International Forces Historically Fail When They Lack Clear Enforcement Authority
Whether Washington Intends to Confront Tehran over the Killings or Demand Guarantees Against Its Repetition Is Unclear
The Kingdom’s Pivot to an Islamist Vision and Its Turn Toward Turkey, Qatar, and Pakistan May Have Been the End Goal All Along
As a Victim of Pakistan-Supported Terrorism and Transnational Islamist Networks, India Has No Reason to Appease the Iranian Regime
Framed as Neutral Governance, Gaza’s New Technocratic Committee Masks Hamas’s Ongoing Military Rule
Erdoğan May Conclude That He Needs to Follow Khamenei’s Lead and Slaughter Tens of Thousands of Dissatisfied Turks
Certain Partnerships Carry Greater Strategic Weight Because of Their Economic, Technological, and Security Significance
A $2.7 Billion Port Deal That Turns Infrastructure Into Armed Power
The West, in Its Universalist Hubris, Imports Incompatible Paradigms, Believing That Liberal Democracy Can Digest Everything, like an Omnivorous Leviathan
Years of State Protection and Legal Impunity Allowed Jihadist Networks to Flourish Inside Turkey
As the Hostage File Closes, Strategic Pressure on Israel Accelerates
Against a Carrier Strike Group, Drone Swarms Function Primarily as Harassment and Posturing Tools
The Gap Between Potential and Performance Does Not Stem from Sanctions Alone
Islamist Orgs Say Nothing While Iranian Protesters Sacrifice Their Lives
No Official Details Have Emerged About Washington’s Minimum Demands If Talks Proceed
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
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.
Gaza
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Hamas Now Stands to Rebuild Its Rule over Gaza, and to Reconstitute Its Hold on the Strip -
Before and after October 7, Israeli authorities have permitted radical Hamas-aligned Western Islamist charities to enter Gaza and work openly with Hamas terror leaders, with some convoys even arriving from the Israeli side of the border. -
The World Often Rewards Those Who Shout the Loudest Rather than Those Who Anchor Their Claims on Solid Ground -
Hamas’s Penetration of UNRWA Means the Terror Group Hijacks Supplies the Aid Organization Says It Delivers
