?

By Sarah Zaaimi

The recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran could signal a sea change in Arab-Iranian relations and pose practical hindrances to Arab-Israeli normalization.

Iran
Middle East

IranSource

Apr 21, 2023

Springtime in Iran signals the renewal of an environmental movement

By Shirin Hakim and Karen Makuch

Although there has been a decline in the size and frequency of protests in recent months, the onset of Spring serves as a reminder that the goals of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement are perennial.

Energy & Environment
Iran

MENASource

Apr 21, 2023

How WhatsApp upended Middle East diplomacy—and what the US can learn from it

By Joze Pelayo, Yulia Shalomov

In WhatsApp’s encrypted channels, diplomats feel freer to form and participate in groups where they privately share resources, coordinate meetings, strategize with colleagues, create informal alliances, lobby for their country’s positions, and coordinate policy decisions.

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

Issue Brief

Apr 19, 2023

Holding the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for atrocity crimes

By Celeste Kmiotek, Alana Mitias, Nushin Sarkarati

Under the principle of universal jurisdiction, certain domestic justice systems allow prosecutions in national courts for crimes committed abroad, regardless of the victim’s or perpetrator’s nationality. This manual outlines the universal jurisdiction process in selected European states for those pursuing prosecutions of crimes committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Human Rights
International Norms

MENASource

Apr 17, 2023

Safeguarding the past: The Arab world’s cure to Holocaust amnesia

By El Mehdi Boudra

On the eve of Yom Hashoah, it is no longer considered taboo in the MENA region to promote Holocaust education and genocide prevention. The region’s youth are more receptive to discussing the events of one of the darkest chapters of human history, despite the political, religious, and educational challenges shrouding this historic move that has been praised in some nations in the region and criticized in others.

Civil Society
Education
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Experts

Fellow

Akeel Abbas

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Iraq Initiative Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Human Rights

Fellow

Bachir Ismael Ouedraogo

Nonresident Senior Fellow, N7 Initiative

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Africa Energy & Environment

Fellow

Hany Ghanem

Nonresident senior fellow

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

Americas Arabic

Millennium fellow

Hasan Nabulsi

Communications and Media Manager, Office of the Crown Prince of Jordan

Millennium Leadership Program

Media Middle East

Expert

Gregory Waters

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Democratic Transitions Middle East

Fellow

Andrei Covatariu

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Global Energy Center

Eastern Europe Energy & Environment
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