Tehran Cultivated Religious and Political Alliances with the Alawites, Ensuring That Its Ideological Footprint in Syria Endures
The Rise of Extremist Forces in Syria Under the New Regime of Ahmed Al-Sharaa Poses a Direct Threat to Regional Stability and Border Security
Weakness Does Not Compel Loyalty in the Middle East, and Both Hezbollah and Iran Are Weak
The Islamic Republic’s Support for the Houthis Has Allowed the Yemeni Group to Increase Their Capabilities
This Is Hamas’s Battlefield Strategy: Hide Behind the Innocent, Especially Minorities, Then Amplify the Damage
Qatar Needs Trump More than Trump Needs Qatar
Pakistan Has Been a Sanctuary for Terrorism Not Solely to Provoke Cross-Border Unrest in India, but Also in Afghanistan
India’s Recent Limited Airstrikes Following the April 22 Terrorist Attack in Kashmir Are Insufficient to Deter Future Pakistan-Sponsored Terrorism
Even Before the Ceasefire Announcement, the U.S. Campaigns Were Having Some Effect
Erdoğan Is Preparing to Sideline the Republican People’s Party and Replace It with Another One
Operatives Must Go Into Pakistan and to Any Location Where Participants in the Pahalgam Massacres May Be to Exact Justice
For the U.S. and Its Allies, Bolstering Iraq’s Energy Independence and Financial Integrity Should Be a Priority
From the Country’s Early Days, Leaders Recognized That Conflicts Had to Be Short: The Government Is Expanding the Fight in Gaza and the North, While Letting Haredim Avoid the Draft
Nearly Seven Months Have Elapsed Since an Illegal Immigrant from Mauritania Shot and Wounded a Visibly Orthodox Jewish Man in a Chicago Terror Attack
It Is Risky for Iran’s Supreme Leader to Assume That Trump Will Continue to Veto Military Options as Nuclear Talks Drag
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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Legislation Backed by Decades of MEF Research Would Strip Hamas-Aligned Group of Tax-Exempt Status, Block Assets, and Force Dissolution -
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi’s Field Reports on Kurdish Displacement, Minority Rights Are Already Shaping Policy Debate -
Three Policy Frameworks for the United States and Israel on Resistance, Succession, and the Strait of Hormuz -
As the Islamic Republic Cracks, the Iran Freedom Congress in London Races to Build the Framework Tehran Prayed Would Never Exist
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Although Lebanon Was Considered a Friendly Neighbor When Israel Was Established Some 80 Years Ago, for Nearly 60 Years It Has Been a Threat -
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 -
There Are Two Dominant Views of the Middle East. The Prevailing One Will Determine Whether Western Civilization Survives or Is Eroded from Within -
The Draft of a New Palestinian Constitution Has Weaponized the Entire Idea of a Constitution
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.
