Washington’s Strategic Dependence on Cairo Has Turned IMF Reform Into Political Theater
Judges Prosecute Multiple Women for Taking Children to War Zone
The U.S. and Israel Need a Concerted Strategy of Support for Both External and Internal Pressure on the Regime, with the Intention of Bringing It Down
A Cross-Spectrum Coalition Backs Rep. Chip Roy’s H.R. 8236, Citing Condemnation of CAIR That Runs from Republican Governors to Democratic Attorneys General
What Methodology Led to the Decision to Place Israel on the Same Blacklist as Hamas and the Islamic State?
A Turkish Court Dropped Terrorism Charges Despite Allegations of ISIS Financing, Recruitment, Weapons Possession, and Jihadist Propaganda
Jerusalem Has Made Clear That Tehran’s Insistence on Linking Any Deal to a Ceasefire in Lebanon Will Not Constrain Its Response to Hezbollah Attacks
The Middle East Forum Stands by Its Mission and Will Not Be Intimidated
Iran May Believe That Escalation Can Alter the Strategic Equation, Increase Pressure on Washington, and Secure Concessions
Washington Utilized the Language of Mogadishu and Ankara, Not That of a Government That Takes Red Sea Security Seriously
With Spain’s Government Collapsing Under Documented Corruption, Prosecutors Need the Relevant Intelligence
European Armed Forces Are in the Midst of a Generational Modernization Push, and Israeli Defense Technology Sits at the Center of What They Need Most Urgently
This Is Not the Ceding of Iran’s ‘Deep State’ Within the Iraqi System, but Rather Its Adjustment and Consolidation
Burhan’s Government in Port Sudan Has Paralyzed Efforts Toward a Humanitarian Ceasefire, While Escalating Violence
An Interview with Issam Ibrahim, a Political and Civil Society Activist of the Jabal Al-Summaq Village of Qalb Lawze
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.
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.
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
  1. Letter to HHS Secretary Justifies MEF Campaign to Blacklist Terror-Aligned Groups
  2. Flagship Research Series Documents Blasphemy Laws, Forced Labor, and Social Segregation Targeting 3.3 Million Pakistani Christians
  3. Legislation Backed by Decades of MEF Research Would Strip Hamas-Aligned Group of Tax-Exempt Status, Block Assets, and Force Dissolution
  4. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi’s Field Reports on Kurdish Displacement, Minority Rights Are Already Shaping Policy Debate
  1. America and Israel Can Win This War on the Condition That They Understand It’s Not One Linear Movement
  2. Bat Ye’or, Who Introduced the Concept of ‘Dhimmitude,’ Warned That Europe Could Become ‘Eurabia’
  3. Although Lebanon Was Considered a Friendly Neighbor When Israel Was Established Some 80 Years Ago, for Nearly 60 Years It Has Been a Threat
  4. 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
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
  1. Israel Could Indulge in a Sociological Experiment: Open the Ports and Gates, Transfer the Volunteers Onto the Beach of Gaza City, and Watch
  2. The Watermelon’s Colors Signify the Palestinian Flag and Radical Ideologies United by Antisemitism and Israel’s Elimination
  3. The Emerging Evidence Suggests That This Organization Is a Front for Elements Operating on Behalf of the Iranian Regime
  4. Green Party Deputy Blames Rising Food Prices for Antisemitism
Gaza
  1. Jerusalem Should Deliver the Self-Described Human Rights Activists and Their Symbolic Aid to a State with Far Greater Crises
  2. Despite Ceasefires Across Three Fronts, All Sides Are Preparing for Renewed Combat
  3. Hamas Has Poured Financial Support Into Two Recent Flotillas Through Its European Networks
  4. Anniversary Rhetoric Masks Economic Collapse and Strategic Drift
Islam
  1. The Clarification Emphasizes That Facilities of Relevance to Tourists Are either Exempt from the Regulations or Will Be Subject to Further Consideration
  2. Some in the LGBTQ Movement Have Aligned with Political Coalitions That Excuse or Ignore Abuses Committed by Islamists
  3. For Decades, the Israeli Security Establishment Operated Under a Self-Imposed Psychological Constraint Known Informally as the ‘Ramadan Veto’
  4. Religious Labeling Does Not Change Destructive Capacity, but It Changes Perceived Authority
Muslims in the US
  1. There Are Two Dominant Views of the Middle East. The Prevailing One Will Determine Whether Western Civilization Survives or Is Eroded from Within
  2. He Could Have Acknowledged the Danger of Rhetoric Glorifying Violence and Set an Example of Good Governance for Others. Instead, He Doubled Down
  3. In a Highly Anticipated Move, the Trump Administration Designated Factions of the Global Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Organizations Last Month