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
Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib had a tough time at the October 23, 2025, hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senators did not appear to buy his attempt to repackage his previous praise for Saddam Hussein as proof of his hostility toward Iran, nor did they give much credence to his complaints that his offensive posts on social media were taken out of context or "mistranslated."
FWI Opinion & Interview
Mister Ghalib Goes to Washington to Rebrand Himself, Senators Don’t Buy It
Nominee for Ambassador’s Post in Kuwait Backtracks on Abraham Accords, Won’t Acknowledge Israel’s Legitimacy, Loathe to Admit Error on Saddam Hussein
October 24, 2025
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
MEF in the Media
Disarming Hamas Requires Empowering Gaza’s Clan Networks | Col. Eric Navarro on Newsmax
October 24, 2025
A French Air Force Dassault Rafale fighter jet in April 2018.
Middle East Forum Observer
France’s Jet Fighter Sales Are Endangering Allies
French Permissiveness Strengthens States and Proxies Hostile to the West, and for Some the Effects Are Immediate
October 24, 2025
 · 
Babak Taghvaee
Egypt’s newly announced religious and state policy “reforms” ensure that the already marginalized Copts are set to see their long-standing vulnerability deepen. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi delivers speech at the Middle East Peace Summit; Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
What Egypt’s Coordinated Islamization Program Means for Coptic Christians
The State Is Embedding a Particular Religious Worldview—a Distinctly Islamic One, Aligned with Government Priorities—Into the Everyday Life of Egyptians
October 23, 2025
 · 
Raymond Ibrahim
Crystals of the rare-earth metal gadolinium, which is used in MRI scans.
Middle East Forum Observer
Can Turkey Become a Rare Earth Element Power?
Independent Certification of Reserves and Scaled-up Processing Would Elevate Turkey’s Role in Global Supply Chains of Critical Minerals
October 23, 2025
 · 
Umud Shokri
A Spanish court has grudgingly affirmed the right to critique Islam by clearing a Catholic priest who faced a three-year prison sentence for alleged “Islamophobic” remarks made years ago.
FWI News
Spanish Court Acquits Priests Charged with ‘Hate Speech’ Against Islam
Clergymen Stand by Statements against Islamism and “Radical Jihadism”
October 22, 2025
 · 
Jules Gomes
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee convenes tomorrow, Thursday, October 23, 2025, to consider Hamtramck, Michigan Mayor Amer Ghalib’s nomination as U.S. ambassador to Kuwait.
FWI Opinion & Interview
Senate to Hold Confirmation Hearings for Disgraced Michigan Mayor Amer Ghalib
Foul-Mouthed Bigot and Med School Dropout Could Be Next Ambassador to Kuwait
October 22, 2025
 · 
Benjamin Baird
Jamal Maarouf: “When Daesh [ISIS] stood as a firm stumbling block before us and prevented us from continuing the fight against Bashar’s army, we had to fight it and expel it from Idlib and its countryside, Hama countryside, Jabal al-Turkoman [in Latakia] and Aleppo countryside.” Above: Aleppo, Syria, March 12, 2016. Military convoys of the Syrian opposition forces head to fight ISIS.
Middle East Forum Online
The Syrian Revolutionaries Front: Interview with Jamal Maarouf
A Discussion of the History of the Syrian Revolutionaries Front, the Conflict with Jabhat Al-Nusra, and How Maarouf Views the Current Situation in Syria
October 22, 2025
 · 
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
Multiple sources indicate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has distributed information about Raheel Raza—a prominent Pakistani-Canadian journalist and human-rights activist known for her outspoken criticism of Islamist extremism and pro-Israel stance—to its network. Experts fear the IRGC has flagged Raza as a target for intimidation and harassment.
FWI News
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Targets Canadian Counter-Islamist Raheel Raza
Cyber Leaks Reveal Surveillance and Intimidation of Outspoken Dissident
October 22, 2025
 · 
Joe Adam George
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with President Donald Trump at the White House in April 2025.
Middle East Forum Observer
Does Trump Have a Grand Strategy for the Middle East?
The Broad Framework, Based on past Peace Efforts, Would Grow Trade Relations and Create Joint Security Arrangements
October 22, 2025
 · 
Jim Hanson