It Is Hard to Think of an Image That Could Be More Damaging to Israel on the World Stage Right Now
Hardliners Normally Are the Last Men Standing, and Trump Should Grant Their Wish to Fight to the Death
Some Observers Say Trump’s Extended Ceasefire Reflects a Fragile Stalemate in Which neither Side Wants to Resume War nor Compromise
Military Pressure, Economic Contraction, and Industrial Disruption May Push Iran Toward Significant Concessions
The Strait’s Closure Reveals the Dangers of Politicizing Vital Maritime Chokepoints for the Global Trading System
Recovery Will Not Be Simply a Return to the Old Model, Now That Gulf States Are Diversifying Their Energy and Economies
As the Islamic Republic Faces Crisis at Home, It Seeks to Assert Tighter Control over an Increasingly Vocal Iranian Diaspora in the West
Hezbollah Chose to Join the Current Round of Fighting After Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Was Killed
Bishops Back Leftist Government’s Mass Regularization of Mainly Muslim Illegals
Centralized Power and Expanding Capabilities Point Toward a Potential Regional Confrontation
Faces Pressures from the Naval Blockade, Which Affects Its Imports of Essential Goods and Export of Oil
This Year the Silence Had to Reach Further than It Has Ever Reached Before
The Balance Between Clerical Authority and Military Power May No Longer Be What It Once Was
Terrorist Groups Are Poised to Exploit the Prevailing Insecurity Across the Region, Especially in Weak States like Syria
Spotlight on War with Iran
A ceasefire is in effect, somewhat. Negotiations are starting soon in Pakistan about a full deal. There seem to be many obstacles to fulfilling the announced goals of the United States as the Iranians are circulating an entirely different plan.
The Strait of Hormuz was opened and then closed. Israel hit Hezbollah very hard the day after the ceasefire was announced. The future is very uncertain but the bombing has stopped and the talks will begin. MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
The Strait of Hormuz was opened and then closed. Israel hit Hezbollah very hard the day after the ceasefire was announced. The future is very uncertain but the bombing has stopped and the talks will begin. MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
As unrest spreads across Iran, the regime and the opposition both face narrowing choices.
Tehran Appears to Be Moving Toward Conditional Access, While Retaining the Ability to Disrupt Maritime Traffic
The Abrupt Announcement of a Two-Week Ceasefire in the War Between the U.S., Israel, and Iran Resolves None of the Issues Which Caused the Conflict
The Tactical Triumph and Strategic Uncertainty of Operation Epic Fury
While Legal Scholars Seek to Promote and Reinforce International Humanitarian Law, Their Subjectivity and Political Agendas Now Undermine It
The Iranian News Media Have Not Fully Reported the Reverberation of the War on the Iranian Economy
Spotlight on the Middle East
The entire region is affected by the conflict with Iran, but there are many other vital issues being covered by MEF. Political change in Iraq, Corruption in Turkey, and Islamists exerting their influence online and politically.
India and the UAE are deepening ties and tough words from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate to the Pope. The war has caused many problems for security and commerce, but it has also created opportunities. These issues and more are getting the attention of Middle East Forum authors.
India and the UAE are deepening ties and tough words from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate to the Pope. The war has caused many problems for security and commerce, but it has also created opportunities. These issues and more are getting the attention of Middle East Forum authors.
Iraq’s Crisis Is a Problem of Not Only Armed Factions but Also the Political Order That Preserved and Protected Them
Group that Affirmed Hamas’s October 7 Attack Defends Terrorists in India
Experts Warn of Radicalization Persisting at ‘Precariously High Levels’
Vatican Maintains Formal Ties with Top Iranian University Despite Theocratic Regime’s Massacre of Thousands
The Emirates Remains a Stabilizing Actor with Strong Ties to Israel, the United States, and Other Key Regional Players
Explosive Claims Point to Coordinated Pressure Campaign Targeting Wealthy Individuals
Middle East Quarterly - Current Issue
Founded in 1994 by Daniel Pipes, MEQ is the Middle East Forum’s journal intended for both scholars and the educated public. Policymakers, opinion-makers, academics, and journalists write for and read the Quarterly, which is known for exclusive interviews, in-depth historical articles, and book reviews on subjects ranging from archaeology to politics and on countries from Morocco to Iran.
