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MENASource

Sep 19, 2025

How Israel’s strike on Doha is forcing a Gulf security reckoning

By
Giorgio Cafiero

The Gulf monarchies have displayed strong unity at a time when rethinking twenty-first-century Gulf security is no longer optional.

Israel
Middle East


MENASource

Sep 19, 2025

Snapback sanctions threaten to further derail Iran nuclear deal hopes

By
Rob Macaire

Now would be the best time for the West to negotiate a deal with Iran—but snapback sanctions threaten a derailing into further confrontation.

Economic Sanctions
Iran


MENASource

Sep 18, 2025

Libya’s stalled transition: When domestic spoilers meet foreign interests

By
Luis Aleman and Karim Mezran

Libya’s stalled transition has not happened by chance; it has been deliberately engineered into paralysis by both domestic spoilers and foreign powers.

Libya
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

In the News

Apr 4, 2019

Wald Joins Bloomberg to Discuss Saudi Aramco’s Profit

By Ellen Wald

Watch the full discussion here

Saudi Arabia

SyriaSource

Apr 4, 2019

The institutionalization of demographic change in Syria

By Hasan Arfeh

Mass displacement is not merely a consequence of the war, but rather a specific goal of the regime and its allies’ strategy to regain control of the country. The regime carried out widespread forced displacement in Homs, Damascus, Aleppo and the nearby countryside to effect demographic change.

Syria

In the News

Apr 4, 2019

El-Gamal Joins TRT World to Discuss Whether It is Safe for Syrian Refugees to Return Home

By Jasmine El- Gamal

Watch the full discussion here

Syria

IranSource

Apr 4, 2019

Which biblical Iranian character are you?

By Thamar E. Gindin

Those of us who use social media as a means of procrastination are familiar with the “Which… Are You?” tests. These quizzes are obviously not exact.

Iran

IranSource

Apr 2, 2019

Sanctions propel Iran in the global race for terminator-like AI

By Mahmoud Pargoo

While US-reimposed sanctions have severely damaged the Iranian economy, one sector is still thriving: emerging technologies. The latest success story is the Artificial Intelligence-powered navigation app BALAD which hit a record 1.2 million downloads within a few days of its launch in March.

Iran

In the News

Apr 2, 2019

Slavin in The Interpreter: A Year After US Withdrawal From the Nuclear Deal, Iran Digs In

By Barbara Slavin

Read the full article here

Iran

In the News

Apr 1, 2019

Lipner in Haaretz: Sick of Dogmatic, Trump-loving pro-Israel Partisans? You Should Join AIPAC
Israel Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Apr 1, 2019

Wald Joins Bloomberg to Discuss Saudi Royal Family Demands and Its Risks For Investors

By Ellen Wald

Listen to the full discussion here

Saudi Arabia

SyriaSource

Apr 1, 2019

The potential loss of refugee status for Palestinian-Syrians in Afrin

By Musaab Balchi

A new documentation system in the Turkish-administrated region in northern Aleppo designed for security and administrative purposes seems to ignore the legal status of local residents; many of which are internally displaced peoples (IDP)s that are Syrian or Palestinian. The system raises concerns from displaced Palestinian refugees about their internationally recognized legal refugee status and their ability to preserve their Palestinian identity within the larger Syrian population.

Syria

IranSource

Apr 1, 2019

Iran-North Korea relationship reflects failed US policies

By Mintaro Oba

Before he was Iran’s Supreme Leader, then-President Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visited North Korea in 1989—a trip that included a ride on the Pyongyang subway and a motorcade ride past throngs of cheering North Koreans. It was intended to send a strong message: North Korea and Iran, driven by mutual enmity toward the United States, were becoming close friends.

Iran Korea
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Experts

Fellow

Andrew G. Farrand

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Civil Society

Staff

Manal Fatima

Assistant Director, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Defense Technologies Middle East

Staff

Jonah Fisher

Senior Director

Millennium Leadership Program

Arabic Central Europe

Fellow

Jonathan Fulton

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

China Chinese

Fellow

Tuvia Gering

Nonresident Fellow

Global China Hub

China Disinformation

Fellow

Michelle S. Giuda

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Freedom and Prosperity Politics & Diplomacy
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