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The latest pieces from MENASource:

MENASource

Aug 25, 2025

Dispatch from Syria’s Christian strongholds: A new government, a full political spectrum

By Gregory Waters

The conditions of Christian communities across the country remain varied, with the opinions of religious and community leaders deeply mixed.

Civil Society Democratic Transitions

MENASource

Aug 22, 2025

What’s needed to unlock the power and promise of IMEC

By Amir Hayek

We must not be afraid to dream, nor forget that achieving a truly transformative economic corridor is within reach.

India Israel

MENASource

Aug 19, 2025

For enduring normalization, Israel must back democracy in Sudan

By Nasredeen Abdulbari

Israel should align itself with Sudan’s genuine pro-democracy civilian forces—not its military elites.

Conflict Crisis Management
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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

U.S. Soldiers with Alpha Company, 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion, 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, operating a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, conduct aviation operations around the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. (U.S. Army photo by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Matthew Bean)

In-Depth Research & Reports

Dec 22, 2020

United States interests and policy choices in the Middle East: We didn’t start the fire…

By Michael S. Bell

In a new report, Dr. Michael S. Bell, a professor at the National Defense University’s Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, defines those interests, highlights major threats to them, and offers recommendations for US policy makers.

Middle East National Security

MENASource

Dec 22, 2020

The quest for water: Will the Abraham Accords change the water landscape for the region?

By Rumaitha Al Busaidi

With the threat of climate change already creating direct consequences for water security and conflict, safeguarding water for the region will prove to not only be a challenging task, but an even more crucial one than during the last multilateral efforts in the 1990s.

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment

In the News

Dec 21, 2020

Ferziger in Foreign Policy: Palestinians place their bets on Biden undoing Trump’s snubs
Democratic Transitions Elections

In the News

Dec 21, 2020

Slavin joined TRT World to discuss the execution of journalist Ruhollah Zam
Iran Middle East

Fast Thinking

Dec 21, 2020

Can Bibi and Biden get along?

By Shalom Lipner and Katherine Wolff

Few world leaders have been as close to Donald Trump as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has pushed policies—from suspected covert attacks against Iran to expanded settlements in the West Bank—that will likely antagonize the US president-elect.

Defense Policy Iran

MENASource

Dec 21, 2020

Global litigation strategies to close the accountability gap on human rights violators in Iran

By Lucy Grathwohl

Gissou Nia and a panel of litigators—Haydee Dijkstal, Amanda Ghahremani, Scott Gilmore—discussed the tools through which the perpetrators of gross human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) can be held accountable in the United States, Europe, and Canada.

Human Rights Middle East

In the News

Dec 21, 2020

Mulder featured in DOD Reads on “Battlegrounds”

By Atlantic Council

On December 21, Forward Defense senior military fellow Lt Col Christopher Mulder’s book review on H.R. McMaster’s “Battlegrounds” was featured in DOD Reads.

China Cybersecurity

MENASource

Dec 18, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden can help end the war in Yemen

By Khaled H. Alyemany

If President-elect Joe Biden commits to putting an end to the war in Yemen, he can prevent Yemen from falling into the hands of warlords and Iran’s proxy network—namely the Houthis and Lebanese Hezbollah—as well as other terrorist groups like al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS.

Middle East Yemen

Arab Spring

Dec 17, 2020

Tunisia’s political landscape a decade after the Jasmine revolution

By Dario Cristiani

As Tunisia approaches the tenth anniversary of its revolution, it faces a pandemic that has induced a historical economic crisis with significant social and political ramifications in the years to come.

Middle East North Africa

New Atlanticist

Dec 16, 2020

The top ten risks and opportunities for 2021

By Mathew Burrows, Robert A. Manning

COVID-19, the kind of “grey swan” event that is predicted but never pinpointed in time, finally came calling in 2020. Drawing on years of foresight experience at the US National Intelligence Council, we are assessing the top 10 risks and opportunities in the new year, for the US in particular, but with global implications.

Africa Coronavirus
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Experts

Millennium fellow

Said El Khoury

Senior Piping Engineer, Consolidated Contractors Company

Millennium Leadership Program

Energy & Environment Middle East

Staff

Alexander Young

Project Assistant

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Defense Industry Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Rza Aliyev

Nonresident Senior Fellow, N7 Initiative

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Azerbaijani Central Asia

Expert

Jon Wilks

Distinguished Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Crisis Management

Fellow

Omer Rafiq

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Hindi

Fellow

Amina Mohamed

Nonresident Senior Fellow, N7 Initiative

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Africa Economy & Business
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Events

Public Event Thu, August 28, 2025 • 9:00 am ET

Understanding IMEC: A pathway to connectivity amid global uncertainty
Economy & Business India International Markets Middle East
Public Event Thu, September 11, 2025 • 12:00 pm ET

US-Iraq security partnership after Operation Inherent Resolve
Iraq Security & Defense