Rather than Pursuing Large-Scale Infrastructure, States Increasingly Rely on Flexible Arrangements Built Around Existing Systems
The Problem Trump Will Face in Isolating Iran and Preventing Trade in Fuel and Weapons Will Not Be in the Persian Gulf, but Rather the Caspian Sea
Renowned Scholar Warns of ‘Impotence’ of Belgian Secret Services
Even When the Vulnerability of Personnel Is Not the Problem, Basing in the Middle East and Turkey Gives Host Countries a de Facto Veto over Missions
The Trump Administration’s Optimism About a ‘New Regime’ in Tehran Might Be a Rushed Judgment
Judicial Leniency and Political Priorities Collide in Istanbul Attack
Pontiff’s Homage at Martyrs Memorial Sparks Controversy over Ethnic Cleansing of Catholic Pieds-Noirs
Barzani’s Language of Refusal No Longer Carries the Coercive Weight It Once Did in Baghdad, or Even in Kurdistan
The Axis Exploits Divisions Among Western Allies, Tests Nonproliferation Norms, and Enjoys Quiet Tolerance from China and Russia
That “No-Go Zones” Exist in Europe Is by Now an Open Secret; The Number Grows Daily
Iran’s 10-Point Plan Reads like the Type of Settlement a Victor Would Impose on a Vanquished Foe
Harvard Seems Unserious About Changing Its Moribund, Antisemitic Culture
As Iranian-Backed Proxies Stretch Israeli Forces Across Multiple Fronts, Jerusalem Has Lost Its Most Reliable Defender in Brussels
U.S. Desperation to Stabilize the Global Economy and the Ceasefire Increased Iran’s Stockpile of Will
Conspiracy Theorists Ignore the Facts and Blame Jewish Tourists Rather than Drought or Funding Shortfalls to Fight Fires
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
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Only When Houthi Leaders Face Personal Consequences for Their Actions Can We Hope to Defeat This Threat -
U.S. Taxpayer Money Was Being Funneled to Organizations with Ties to Hamas, Al-Qaeda and Other Terror Groups -
MEF Executive Director Delivered Blockbuster Testimony to the DOGE Subcommittee -
Moving the Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan Would Be a Massive Undertaking
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Antisemitic Propaganda in the Arab World Continues to Brainwash Tens of Millions of Arabs Who Believe Whatever They Are Told About Jews -
MbS’s Foreign Policy Shifts in the Last Two Years Reveals His Understanding of Realpolitik -
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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Statement before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission On Human Rights in Turkey, June 10, 2025 -
The Boulder Attack Is Part of a Long History of Antisemitic Violence by Immigrant Muslims -
The Isolationists Ignore the Cold Reality That Withdrawing from the World Does Not Keep Rogue, Aggressive Nations at Bay -
Nearly Seven Months Have Elapsed Since an Illegal Immigrant from Mauritania Shot and Wounded a Visibly Orthodox Jewish Man in a Chicago Terror Attack
Gaza
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Gaza Is Collapsing Under the Weight of Its Own Contradictions -
The October 2023 Hamas Attack on Israel Exposed a Fundamental Truth: Hamas’s Control Masked but Never Eliminated Deeper Tribal Loyalties -
Without a Fundamental Shift in Iran’s Policy, the United States Will Struggle to Advance Lasting Arab-Israeli Peace -
Tehran Skips the Gaza Peace Summit, Exposing Deep Fractures Among Leaders as the Economy Crumbles and Sanctions Bite
