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
Damascus as seen from Mount Qasioun.
Middle East Forum Online
On the Road to Damascus: Battle for Peace Continues
The Old Dictatorship Was Gone. But Was a New, Islamist Regime in the Process of Being Formed?
January 24, 2025
 · 
Jonathan Spyer
Palestinians carry flags in a march for freedom and independence.
Middle East Forum Observer
Virtue Signaling Gets People Killed. There Are No Shortcuts to Palestinian Statehood
The Way Forward for Those Seeking Independence Is Accountability for Their Actions and Rule of Law
January 24, 2025
 · 
Michael Rubin
Middle East Forum Online
A Secret Turkish Intelligence Deal with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham Included No Attacks in Turkey
How a Secret Intelligence Pact Between Turkey and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham Exposed Ankara’s Double Game on Terrorism
January 23, 2025
 · 
Abdullah Bozkurt
Tartus naval base and the Khmeimim Air Base, both in Syria, were Russia’s only remaining bases outside the borders of the former Soviet Union. Their closure offers lessons for the U.S.
Middle East Forum Online
What Russia’s Exit from Its Syrian Base Should Teach the United States
What Better Way to Acquire a Base than for Free?
January 23, 2025
 · 
Michael Rubin
The days where Israel can ignore Pakistan’s terror factor are over.
Middle East Forum Observer
Get Ready for Pakistan-Backed Groups to Target Israel
The Convergence of West and South Asian Terror Networks Should Worry Both India and Israel
January 23, 2025
 · 
Abhinav Pandya
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which portrays itself as a mainstream human rights and civil society organization in the United States, could not be bothered to offer words of solace for the families of Israelis who have been held hostage in brutal conditions by Hamas since October 7, 2023.
FWI News
U.S. Islamists Use Ceasefire to Blame Biden, Praise Trump, Demonize Israel
Suffering of Israeli Hostages, Hamas’s Crimes, Not on Radar of CAIR Leaders
January 22, 2025
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
Syrian celebrating the fall of Bashar al-Assad kick the head of a toppled statue of his father, Hafez al-Assad (d. 2000), on Dec. 10, 2024.
Middle East Forum Online
The Days of Assad’s Fall: Interview
A Local Defence Forces’ Perspective
January 22, 2025
 · 
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
The Egyptian singer Oum Kalthoum was the supreme master of the Arabic musical state of tarab—a condition so culturally embedded that Western ears and tongues struggle to approximate it, typically settling on phrases like “ecstatic emotionalism” or “heightened affect.”
Middle East Forum Online
When Tarab Ruled: Oum Kalthoum and the Echoes of Arabism and Revolution
The Legacy of Oum Kalthoum Remains One of the Most Spellbinding Musical Phenomena of the Twentieth Century
January 22, 2025
 · 
Hussein Aboubakr Mansour
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) grants taxpayer dollars through charitable institutions.
Middle East Forum Observer
Trump’s Foreign Aid Suspension: A Good First Step to Disrupt USAID’s Terror Finance
The U.S. Must Ensure That Taxpayers’ Money Never Goes to an Organization Whose Staff Expresses Support for Designated Terrorist Groups
January 22, 2025
 · 
Sam Westrop
Flag of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Supported by a U.S.-led global coalition, the SDF runs a large territory once controlled by ISIS in northeastern Syria.
Middle East Forum Online
Syrian Kurds Look for Continued U.S. Support Under Trump
Kurdish-Led Syrian Democratic Forces Have Been a Key U.S. Partner in the Fight Against the Islamic State Terror Group
January 21, 2025
 · 
Sirwan Kajjo