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The latest pieces from MENASource:

MENASource

May 23, 2025

The Gulf is emerging as Washington’s new strategic anchor

By Joze Pelayo

The so-called US “Golden Age for the Gulf” is one rooted in strategic utility, equal footing, high-stake deals, and fewer strings.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

May 22, 2025

Lebanon’s 1982 war reverberates in Israel’s Syria campaign

By Sinan Hatahet

Israel’s ongoing intervention in Syria appears different from its 1982 invasion of Lebanon—but beneath the surface, parallels are striking.

Israel Lebanon

MENASource

May 21, 2025

Iran’s shadow looms large over the Houthi ceasefire

By Fatima Abo Alasrar and Behnam Ben Taleblu

The Houthis may have suspended their attacks on US vessels, but it’s too soon for another “mission accomplished” in the Middle East.

Iran Maritime Security
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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

New Atlanticist

Oct 12, 2022

Experts react: The hits and misses in Biden’s new National Security Strategy

By Atlantic Council experts

We put the call out to our experts from across the Atlantic Council: Does this document deliver? What does it get right and what’s missing?

Middle East National Security

In the News

Oct 12, 2022

Shapiro in Times of Israel: Creative diplomacy yields wins for Lebanon and bigger wins for Israel

By Atlantic Council

Israel Lebanon

Issue Brief

Oct 12, 2022

Fulfilling the requirements: Israel’s entry into the US Visa Waiver Program

By Ruth Marks Eglash and Scott Lasensky

A little-discussed, yet far-reaching issue on the US-Israel bilateral agenda is Israel’s long-running quest to join the United States’ Visa Waiver Program (VWP). In his first year and a half in office, US President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has elevated the issue, and efforts to achieve Israel’s entry are gaining momentum after remaining stagnant during the Trump presidency.

Israel Middle East

EnergySource

Oct 11, 2022

Riyadh crosses the Rubicon toward Russia

By David L. Goldwyn, Andrea Clabough

OPEC+ ministers' decision to slash oil production will boost Russia's revenues and aid Putin's war effort tremendously. It could signify a marked realignment of Saudi Arabia's strategic priorities away from Washington.

Energy & Environment Geopolitics & Energy Security

empowerME Conversations

Oct 11, 2022

Economies in Transition: Middle East

By Atlantic Council

In Season 3, Episode 4 of empowerME Conversations podcast, host and Atlantic Council empowerME Chairman Amjad Ahmad speaks with International Monetary Fund's Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department Jihad Azour and guest co-host Atlantic Council's empowerME Director Racha Helwa to discuss the economy and market opportunities of the MENA region, women and youth empowerment, and the development of differing entrepreneurial ecosystems within the region.

Economy & Business Middle East

In the News

Oct 10, 2022

Wald quoted in NPR on NOPEC bill
Middle East Oil and Gas

In the News

Oct 7, 2022

Wald quoted in CNN on the OPEC+ oil cut
Energy & Environment Middle East
Footage shows the aftermath of the morning shelling in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Thursday Oct 6, 2022. 7 missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia! Destroyed residential buildings, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Rescue workers are now combing through the shattered remains of one elegant five-storey apartment building. Zaporizhzhia regional head Oleksandr Starukh said one woman was killed. Another seven people, including a three-year-old child, were injured. The Ukrainian-held city is the capital of the eponymous Zaporizhzhia region, which Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week declared annexed, along with three other Ukrainian regions - Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, and Kherson in the south. Ukraine and its Western allies condemned the move. Moscow does not fully control any of the four regions, and in recent weeks Ukrainian troops have made significant advances in the the country's north-east and south. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine via EYEPRESS)

New Atlanticist

Oct 7, 2022

Russian War Report: Ukraine recaptures territory as Russia uses Iranian drone near Kyiv

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Russia has began its use of Iranian-made drones to try and slow the Ukrainian counter-offensive, a mass grave found near Lyman, and Russian Telegram praises the "pro-Russia" coup in Burkina Faso.

Conflict Disinformation

Report

Oct 7, 2022

How the Ukraine war has affected the MENA region’s pursuit of governance reforms

By Alissa Pavia and Lorenzo Fruganti

The geopolitical transformations of the last decade, combined with knock-on effects of the war in Ukraine, are impacting Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries’ respective domestic efforts to implement socioeconomic reforms.

Middle East North Africa

Report

Oct 7, 2022

Tunisia: The populist drift of Saied and the looming socioeconomic crisis

By Alessia Melcangi

Even before the conflict in Ukraine, the liberal state model looked much less attractive for the broader Middle East region than it had only a decade earlier, at the height of the Arab Spring.

Middle East North Africa
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Experts

Fellow

Peter Mandaville

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Civil Society Freedom and Prosperity

Fellow

Tom Mancinelli

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoStrategy Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Fellow

Andrea Rigoni

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Cybersecurity Digital Policy

Staff

Allison Minor

Director, N7 Research Institute

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Conflict

Fellow

Elizabeth Shortino

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoEconomics Center

Economy & Business Inclusive Growth

Fellow

Christopher Aw

Nonresident Senior Fellow, N7 Initiative

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Economy & Business Intelligence
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Events

Flagship Event Tue, June 17, 2025 • 9:00 am ET

2025 Global Energy Forum

The ninth Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum will be held June 17 and 18 in Washington, DC.
Africa Americas Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment