Iran Shattered the Cultivated Myth of Omani Exceptionalism, the Diplomatic Card Tehran Played for Decades to Shield Itself from Total Gulf Isolation
As War Accelerates Around Iran, Europe Answers With Delay, Doubt, And Strategic Paralysis
He Could Have Acknowledged the Danger of Rhetoric Glorifying Violence and Set an Example of Good Governance for Others. Instead, He Doubled Down
U.S. Prosecutors Described Mirsad Kandic as a Trusted Facilitator Within ISIS’s International Support Network
Reports in Recent Days Have Suggested That Direct Negotiations Between Israel and the Government May Soon Begin
Muslim Charity Suspends Fundraising in Face of Investigation
Tehran’s Rapid Retaliation Suggests That the Regime’s Decision-Making Structures Remain Functional
Israeli Policymakers View the Current Moment as a ‘Window of Opportunity’ with Lebanon, Albeit a Constrained One
Nuclear Infrastructure Would Depend Less on Contested Offshore Resources and Be Less Exposed to Geopolitical Friction at Sea
Disputes Between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region May Limit Demand for Northern Iraqi Crude
A New Damascus Decree Restricts Alcohol Sales to Historic Christian Districts and Signals Islamist Administrative Priorities.
Israel’s Ability to Locate the Most Important Figure in the Regime Evinces How Deeply Its Intelligence Has Penetrated the Islamic Republic
The Destruction of the Country Is neither Decisive nor Important to the Regime
Well Before the Current Conflict with Iran, the Gulf Capitals Drew the Rational Conclusion That the Relevant Competition Is Now Among the Gulf States Themselves
Charity Complains of Unfair Coverage
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
-
Rasool Is Entrenched in American Islamist Organizations, with Close Ties to the Virginia-Based Saar Network -
RSSI Aims to Mobilize U.S. Policymakers, Global Shipping Leaders, and International Stakeholders to Address This Vital Issue -
The Moment Has Come for the U.S. and Israel to Take Decisive Military Action Against Iran’s Nuclear Forces -
Testimony Uncovers $122 Million to Entities Tied to Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al-Qaeda Affiliates
-
After Israel Launched Its Attack Against the Mullahs, the ‘Resistance’ Remained Sidelined -
By Marching in Tandem with Islamists and Yelling ‘Free Palestine,’ LGBT Activists Defend Terror Organizations and Demonize Zionists and Israel -
A Concerted Policy Is Needed in Order to Ensure That Hezbollah Doesn’t Rise from the Ashes -
The Isolationists Ignore the Cold Reality That Withdrawing from the World Does Not Keep Rogue, Aggressive Nations at Bay
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
-
Qatar’s Role as a Mediator Is Meant Less to Resolve Conflict and More to Win Immunity and Escape Accountability for Action -
All the Offers of ‘Peace’ to Islamic Terrorism Will Not Save the Western Skin -
From the Comfort of Its Control Center in Doha, Hamas Rejected Proposals to Free All the Hostages and Rejected Deals to End the War with Israel -
Jews in Iran Face Discriminatory Laws, but the Regime Also Exploits Them for Propaganda and as a Tool to Vilify Israel
Gaza
-
Across Israel’s Southern and Western Peripheries, a Slow-Motion Catastrophe Is Taking Shape -
It Is the Only Rational Posture for a Country That Has Been Fighting an Existential Ideological War with Hamas for Decades -
Over the Years, Erdoğan Hosted Hamas, Providing Diplomatic Cover for Its Leadership -
Maintaining Its Arms Will Enable Hamas to Prevent Israel from Achieving the Aim of Keeping Hamas Away from Governance
Muslims in the US
-
If Some Two Million ‘Got-Aways’ Crossed Since 2021, Suspected Terrorists on the FBI Watch List Are Almost Certainly Among Them -
I recently witnessed something I haven’t seen in a long time. On Friday, August 16, 2024, a group of pro-Hamas activists packed up their signs and went home in the face of spirited and non-violent opposition from a coalition of pro-American Iranians and American Jews. The last time I saw anything like that happen was in 2006 or 2007, when I led a crowd of Israel supporters in chants in order to silence a heckler standing on the sidewalk near the town common in Amherst, Massachusetts. The ridicule was enough to prompt him and his fellow anti-Israel activists to walk away, as we cheered their departure. It was glorious.
