The U.S. May Try to Manage Markets and Tehran’s Internal Calculations, but Shouldn’t Expect Policy Change from the Regime
Riyadh Should Express Its Displeasure by Sending Home All Pakistani Residents and Workers
Tehran’s Rhetoric and Actions Point to a Regime That Sees Escalation as Leverage to Be Exploited
Some in the LGBTQ Movement Have Aligned with Political Coalitions That Excuse or Ignore Abuses Committed by Islamists
The U.S. Must Judge Terrorists by Their Actions and Ideology, Not the Veneer of Respectability with Which They Paint Themselves
Many Countries May Try to Negotiate Arrangements with Tehran, to Avoid an Open-Ended Military Effort to Secure the Waterway
There Is No Example in Modern History of the Complete Destruction of a Regime or of an Organization by the Systematic Assassination of Its Leaders
Radicals Promote Tehran’s Narrative on Britain’s Streets
A Renewed Buffer Zone Strategy Reflects Israel’s Shift Toward Physical Security Over Deterrence
Extremist Literature Advocating Violence Against Jews, Christians Remains on Shelves
Report Documents Governments’ Failure to Confront Mullahs’ ‘Soft Power’
Document First Published in 2022 Sparks Outrage in 2026
The Objective Is Not Control of the Red Sea, but to Disrupt Shipping and Create Economic Pressure That Grants the Houthis Influence
Turkey Offers Capability Without Western Lectures, Prices Below Top-Tier American or Israeli Systems, and Security Cooperation
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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PHILADELPHIA – August 20, 2024 – A member of Maryland’s “Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention” is out of a job. Ayman Nassar, the second Islamist commissioner to get tossed from the hate crimes board within three months, resigned on August 19 amid public outrage over his role in terror-linked organizations and his history of anti-American, antisemitic, and homophobic hate speech.
Nassar has accused Israel of harvesting the organs of living Palestinians and shared posts referring to Gaza as a “Holocaust.” He is chairman of the Aafia Foundation, a “terrorist support group” that seeks to free “Lady Al Qaeda” Aafia Siddiqui and other convicted terrorists from prison. -
PHILADELPHIA – July 31, 2024 – Hours after Israel assassinated two leading figures of designated terrorist organizations, Middle East Forum (MEF) experts took to major media outlets to explain what the killings mean for Israel and the region.
Israeli forces killed Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukur in Beirut on Tuesday, while Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh died Wednesday from an Israeli strike in Tehran. Both men caused the deaths of innocent civilians as well as Israeli and American soldiers.
Writing today for the Wall Street Journal, MEF president Daniel Pipes argued that since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks, Israel has unfortunately followed “two opposite policies” simultaneously: “destroy the organization and make a deal with it.” -
JERUSALEM, July 25, 2024 – In an event sponsored by the Middle East Forum-organized Israel Victory Caucus (IVC) of Israel’s parliament (the Knesset), multiple speakers argued that Israel’s security requires turning the tables on Iran by creating proxies to undermine the Islamic Republic (video).
Participants included Israeli cabinet ministers, members of Knesset (MKs) from both coalition and opposition, senior military figures, family members of the fallen and kidnapped, and other prominent decision makers and opinion shapers.
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$164 Million of Taxpayer Funds Have Gone to Radical Islamist Groups, Including $122 Million to Organizations Aligned with Terrorist Organizations -
A Key Lesson from the IDF’s Collapse on Oct. 7 Is the Shortsightedness of Any Western Military That Invests Heavily in Technology at the Expense of Conventional Armed Forces -
There Has Been a Marked Change in Muslim-Majority Countries—in Keeping with the Rest of the World—Namely ‘A Huge Plunge in Fertility’ -
HTS’s Rise May Constitute the Transformation of a Regional Islamist Movement to “Post-Islamism”
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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They Consider Themselves Humanitarian, Democratic, Compassionate, Liberal, and Peace-Loving, but They Are Just Plain Jew-Haters -
The Most Exorbitant White-Washing Tactics Portray Student Protesters as Wiser and Better at Educating than the Universities Where They Protest -
In Southwestern Baden-Württemberg, a Shi’ite Terrorism Problem Is Spiraling Out of Control and the Threat Is Real -
The Prophet Muhammad Expropriated Jewish Property to Consolidate Power and Build the First Islamic State
Gaza
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The Real Opportunity Lies in Engaging Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Other Arab and Muslim Nations Open to Reconciliation with Israel and the West -
The Broad Framework, Based on past Peace Efforts, Would Grow Trade Relations and Create Joint Security Arrangements -
Hamas Seems Determined to Show That It Controls Events on the Ground -
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Presence at the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit Is a Clear Geopolitical Mistake
