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The latest pieces from MENASource:


MENASource

Jun 23, 2026

The Middle East’s greatest killer is not what you think

By
Daniel E. Zoughbie

When considering the forces claiming lives across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), minds inevitably turn to warfare and terrorism. Yet the region’s most prolific killer does not carry a weapon. Its methods are salt, sugar, and sitting. The numbers are staggering. Cardiovascular disease kills approximately 1.4 million people in the region every year; […]


Economy & Business


Middle East


MENASource

Jun 11, 2026

The Iran war is a game of liar’s poker

By
Khalid Azim

The central question has not simply been who possesses power, but who is willing to absorb pain, tolerate risk, and continue escalating when conventional logic suggests restraint.


Conflict


Iran


MENASource

Jun 4, 2026

تفتت الفصائل المسلحة العراقية بعد تحول النظام الإيراني من الثيوقراطية الى الجنتوقراطية

By
Munqith Dagher

كيف يؤثر تغيير القيادة في ايران على الميليشيات العراقية؟ د. منقذ داغر يبدو اننا بتنا ، بعد 28 فبراير 2026 ،امام نظام مختلف وظيفياً، بل وحتى هيكلياً عما عرفناه طوال السنوات السبعة وأربعين من عمر النظام الايراني. فقد اتسم نظام الحكم في ايران بنسخته الخمينية الأولى 1979-1989  بأحادية قطبية لا مكان فيها سوى للمرشد الأعلى(الخميني). […]


Arabic


Conflict

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.

Content

Middle East Strategy Task Force

Feb 17, 2016

Madeleine Albright and Stephen Hadley Lead Atlantic Council Delegation to Riyadh

Middle East Strategy Task Force (MEST) Co-Chairs Madeleine K. Albright and Stephen J. Hadley led an Atlantic Council delegation to Riyadh on February 16 and 17 to consult with government officials including His Majesty King Salman, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, and Education Minister Ahmed al-Issa. Albright and Hadley, who were joined by Atlantic Council CEO […]

Saudi Arabia

MENASource

Feb 17, 2016

After the Coming Devaluation of the Egyptian Pound, What Next?

By Mohsin Khan and Elissa Miller

There is consensus both within and outside Egypt that a devaluation of the Egyptian pound is imminent. The question is not if there will be a devaluation, but when. The general view is that it is only a matter of weeks or months before the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) will have to give up […]

Economy & Business North Africa

New Atlanticist

Feb 17, 2016

Iran, Syria, Russia Seen as Top Challenges in the Middle East

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Iran, Syria, and Russia together pose the biggest challenge in the Middle East today, and any notion that there can be an alignment of the interests of Tehran and Washington is unrealistic, three former US officials said at the Atlantic Council on February 16. “We have an Iran-Syria-Russia problem right now in the Middle East,” […]

Iran Iraq

In the News

Feb 17, 2016

Atallah Quoted by Washington Post on Terrorism in North Africa

By Rudolph Atallah

Read the full article here.

North Africa

In the News

Feb 17, 2016

Stein & Itani Quoted by Now Media News on Kurdish Involvement in Syrian Conflict

By Aaron Stein

Read the full article here.

Syria Turkey

SyriaSource

Feb 17, 2016

Top News: February 17, 2016

By SyriaSource

Syria allows humanitarian aid into seven besieged areasUNSC criticizes Turkey’s strikes in northern SyriaRussia and United States to meet on Syria ceasefire this weekAt least 15 civilians dead in Syria coalition air raidsDeputy PM says Turkey wants secure zone 10 km within Syria

Syria

In the News

Feb 17, 2016

Hof Quoted by Los Angeles Times on Sieges in Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

Read the full article here.

Syria

SyriaSource

Feb 17, 2016

What would Capturing al-Shaddadi from ISIS require?

By Mecid Mohamed

The Islamic State (ISIS) controls a city, al-Shaddadi, in the Hasaka province along the Syrian-Iraqi border which links to its territories in Deir Ezzor. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) took control of the town of al-Hawl, in eastern Hasaka near the Syrian-Iraqi border, on November 13, 2015. This opens the way for the SDF to […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Feb 17, 2016

Washington and Moscow: A Secret Handshake?

By Frederic C. Hof

In the midst of a Russian military offensive, a suspended peace conference, and an escalating humanitarian catastrophe, the idea that all of this unfolds in accordance with a secret understanding between Moscow and Washington finds fertile soil in which to take root. It is probably by now an article of faith among most, if not […]

Syria

MENASource

Feb 17, 2016

The Four Real Security Challenges Facing Egypt

By H.A. Hellyer

In the lead up to the fifth anniversary of the January 25th revolutionary uprising, the Egyptian authorities reacted with a number of measures – many of which seem to assess the situation with a certain type of suspicious persistence. Indeed, the Ministry of Interior claimed it thwarted several plots by ‘foreign’ and ‘Brotherhood’ elements – […]

North Africa

Experts