The Emirates Remains a Stabilizing Actor with Strong Ties to Israel, the United States, and Other Key Regional Players
While Oversight Stalls, Tehran-Aligned Networks Continue to Operate in Plain Sight
Explosive Claims Point to Coordinated Pressure Campaign Targeting Wealthy Individuals
When Authoritarian Systems Feel the Pressure of Accumulated Illegitimacy, They Announce Elections
The U.S. And Israel Should Target the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Core Pillar of Repression: The Judiciary
Assad’s Fall Has Stripped Iran of Most of Its Assets in Syria, but Networks Remain and Could Be Leveraged to Open a New Front
The Administration’s Proposed Agreement Would Curtail Tehran’s Ability to Develop a Nuclear Weapon, But Would Not Touch the Real Drivers of Iran’s Power
Islamic State Reframes Gaza Anger to Justify Its Own Cause
Are Al-Sadri ‘Guest Houses’ Recruiting Grounds for Foreign Militia?
Israel’s Campaign Appears Designed to Degrade Iran’s Economic Resilience
Turkey Imports 90 Percent of Its Energy, Making It One of the Most Exposed Economies Among Major Emerging Markets
The U.S.-Israeli Campaign Against Iran Reached Its Five-Week Mark on Saturday, with No Clear Mechanism to End the Conflict in Sight
Alternative Routes Could Take Years to Negotiate and Construct, so the Global Energy System Remains Tied to the Strait
Invokes Social Conservatism to Attract Evangelical Supporters
Inconsistent Messaging Signals Strategic Drift, Emboldening Hardliners in Tehran Who Argue the U.S. Lacks Staying Power
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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Comprehensive Analysis Examines U.S. Military Buildup, Opposition Leadership, and the Case for American Action Following Regime’s Massacres
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A Federal Judge Has Dismissed All Claims Brought by the South Florida Muslim Federation Against the Middle East Forum and Its Allies for the Second Time
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Qatar’s Tentacles Reach Deep into the University to Destroy the Foundations Upon Which It Was Founded
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The Doctrine Would Guarantee Organizational Destruction for any Terror Group That Takes an Israeli Hostage
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The India of 1949 Was ‘Postcolonial, Post-British, Post-Partition, Post-Traumatic’
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Savagery and Hostage-Taking Has Been Used to Reframe the Palestinian Arab-Israeli Conflict and Unleash a Torrent of Antisemitism
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Policymakers May Consider Middle East Islamism in Decline, but They Ignore the Fact That in South Asia and the Far East, Islamism Is in Ascendance
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Radical Islam Has Been Growing in Canada for over a Half Century
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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Spain Runs Colonies Across the Strait of Gibraltar on the Northern Coast of Morocco
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MEF Investigation Exposes How Nexus Project Operates as a ‘Laundromat’ for Anti-Zionist AntisemitismNew Israel Fund-Backed Initiative, Inserted into U.S. Policy, Created Systematic Loopholes to Shield Anti-Israel Actors from Accountability
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Gaza
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A Rare Account From a Gaza Faction Opposing Hamas Rule
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International Forces Historically Fail When They Lack Clear Enforcement Authority
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Framed as Neutral Governance, Gaza’s New Technocratic Committee Masks Hamas’s Ongoing Military Rule
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As the Hostage File Closes, Strategic Pressure on Israel Accelerates
Islam
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European Court Ruling Will Set Precedent on Muslim Nation Vying for European Union Membership
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Pakistani Leaders and Clerics Present the Country’s Nuclear Program as an Issue of National and Islamic Pride
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When Morocco Dominates the Religious Scene, Moderation Follows. When Turkey or Iran Does, Terrorism Is Often the Result.
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Sahwa Activists Have Decentralized and Are Strewn Across Universities, Charities and Cyberspace, Making the Movement Difficult to Uproot
Muslims in the US
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Husham Al-Husainy Was Headed to D.C. Until His Past Caught up with Him
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Leader of Islamic Center Behind Project Has Promoted Hostility Toward Jews, Gays
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Some of America’s Most Controversial Extremist Organizations Are Backing Mamdani, Starting with the Islamic Circle of North America
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Dearborn Mayor Tries to Put Critic in His Place With ‘Islamophobia’ Accusation