The Urge to Declare Victory, Halt Military Operations, and Wait for the Regime to Collapse Organically Will Grow Exponentially in the Coming Hours
A Father, A War, and The Moment Prediction Became Reality
The Job of a Journalist Is Not to Report the Rumor, but to Get to the Truth
Proxy Militias Whose Creation Predates the Islamic Republic Will Need a Concerted Effort to Combat
Those Who Have Endured the Regime’s Oppressive Policies Must Secure Recognition and the Right to Self-Determination
It Is Clear That the Islamic Republic’s Strategy Will Simply Be to Survive
Reports of Xi Jinping Authorizing the Transfer of ‘Carrier-Killer’ Missiles to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Created an Untenable ‘Ticking Clock’ for the Trump Administration
The Opening Day Showed a Regime Unable to Defend Its Center and Proxies Unable to Change the Trajectory of the War
A New Regional Alignment Against Tehran Has Formed, While Iranian Missiles Were Still in Flight
Doha Converted Gas Revenue Into Global Influence and Marketed Itself as the Supplier That Delivers Even During Turbulence
The First Hours Revealed a Regime Vulnerable at the Center and Unprepared for Sustained War
The ‘Popular Army,’ Led by One Ashraf Al-Mansi, Is Notable for Its Presence in the Northern Part of the Strip
That Overwhelming Edge Doesn’t Mean Success Is a Given
Youseph Yazdi Uses the Johns Hopkins Affiliation to Voice Opinions Unrelated to His Academic Work
Spotlight on War with Iran
The Iranian Navy and Air Force are effectively non-existent. The new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen since the start of the war. Basij checkpoints are being attacked by drones.
But the Islamic Republic is far from finished. The Strait of Hormuz has seen tankers attacked and oil flow is critical. What is the path to an end that is worth the dangers? MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
But the Islamic Republic is far from finished. The Strait of Hormuz has seen tankers attacked and oil flow is critical. What is the path to an end that is worth the dangers? MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
As unrest spreads across Iran, the regime and the opposition both face narrowing choices.
Iran’s Kurdish Armed Groups Remain Too Fragmented, Cautious and Constrained to Shape the War’s Outcome.
Sustained Strikes and the Removal of Senior Islamic Republic Figures Raise Questions About the Regime’s Durability
An Operational Concept for Reopening the Strait of Hormuz Without a Ground Campaign
Classical Strategy and the Path from Air Campaign to Iranian Liberation
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. New alliances are growing in the Eastern Mediterranean, Syrian in-fighting cools down and let’s not forget North Africa.
The turmoil makes predictions perilous, but it also presents opportunities for change. Will the conflict with Iran create the conditions for broader peace and prosperity?
The turmoil makes predictions perilous, but it also presents opportunities for change. Will the conflict with Iran create the conditions for broader peace and prosperity?
Cairo’s Regional Security No Longer Depends on Gulf Symbolism but on Eastern Mediterranean Energy Alignment
Behind Official Merger Language, Kobani Still Operates Under Kurdish Security Control
Iran’s Proxy Strategy Has Expanded Beyond the Levant and Now Threatens North Africa’s Strategic Balance
The Sánchez Regime Has Made Hostility to Jerusalem Its Policy and Israel Should Impose Consequences
When Turkish Networks Move Money, Weapons, People and Narcotics Across Borders, They Export Not Only Violence but Also the Institutional Weaknesses and Culture of Impunity
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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U.S. President Donald Trump Engages in a Double Pander, Giving Both His Pro-Israel and His Islamist Constituencies What They Most Want -
MEF Chief Editor Jim Hanson Explains This Deal Will Almost Certainly Fall Apart -
MEF Chief Editor Jim Hanson Discusses the Possibilities with FOX News -
Daniel Pipes Talks with Capitol Report on NTD
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A Joint Podcast Series by the Middle East Forum and the American Jewish University -
A Joint Podcast Series by the Middle East Forum and the American Jewish University on the Middle East’s Influence on Contemporary America -
A Joint Podcast Series by the Middle East Forum and the American Jewish University -
A Joint Podcast Series by the Middle East Forum and the American Jewish University
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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The Conversation Surrounding Foreign Influence in Education Must Shift From Passive Concern to Active Resistance Before It Is Too Late. -
The ICRC’s Willingness to Sacrifice Its Mission Upon Its Antipathy Toward Jews Is Not a One-Time Occurrence -
U.N. Reports Involving Israel Are Notorious; U.N. Rapporteurs Engage in Base Antisemitism -
Marwan Barghout Is Serving Five Life Sentences, but 20 French Cities Have Granted the Arch-Terrorist Honorary Citizenship
Gaza
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From an Israeli Point of View, the Plan Appears to Offer Much That Israel Has Sought in Its Prosecution of the War, Though Not Without Cost -
Neither the Vatican nor Any Other Diplomatic Entity Can Evaluate Excessiveness or Judge What Is Considered a Military Advantage -
Political and Moral Boundaries in This Conflict Are More Confused than the Narratives the Mainstream Media and Western Activists Present
