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The latest pieces from MENASource:

MENASource

Apr 29, 2025

Why the US must not let Syria slip away

By Luke Wagner

Reconsidering the uneasy US-Syria relationship amid reports that Trump and al-Sharaa will meet during the US president’s Saudi Arabia visit.

Economic Sanctions Middle East
Scenes of destruction at the UN Blue Line, Southern Lebanon.

MENASource

Apr 29, 2025

Dispatch from the UN Blue Line: Israel’s ‘systematic destruction’ in Lebanon

By Nicholas Blanford

If Hezbollah refuses to disarm, Israel would almost certainly escalate its attacks possibly to the extent of resuming the war in Lebanon.

Iran Israel

MENASource

Apr 28, 2025

Why Israel will resist any US-Iran nuclear deal

By Danny Citrinowicz  

Negotiations between the United States and Iran have displayed a significant divide between Washington and it’s ally Israel.

Iran Israel
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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

Issue Brief

Apr 1, 2025

Rescuing Pakistan’s economy

By Aasim M. Husain

For decades, Pakistan has struggled with a declining standard of living, skyrocketing public debt, and economic policies that have failed to address the root causes of its stagnation.

Economy & Business Middle East

UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2025

Peace on Putin’s terms would lead to a new era of international insecurity

By Oleksandr Merezhko

As Trump seeks to end the war in Ukraine, it is apparent that any peace on Putin’s terms would signal the dawn of a dangerous new era marked by mounting instability, international aggression, and the looming threat of nuclear war, writes Oleksandr Merezhko.

China Conflict

MENASource

Apr 1, 2025

The only viable solution: an independent Syria, not a Turkish protectorate

By Gallia Lindenstrauss

After a risky bet on the Syrian opposition, Turkey is weighing where to place its bets between dueling visions for the new Syria.

Middle East Security & Defense

MENASource

Apr 1, 2025

Israel is making a miscalculation in southern Syria. Here is why.

By Ömer Özkizilcik

Israel’s approach in southern Syria risks deepening sectarian divisions, eroding the Druze community’s standin, and fueling broader instability.

Conflict Defense Policy

MENASource

Mar 31, 2025

Western sanctions against Damascus must evolve—Just as Syria has

By Sinan Hatahet

The US can play a pivotal role in shaping the next chapter of Syria's recovery by shifting its approach from maximum pressure to calibrated influence.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Mar 27, 2025

Our experts separate Signal from noise in the Trump team’s messages about bombing the Houthis

By Atlantic Council experts

The still-unfolding revelations offer perhaps the clearest picture yet of how top officials in the Trump administration are thinking about US foreign policy.

Intelligence Maritime Security

MENASource

Mar 27, 2025

Öcalan’s call for disarmament: A new hope for Kurdish peace

By Hanar Marouf

Complexities of reintegrating PKK fighters, navigating Syrian conflict, and addressing Turkish military activity pose significant hurdles.

Europe & Eurasia Middle East

New Atlanticist

Mar 27, 2025

A US-Saudi deal without Israel? Here’s what the US should ask for.

By Kirsten Fontenrose

Trump could deliver a stronger security agreement with Saudi Arabia that includes the hefty asks from the kingdom without normalization with Israel. But should he?

Defense Policy Economy & Business

MENASource

Mar 25, 2025

After proxies and nuclear program threats, Iran may turn to terror abroad

By Alex Plitsas

Iran could turn to transnational terrorism as threats mount of Israeli strike on Tehran’s nuclear facilities, after a weakening of its numerous proxies since the Gaza war.

English Iran

MENASource

Mar 25, 2025

Dispatch from Bekaa: Inside the sectarian skirmishes on the Syria-Lebanon border

By Nicholas Blanford

Local Shia tribesmen have battled an assortment of Sunni jihadist militias and the new Syrian security forces dominated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

English Lebanon
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Experts

Fellow

Rabah Arezki

Distinguished Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Africa Economy & Business

Fellow

Peter Mandaville

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Civil Society Freedom and Prosperity

Fellow

Andrea Rigoni

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Cybersecurity Digital Policy

Fellow

Elizabeth Shortino

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoEconomics Center

Economy & Business Inclusive Growth

Fellow

Bachir Ismael Ouedraogo

Nonresident Senior Fellow, N7 Initiative

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Africa Energy & Environment

Staff

Kate Springs

Program Assistant, Strategic Litigation Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Human Rights International Norms
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