Escalation Along the Tihama Coast Is Part of a Coordinated Political-Military Strategy, Not Merely a Local Tactical Maneuver
Iraq Needs a New Prime Minister to Guide the Country Through the Turbulence of the War with Iran
Defeatism Is the Worn-Out Garment of Decadent Western Ruling Classes. Not So the U.S. and Israel
The Displaced Syrian Shia in Homs Are Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Afraid or Unable to Return Home, and Now Facing Israeli Airstrikes in Lebanon
Washington Asks Baghdad to Control Iranian Proxies but Does Not Fully Acknowledge the Environment It Faces
Ordinary Iranians Are Sensitive About Intervention by Outsiders, and Especially So About the U.S.
The Future of the War in Iran Is Increasingly Focused on Less than 9 Square Miles of Coral Outcrop in the Persian Gulf
Ahmad Vahidi Is the Key Cog in the Regime’s Chain of Command. He Is Also Wanted by Interpol in Connection with Terrorist Attacks
The Clarification Emphasizes That Facilities of Relevance to Tourists Are either Exempt from the Regulations or Will Be Subject to Further Consideration
Expert: False Flag Scenario Ludicrous
The Threat to Strike Anywhere U.S. Forces May Be ‘Hiding’ Comes as Trump Again Postponed Attacks on Iran’s Energy Infrastructure
If Iran or Its Proxies Attack a U.S. Embassy, the United States Should Destroy the Iranian Embassy in That Country
The Same Iranian Presence That Hides in Trafficking and Money Laundering Is Taking Visible Military Form in the Americas
Israel’s Current War on Two Fronts Shows Few Signs of Wrapping up Soon
Congress Must Pass an Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill That Includes Funding to Support the Iranian People in Their Pursuit of Regime Change
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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Todd Bensman and Joseph Humire Bring Years of Experience to Their New White House Roles -
Qatar’s Strategic Investments in the U.S. Include Critical Infrastructure in Oil and Gas, Higher Education, Trophy Properties, and Political Access -
A Dossier Based on Six Years of Clandestine Intelligence Gathering Reveals a Chemical Weapons Program Far More Sophisticated than Previously Known
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Well Before the October 7 Attack in Israel, University Administrators Were Cowed by Vocal Campus Pro-Palestinian Activists -
Among the Fundamental Flaws in the CVE Program Was Erroneously Attributing Radicalization and Terrorism to Poverty or Single-Parenthood Homes -
The Regime Persists in Its Pronounced Nuclear Goal of Eradicating the Jewish State -
Historically Iran Included a Significant Number of Minorities
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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He Is Not an Islamist, but He Is a Muslim Tribalist Who Believes the White Race Has Exploited Middle Eastern Muslims -
The Remnants of the Still Healthy and Free ‘West’ Today Lie East of the Former Iron Curtain: Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovenia -
‘This is Berlin; long live the Arabs!’ -
European Hypocrisy Has Rarely Been on Greater Display
Gaza
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Arab Communities in the West Bank and Gaza Need to Be Decentralized Arab Emirates with Internal Autonomy, Under Overarching Israeli Control -
Reports from the Hamas-Controlled Area Indicate That the Terror Group Has Fully Reimposed Its Will on the Population There -
Today’s International Court of Justice Draws Judges from Legal, Cultural, and Political Traditions with No Common Philosophical Core -
Washington’s Mixed Signals About Core Issues Encourage Islamist Groups to Expand Their Influence and Test Boundaries
Islam
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If It Looks Like a Duck, Walks Like a Duck, and Quacks Like a Duck, Then It’s Probably a Duck -
Focusing On Issues We Find Offensive but Which Do Not Affect Non-Muslims Creates Confusion Concerning Aspects of Islam That Affect So-Called Infidels -
Former Nun Karen Armstrong’s Revisionist History Whitewashes Centuries of Muslim Conquests -
White Women Were and Continue to Be Seen as Sexually Promiscuous by Nature — Essentially ‘Provoking’ Muslim Men Into Lusting After and Raping Them
Muslims in the US
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‘We Must Have More Children than the Christians … to Destroy Them Here’ -
Americans Deserve a Full-Scale Investigation Into What Happened in Chicago and How to Prevent the Next Open-Borders-Enabled Attack on U.S. Soil -
The Misnamed ‘Muslim Ban’ Sharply Curtailed Immigrant and Non-immigrant U.S. Visas for Foreign Nationals from 13 Nations -
The Materialistic West Increasingly Only Understands Motives Prompted by Material Needs or Desires
