Turkey Poses a Direct and Immediate Threat to Regional Security
MEF Identified Members of the Assad Family Involved in Drug Operations, Creating a Family Enterprise That Controlled All Aspects of the Trade
Iran Has Been Excluded from Major Transit Corridors as Countries Develop Alternative Routes for Energy and Other Trade
Aquaculture Is a Huge Industry in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, and Turkey Seeks to Seize Unfair Advantage
In Talks, the Trump Administration Is Pushing for Broader Inspections and the Inclusion of Iran’s Missile Program
Turkey, Iran and Iraq Have Co-opted Kurds Into Diplomatic Roles to Prevent the Emergence of an Independent Kurdistan
For the United States, Formalizing the Alliance with Greece, Cyprus and Israel Represents a Strategic Imperative
Tehran Now Enriches Uranium to 60 Percent, a Step Away from Weapons-Grade, and Operates Far More Advanced and Numerous Centrifuges than It Did in 2015
Contrary to Some Commentary of Recent Months, the Iranian Regional Project Has Not Been Destroyed, or Even Conclusively Defeated
The Interim President Is Consolidating Control by Placing Family Members in Key Positions at the Nexus of Power and Wealth
As Trump Bets on Erdoğan as a Strategic Partner, the Turkish President Exploits the Relationship to Undercut American Allies, Hijack U.S. Business Interests, and Enrich His Inner Circle
Spotlight on War with Iran
The Iranian Navy and Air Force are effectively non-existent. The new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen since the start of the war. Basij checkpoints are being attacked by drones.

But the Islamic Republic is far from finished. The Strait of Hormuz has seen tankers attacked and oil flow is critical. What is the path to an end that is worth the dangers? MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
As unrest spreads across Iran, the regime and the opposition both face narrowing choices.
Iran’s Kurdish Armed Groups Remain Too Fragmented, Cautious and Constrained to Shape the War’s Outcome.
Sustained Strikes and the Removal of Senior Islamic Republic Figures Raise Questions About the Regime’s Durability
An Operational Concept for Reopening the Strait of Hormuz Without a Ground Campaign
A Doctrine for the Iranian Resistance
Classical Strategy and the Path from Air Campaign to Iranian Liberation
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. New alliances are growing in the Eastern Mediterranean, Syrian in-fighting cools down and let’s not forget North Africa.

The turmoil makes predictions perilous, but it also presents opportunities for change. Will the conflict with Iran create the conditions for broader peace and prosperity?
Cairo’s Regional Security No Longer Depends on Gulf Symbolism but on Eastern Mediterranean Energy Alignment
Behind Official Merger Language, Kobani Still Operates Under Kurdish Security Control
Iran’s Proxy Strategy Has Expanded Beyond the Levant and Now Threatens North Africa’s Strategic Balance
The Sánchez Regime Has Made Hostility to Jerusalem Its Policy and Israel Should Impose Consequences
When Turkish Networks Move Money, Weapons, People and Narcotics Across Borders, They Export Not Only Violence but Also the Institutional Weaknesses and Culture of Impunity
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
  1. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi’s Field Reports on Kurdish Displacement, Minority Rights Are Already Shaping Policy Debate
  2. Three Policy Frameworks for the United States and Israel on Resistance, Succession, and the Strait of Hormuz
  3. As the Islamic Republic Cracks, the Iran Freedom Congress in London Races to Build the Framework Tehran Prayed Would Never Exist
  4. New Israel Fund-Backed Initiative, Inserted into U.S. Policy, Created Systematic Loopholes to Shield Anti-Israel Actors from Accountability
  1. 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
  2. There Are Two Dominant Views of the Middle East. The Prevailing One Will Determine Whether Western Civilization Survives or Is Eroded from Within
  3. The Draft of a New Palestinian Constitution Has Weaponized the Entire Idea of a Constitution
  4. While Morocco Is Pro-Western and a Signatory to the Abraham Accords, Algeria Is Aligned with Russia, China, and Iran
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.
Islam
  1. Preach Peace When Weak, Wage War When Strong