Once States Disrupt a Major Maritime Chokepoint, Adjacent Corridors Absorb Both Traffic and Strategic Attention
A Coalition of Interests, Ideology, and Power Appears to Have Brought Ahmad Vahidi and Mohammad Ali Jafari Together
Instead of Attacking Jews by Name, The Arab American News Condemns Zionists
The Joint U.S.-Israel Attacks Against Iran in 2025 and 2026 Have Exposed Some of the Most Egregious Pro-Iran Academics to the General Public
Police Had Been Tracking ISIS Propagandist Who Shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’
An Envoy Could Provide Washington with Facts on the Ground to Calibrate Policy to Reality
Egypt Is Deploying Forces to Defend Gulf States but Refuses Open Integration with a U.S.-Israel Regional Defense Network
Military Officials May Believe the Civilian Governing Structure Is Too Fragmented and Indecisive to Manage the Country
President Emmanuel Macron’s Answer to the Wreckage of Françafrique Is a Pivot: Southward to Egypt and Eastward Into Anglophone Africa
An Exclusive Ground Report with Photos
For Years, the Ibrahim Khalil Border Crossing Between Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey Was a Testament to the Region’s Strategic Importance
Turkey Established a Military Base in a Neighborhood Called Jabal Aqil. Despite the Fall of the Assad Regime, This Base Has Not Been Removed
There Is Only One Sure Way to Prevent the Coming Bloodbath: End the Regime, Not Fund It
The U.N. Has Spent over a Decade in Libya Doing One Thing Consistently: Failing
Hezbollah Has Weaponized Segments of Northern Israel’s Criminal Underworld, Converting It Into an Instrument of Iranian Hybrid Warfare
Spotlight on a Deal with Iran
There have been many claims of an imminent deal between the United States and Iran recently. No deal has emerged and many versions have been floated as both sides jockey for an advantage in negotiations. The regime seems as recalcitrant as ever.
The most recent version on May 28th is purported to simply be awaiting signatures from the leaders of both countries. Is there a deal to be made that is worth doing or is the regime simply too much of an impediment to the security in the region? MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
The most recent version on May 28th is purported to simply be awaiting signatures from the leaders of both countries. Is there a deal to be made that is worth doing or is the regime simply too much of an impediment to the security in the region? MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
As unrest spreads across Iran, the regime and the opposition both face narrowing choices.
Military Officials May Believe the Civilian Governing Structure Is Too Fragmented and Indecisive to Manage the Country
Why the Newly Revealed American-Israeli Plan Never Stood a Chance
Once Trump Has a Credible Partner, He Should Dictate the Terms
Iran’s Competing Power Centers Are Shaping Negotiations, Escalation Risks, and Regional Strategic Decisions
Spotlight on the Gulf States
The combined US and Israeli war against Iran also drew in a number of the Gulf States. Iran’s decision to attack them immediately after Operation Epic Fury began was meant to split them away. In perhaps the most fatal mistake for its survival, it ended up bringing them closer and creating a counter-Iran alliance.
The Abraham Accords are back under discussion and an idea of what type of power structure will replace Iran and its proxies has begin to emerge. That must survive the usual rivalries between the Gulf States themselves, but it seems to be a positive development.
The Abraham Accords are back under discussion and an idea of what type of power structure will replace Iran and its proxies has begin to emerge. That must survive the usual rivalries between the Gulf States themselves, but it seems to be a positive development.
Iran’s Broader Objective Appears to Be the Gradual Decoupling of Arab Oil Producers of the Persian Gulf from the U.S. Security Umbrella
A Consequential Fault Line in the Middle East Runs Not Just Between Riyadh and Tehran but Between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi
How a Coordinated International Campaign Is Targeting the United Arab Emirates
The Pipeline Would Cost Billions of Dollars, Take Years to Build, and Would Cross Multiple Jurisdictions, Not All of Them Reliable
The Decision Sends a Signal That National Priorities Now Outweigh Collective Discipline
Recovery Will Not Be Simply a Return to the Old Model, Now That Gulf States Are Diversifying Their Energy and Economies
Middle East Quarterly - Summer 2026
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.
Summer 2026 Volume 33: Number 3
Summer 2026 Volume 33: Number 3
How Fighters from the 13th Division of the SS Handschar Came to Fight Against Israeli Independence
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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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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 -
There Are Two Dominant Views of the Middle East. The Prevailing One Will Determine Whether Western Civilization Survives or Is Eroded from Within -
The Draft of a New Palestinian Constitution Has Weaponized the Entire Idea of a Constitution
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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Green Party Deputy Blames Rising Food Prices for Antisemitism -
The Alliance Is Resilient, but a Weakened One Would Reduce U.S. Influence and Create Opportunities for Competitors -
International Humanitarian Law Prohibits Targeted Attacks on Civilians and Attacks That Cannot Distinguish Between Civilian and Military Targets -
To Preserve the Alliance, Policymakers Must Demonstrate Its Importance and Counter Wildly False Accusations About Israel
Gaza
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Despite Ceasefires Across Three Fronts, All Sides Are Preparing for Renewed Combat -
Hamas Has Poured Financial Support Into Two Recent Flotillas Through Its European Networks -
Anniversary Rhetoric Masks Economic Collapse and Strategic Drift -
An Emerging Militant Alternative to Hamas Speaks Out on War, Governance, and Peace.
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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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 -
The West, in Its Universalist Hubris, Imports Incompatible Paradigms, Believing That Liberal Democracy Can Digest Everything, like an Omnivorous Leviathan
