Middle East

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

May 4, 2026

Syria needs a trustworthy digital ecosystem to support its revival

By Nadia Farra

Robust digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and cybersecurity are no longer luxuries for high-income nations but fundamental requirements for national stability and economic resilience.

Freedom and Prosperity Inclusive Growth

MENASource

Apr 20, 2026

The Iran war has forced the US-Gulf alliance out of the shadows

By Eric Alter

The Iran war is testing whether the informal strategic system the United States has assembled with its Gulf partners and Israel is strong enough to hold up amid a regional conflict.

Defense Policy Iran

MENASource

Apr 20, 2026

‘They have been exposed’: The Iran war upends Gulf states’ security and business model

By Stefanie Hausheer Ali

The Iran war threatens the sense of security, prosperity, and opportunity that the Gulf states have spent years cultivating as they seek to diversify their economies away from oil.

Critical Infrastructure Policy Geopolitics & Energy 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

MENASource

Dec 4, 2017

Iraq: Managing economic reformation and fighting corruption, with an eye on election

By Harith Hasan

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi recently announced his new war against corruption. In using the term “war,” he intended to convey the difficulty of implementing a productive policy to fight corruption. Abadi hopes to build on his successes in the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the crisis with Kurdistan by turning […]

Economy & Business Iraq

Uncategorized

Dec 4, 2017

Itani Quoted in ABC on Saudi Arabia’s Dangerous Gambit with Lebanon

By Faysal Itani

Middle East Saudi Arabia

Issue Brief

Dec 4, 2017

Iran in Iraq

By Kenneth M. Pollack

Geographic proximity and shared religion, specifically Shia Islam, give Iran deep influence in Iraq, as shown in a new Atlantic Council issue brief entitled  Iran in Iraq, by American Enterprise Institute resident scholar Kenneth M. Pollack. Despite advantages in geography and demography, Pollack argues that Iranian influence in Iraq is not insurmountable. The United States should […]

Iran Iraq

SyriaSource

Dec 1, 2017

HTS Continues to Evolve

By Mona Alami

The arrest, this week, of several prominent jihadists in Syria by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a third and possibly final chapter in the group’s coup against its mother organization al-Qaeda, one that was recognized in a harsh statement by the latter’s leader, Aymen Zawahiri. The controversial move is one way for HTS to finalize […]

Syria

MENASource

Nov 30, 2017

Yemen: National reconciliation without foreign intervention

By Nabeel Khoury

It has become blatantly obvious that the Yemen tragedy will not end unless Riyadh decides to unilaterally cease fire and call for a peace roundtable, preferably in a neutral location such as Muscat or even Geneva. Washington could be a catalyst by prodding Saudi Arabia to put diplomacy first and becoming fully engaged in the […]

Yemen

In the News

Nov 30, 2017

Handjani in Foreign Policy: India and the Iranian-Saudi Divide

By Amir Handjani

Read the full article here.

India Iran

In the News

Nov 30, 2017

Gopalaswamy in Foreign Affairs: India and the Iranian-Saudi Divide

By Bharath Gopalaswamy

Read the full article here.

India Iran

MENASource

Nov 30, 2017

The precarious Kurdish-Israeli relationship, post-Kirkuk

By Caroline Rose

With the Iraqi flag now flying above Kirkurk’s oil fields, a major pivot in the Kurdish-Israeli relationship threatens to isolate the KRG from its limited alliance system. In just four days, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) lost nearly all territory gained by Kurdish Peshmerga 2014 forces against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) […]

Iraq

In the News

Nov 29, 2017

Bechev in Ahval: Endgame in Syria?

By Dimitar Bechev

Read the full article here

Syria

MENASource

Nov 29, 2017

The Re-emergence of Jund al-Islam: A new chapter in the conflict between al-Qaeda and ISIS

By Ahmed Salem

After a more than four-year absence, Jund al-Islam (JAI) has returned to the forefront in Sinai, marking a new chapter in the fierce conflict between al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (Daesh, ISIL, ISIS). The group published an audio recording in which it took credit for an attack targeting ISIS affiliates in Sinai known as Wilayat […]

North Africa Terrorism
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Experts

Fellow

Rachel Whitlark

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense

Defense Policy Israel

Expert

Jon Wilks

Distinguished Fellow, Transatlantic Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Crisis Management

Fellow

Matthew Williams

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoStrategy Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Middle East National Security

Millennium fellow

Mor Yahalom

Senior Advisor, Ministry of Defense, Israel

Millennium Leadership Program

Civil Society Middle East

Fellow

David H. Young

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Afghanistan Conflict

Fellow

Sarah Zaaimi

Nonresident Senior Fellow, North Africa Program

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Crisis Management
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Events

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Geopolitics & Energy Security Iraq Middle East Politics & Diplomacy
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The tenth Global Energy Forum will chart the course for continued innovation, collaboration, and leadership in the global energy transition. 
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