About
The Middle East Forum Observer

The Middle East Forum Observer was founded in 2024 and provides rapid analysis on leading Middle East developments, from Marrakech to Mashhad and the Bab el-Mandeb to the Black Sea.

More than just an outlet for opinion and opeds, the Observer explores topics in greater depth than American newspapers or opinion essays, often drawing upon primary language research or technical expertise on topics like shipping, aircraft leasing, or counter-terrorism finance. Policymakers and intelligence analysts not only in the United States and Europe, but also across the Middle East regularly read Observer articles. Newspapers and policy journals from Israel to Iran excerpt and debate the Observer’s takes.

As with the Middle East Quarterly, Middle East Forum Observer is open access. All content is available without charge. The Middle East Forum Observer allows reposts of its articles as an integral whole with a citation that includes author, date, title, publication and original URL.

More from MEF
Offensive missiles of the Iranian armed forces, outside the military museum in Tehran.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iran’s Missile Rhetoric Grows Louder as Its Capabilities Shrink
Iran Faces Formidable Obstacles in Rebuilding Its Air Defense Network, and Hardware Alone Cannot Neutralize Israel’s Air Power
November 15, 2025
 · 
Mardo Soghom
Ahmad al-Sharaa’s recent visit to Washington, where he met with President Trump, constitutes the first visit by a Syrian leader to the White House.
Middle East Forum Online
Islamic State Editorial on Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s Visit to Washington
The Editorial Brands Him as Among the Foremost Examples of Treachery Against Islam, Eager to Make Sacrifices and Concessions to the U.S. and Israel for the Sake of Power
November 14, 2025
 · 
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
A Turkish flag is visible on a mountain behind Nicosia, in the occupied part of northern Cyprus.
Middle East Forum Observer
Washington Should Support Turkish Cypriots in Their Struggle Against Turkey
Turkish Cypriots Have Voiced Opposition to Ankara’s Efforts to Dominate the North’s Political, Economic, and Cultural Life
November 14, 2025
 · 
Nicoletta Kouroushi
The core danger is simple and terrifying: high-capacity smuggling routes running through the Sudan-Libya-Egypt tri-border area now offer hostile actors a reliable alternative to maritime and subterranean smuggling. Those land routes bypass traditional interdiction efforts and make possible the transfer of sophisticated weaponry into the Gaza Strip and Sinai.
Middle East Forum Online
The Sudan-Libya-Egypt Triangle: An Immediate Israeli Security Crisis
Across Israel’s Southern and Western Peripheries, a Slow-Motion Catastrophe Is Taking Shape
November 13, 2025
 · 
Amine Ayoub
Antoun Sa’adeh (1904-1949, left), the Syrian ideologue who established the first cohesive fascist movement in the Arab world by consciously imitating German National Socialism, and his protégé Fayez Sayegh (1922-1980), who ultimately created the scholarly framework of “settler colonialism” that would capture the post-1968 New Left and became the principal author of 1975 UN Resolution 3379 which declared that “Zionism is racism.”
Middle East Forum Online
The Man Who Made Zionism Into Settler Colonialism
Antoun Sa’adeh, Fayez Sayegh, and the Intellectual Genealogy of Anti-Zionism
November 13, 2025
 · 
Hussein Aboubakr Mansour
Protesters defend the right to free speech at a rally in London on September 13, 2025. Such protests appear to be having an impact on policies in the United Kingdom as a judge recently ruled in favor of an actuary who was punished by his professional organization for criticizing Islam on social media.
FWI News
U.K. Judge Upholds Right to Criticize Islam in Landmark Ruling
Final Disposition of Case in February 2026
November 13, 2025
 · 
Jules Gomes
The Alawite and Syrian flags.
Middle East Forum Online
The Alawite Insurgency in Syria: Interview with ‘The Men of Light’
‘The Men of Light’ (Saraya Al-Jawad) Was Formed After the End of the Massacres on the Coast That Took Place in the Period 7-9 March 2025
November 13, 2025
 · 
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
MEF in the Media
Peace With Syria — War With Lebanon? | Jonathan Spyer on ILTV Security Brief
November 13, 2025
TRT's editorial content often mirrors the rhetoric and policies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who consistently expresses an anti-West stance in public speeches, frequently bashes U.S. and European leaders, and threatens to attack neighboring Greece.
Middle East Forum Online
U.S. Flags Erdoğan Ally Turkish Hizbullah as Terrorist Group for Immigration Control
By Invoking the Terrorist Exclusion List Rather than FTO Designation, Washington Signals Concern but Skips a Diplomatic Confrontation
November 13, 2025
 · 
Abdullah Bozkurt
Violent battles have taken place in recent years between government forces and Houthi rebels in the north of Hajjah, Yemen, bordering Saudi Arabia.
Middle East Forum Observer
Will the Houthis Prevail?
As International Indecision Persists, Yemen’s Iran-Backed Rebels Are Transforming from Local Insurgents Into Global Disruptors
November 13, 2025
 · 
Khaled Alyemany