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

Mar 26, 2026

As Iran attacks, the US should provide air defense for Iraqi Kurdistan

By Yerevan Saeed

Washington faces a choice: Continue to defer to Baghdad’s procedural objections while Iran conducts unimpeded strikes on Kurdish territory or acknowledge the strategic reality and take decisive action.

Conflict Crisis Management

MENASource

Mar 25, 2026

Amid the Hormuz crisis, an Iraq-Jordan-Egypt oil pipeline can no longer wait

By Maisoon H. Kafafy

Iraq is hemorrhaging oil revenue. Egypt is absorbing shocks on every front. The infrastructure that could have changed both equations has been forty years in the making. It still doesn’t exist.

Conflict Iraq

MENASource

Mar 24, 2026

The real roadblock to government formation in Iraq isn’t Maliki—it’s Kurdish power politics

By Omar Al-Nidawi

A dispute between Kurdish factions presents a significant structural obstacle to Iraq’s government formation regardless of who is nominated for prime minister.

Democratic Transitions Elections
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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

In the News

May 9, 2023

Charai in Israel Hayom: Jake Sullivan’s moment

By Ahmed Charai

Jake Sullivan was 44 when President Biden named him as national security advisor, making him the youngest American to hold the post in nearly 60 years. He comes not from a college campus with sweeping, untested theories, but rather from Capitol Hill and the State Department with practical experience as a diplomat and policymaker. He […]

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

May 5, 2023

Rich Outzen joins TV7 Israel News to discuss Turkey-Syria normalization
Conflict Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

May 5, 2023

There’s a gendered brain drain in MENA. It’s because women are unrecognized and underestimated.

By Britt Gronemeyer

The feminization of migration flowing out of MENA can be attributed to the limited career opportunities available to women at home.

Middle East North Africa

MENASource

May 3, 2023

Modernizing MENA education: How to close the career success gap

By Nibras Basitkey

The education systems in the MENA region are failing to keep pace with the rapidly evolving labor market, which is increasingly characterized by emerging technologies, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Civil Society Middle East

New Atlanticist

May 3, 2023

It’s broken: The humanitarian response is keeping Syrians in a loop of helplessness

By Arwa Damon

The Atlantic Council's Arwa Damon shares insights from a recent visit to Idlib province in northwestern Syria, where the humanitarian situation remains dire.

Crisis Management Human Rights

IranSource

May 2, 2023

Schoolgirl poisonings are persisting in Iran. So should the international reaction to them.

By Mahnaz Vahdati

The international community must take decisive and expeditious measures to ensure accountability and safeguard the human rights of Iranian citizens, especially women and girls.

Human Rights Iran

New Atlanticist

May 2, 2023

The United States is leaving an economic-statecraft vacuum in the Middle East

By Lesley Chavkin

China is stepping in to fill the void—with ramifications for Washington's global AML/CFT and sanctions efforts.

China Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

MENASource

May 1, 2023

Should history rethink Paul Bremer’s role in the Iraq war?

By Andrew L. Peek

In the pantheon of Iraq war “villains,” perhaps no single official has been blamed for more disaster than Paul Bremer, the Coalition Provisional Authority leader who ruled Iraq for roughly one year.

Iraq Middle East

Event Recap

May 1, 2023

20-Year retrospective: Reflecting on the ‘Mission Accomplished’ speech and its aftermath

By Amna Haider

On the first of May, 2003, six weeks after the US invasion of Iraq, former US President George W. Bush delivered the widely known “Mission Accomplished” speech while aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. On the twentieth anniversary of this speech, the Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative hosted a virtual discussion with distinguished guest speaker General David […]

Conflict Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

Apr 27, 2023

Iranian and Syrian factors shape Israeli response to Russia’s Ukraine invasion

By Joseph Roche

Israel has sought to minimize its involvement in the international response to Vladimir Putin's Ukraine invasion, but deepening military cooperation between Russia and Iran may force a change in the Israeli position.

Conflict Defense Technologies
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Experts

Fellow

Marino Auffant

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoStrategy Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

Executive Leadership Intensive participant

Olivia Azadegan

Senior Energy Manager, Global Methane Hub

Millennium Leadership Program

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

Staff

Khalid Azim

Director, MENA Futures Lab

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Economy & Business Middle East

Executive Leadership Intensive participant

Ilker Baburoglu

CEO, MedTrade Energy & Commodities

Millennium Leadership Program

Africa Economy & Business

Staff

Kiran Baez

Program Assistant

Atlantic Council Turkey Program

Central Asia Geopolitics & Energy Security

Staff

Elise Baker

Senior Staff Lawyer, Strategic Litigation Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Civil Society Extremism
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Events

Online Event Tue, March 31, 2026 • 10:00 am ET

Holding enablers accountable: The Islamic Republic of Iran’s role in Russia’s drone war
Civil Society Conflict Crisis Management Iran
Online Event Tue, April 7, 2026 • 10:00 am ET

US-Turkish defense relations and the upcoming NATO Summit
Defense Industry Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia Geopolitics & Energy Security
Public Event Mon, April 20, 2026 • 2:30 pm ET

The future of Iraq-Syria relations
Iraq Middle East Politics & Diplomacy Syria
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