Ideologues Do Not Shed Their Ideology Easily and Will See Compromise as a Weakness to Exploit
Pakistan’s Strategic-Depth Doctrine Assumed Taliban Compliance, Yet Taliban Authorities Resisted Pakistani Pressure
Victory Comes Not Only with Bombs and Missiles, but by Winning Hearts and Minds
If the Strait of Hormuz Remains Blocked for Several More Weeks, Global Oil Prices Could Rise to $120–$150 per Barrel
Damascus’s Plan for Sweida Could Reshape Israel’s Northern Frontier
The Islamic Republic Has Spent Decades and Billions of Dollars on Proxy Groups in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen to Engage Enemies
That Indian Shi’a Hold Extraterritorial Loyalties Towards a Murderous Regime Defies Logic and Reason
Post-Islamic Republic Iran Will Need to Remove the Security Forces from Politics and the Economy
The Azerbaijani Exclave’s Geography Allows Iran to Demonstrate Military Reach While Minimizing the Risk of Direct Confrontation
Many Kurdish Political Movements View a U.S. Partnership as Aligned with the Goal of Democratic Governance, but It Has Risks
Iran Targeted the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait Within Hours, Pointing to a Pre-Planned Regional Operation
A Dispatch from a Sealed Room in Israel on the Necessary, Terrible Cost of Ending the Iranian Regime
The Case for Investing in Iranian Civil Society Alongside Military Replenishment
Another Massive Post-Liberal Adjustment in Which the U.S. Is Sidelining Systems That No Longer Function as They Should
The Longer This Interim Phase Continues, the More It Will Shape the Iran That Emerges After Both the War and Khamenei
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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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 -
As a professor of art history wrote, ‘if history is a battleground, then art is a weapon.’ -
Ben-Gurion Was the Father of the Jewish Army and ‘Founding Father of His Country,’ the Jewish State
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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Hamas Is a Conscious Adherence to Abomination -
The New Policy Was Widely Interpreted as a Direct Warning to Turkish Jewish Citizens Who Enlist in the Israeli Army -
The Conversation Surrounding Foreign Influence in Education Must Shift From Passive Concern to Active Resistance Before It Is Too Late.
Gaza
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Political and Moral Boundaries in This Conflict Are More Confused than the Narratives the Mainstream Media and Western Activists Present -
Statehood Is Not Compensation for Grievance—It Comes by Meeting Legal and Institutional Benchmarks -
A resolution brokered by others, or one that diminishes Egypt’s role as the indispensable mediator, threatens Cairo’s geopolitical influence