Spring 2026 Volume 33: Number 2
Spring 2026 Volume 33: Number 2
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Legislation Backed by Decades of MEF Research Would Strip Hamas-Aligned Group of Tax-Exempt Status, Block Assets, and Force Dissolution -
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi’s Field Reports on Kurdish Displacement, Minority Rights Are Already Shaping Policy Debate -
Three Policy Frameworks for the United States and Israel on Resistance, Succession, and the Strait of Hormuz -
As the Islamic Republic Cracks, the Iran Freedom Congress in London Races to Build the Framework Tehran Prayed Would Never Exist
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America and Israel Can Win This War on the Condition That They Understand It’s Not One Linear Movement -
Bat Ye’or, Who Introduced the Concept of ‘Dhimmitude,’ Warned That Europe Could Become ‘Eurabia’ -
Although Lebanon Was Considered a Friendly Neighbor When Israel Was Established Some 80 Years Ago, for Nearly 60 Years It Has Been a Threat -
Harakat Ashab Al-Yamin Al-Islamiyah, a Shia Terror Group Claiming to Be Part of the Iranian-Led Axis of Resistance, Attacked Varied Locales in Europe
Middle East Forum Observer
Founded in 2024, the Observer provides rapid analysis on leading Middle East developments, from Marrakech to Mashhad and the Bab el-Mandeb to the Black Sea.
Launched in 2006, Islamist Watch is a project of the Middle East Forum. We work to combat the ideas and institutions of lawful Islamism in the United States and throughout the West. Arguing that “radical Islam is the problem, moderate Islam is the solution,” we seek to expose the Islamist organizations that currently dominate the debate, while identifying and promoting the work of moderate Muslims.
CAMPUS WATCH, a project of the Middle East Forum, reviews and critiques Middle East studies in North America with an aim to improving them. The project mainly addresses five problems: analytical failures, the mixing of politics with scholarship, intolerance of alternative views, apologetics, and the abuse of power over students. Campus Watch fully respects the freedom of speech of those it debates while insisting on its own freedom to comment on their words and deeds.
Antisemitism
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Harvard Seems Unserious About Changing Its Moribund, Antisemitic Culture -
As Iranian-Backed Proxies Stretch Israeli Forces Across Multiple Fronts, Jerusalem Has Lost Its Most Reliable Defender in Brussels -
Conspiracy Theorists Ignore the Facts and Blame Jewish Tourists Rather than Drought or Funding Shortfalls to Fight Fires -
The Death Toll of Christians Massacred on Palm Sunday in Nigeria Rises to 53: Just Background Noise in the Global Media Chaos
Gaza
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An Emerging Militant Alternative to Hamas Speaks Out on War, Governance, and Peace. -
Hezbollah’s Hybrid Model in Lebanon Allows It to Operate Within or Behind Formal State Institutions -
The ‘Popular Army,’ Led by One Ashraf Al-Mansi, Is Notable for Its Presence in the Northern Part of the Strip -
Antisemitic Textbooks Assert the Bible is Distorted and Paint ‘Paul the Jew’ As the Corruptor of Christianity
Islam
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The Clarification Emphasizes That Facilities of Relevance to Tourists Are either Exempt from the Regulations or Will Be Subject to Further Consideration -
Some in the LGBTQ Movement Have Aligned with Political Coalitions That Excuse or Ignore Abuses Committed by Islamists -
For Decades, the Israeli Security Establishment Operated Under a Self-Imposed Psychological Constraint Known Informally as the ‘Ramadan Veto’ -
Religious Labeling Does Not Change Destructive Capacity, but It Changes Perceived Authority
Muslims in the US
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Are Al-Sadri ‘Guest Houses’ Recruiting Grounds for Foreign Militia? -
There Are Two Dominant Views of the Middle East. The Prevailing One Will Determine Whether Western Civilization Survives or Is Eroded from Within -
He Could Have Acknowledged the Danger of Rhetoric Glorifying Violence and Set an Example of Good Governance for Others. Instead, He Doubled Down -
In a Highly Anticipated Move, the Trump Administration Designated Factions of the Global Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Organizations Last Month
