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
The myth of crisis has imprisoned Arab political thought, and the prison is built of a single relation to time and to authority. It promises decision and reproduces suspension.
Middle East Forum Online
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Crisis
How the Myth of Crisis Imprisoned Arab (And Leftist) Political Thought
August 21, 2026
 · 
Hussein Aboubakr Mansour
Hamas's willingness to pivot to a political role under current military pressure reflects a rational adaptation to survive, not an ideological shift toward peace. Granting political legitimacy or administrative oversight to a movement whose foundational tenets remain unchanged ensures the eventual regeneration of its military infrastructure.
Middle East Forum Online
A Suit Doesn’t Absolve October 7: Hamas Is Buying Time for the Next War
Diplomatic Fantasies About a ‘Political Hamas’ Ignore Doctrine, History and the Body Count
August 21, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub
Trump, speaking to Fox News, professed himself in no hurry for diplomatic progress, saying that "We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want."
Middle East Forum Observer
Iran Believes It Will Survive Trump’s ‘Economic D-Day’
Tehran Pushes Back, Casting Doubt on the Effectiveness of Economic Pressure and Predicting U.S. Failure
August 21, 2026
 · 
Shay Khatiri
The national flags of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan flutter against a backdrop of cloudy skies and mountainous terrain.
Middle East Forum Observer
Past Failures Show the Vulnerability of the Mecca Agreement
Internal Upheavals and Rivalries Have Dismantled Formal Regional Alliances in the Middle East
August 21, 2026
 · 
Hemn Seyedi
The OECD’s 2026 follow-up assessment says Turkey has failed to implement 49 of the 71 recommendations made following its Phase 4 evaluation. Only 10 were fully implemented and 12 were partially implemented. The OECD Working Group on Bribery said it was “again dismayed” at the number of recommendations Ankara had ignored, including measures previously identified as top priorities.
Middle East Forum Online
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Slams Turkey’s Lack of Foreign Bribery Enforcement
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Regime Has Failed to Establish an Effective Framework to Prevent Turkish Companies from Using Bribery to Advance Their Commercial Interests Abroad
August 20, 2026
 · 
Abdullah Bozkurt
The surprise return of hardline cleric Hossein Taeb as the commander of the Basij Organization was about control of Iran’s internal security apparatus. Taeb last commanded the Basij 20 years ago. His reinstatement offers a window into the core of the regime’s threat perception, and is perhaps the clearest indication yet that it fears and expects major protests.
Middle East Forum Online
Iran’s Leaders Fear Another Uprising. The Return of the ‘Suppression Sheikh’ Proves It
Mass Surveillance, Informants and Fear Are the New Weapons of Preemptive Repression
August 20, 2026
 · 
Saeid Golkar
Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is among five ports that have received significant Chinese investment.
Middle East Forum Observer
Will U.S. Promotion of Regional Resilience Create an Opening for Rivals’ Influence?
A Pullback in U.S. Soft Power Coincides with China’s Expanding Influence and Investment in the Region
August 20, 2026
 · 
Victor Vahidi Motti
Palestinian terrorists handed over the bodies of four Israelis to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip, on February 20, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Hamas Is Playing for Time in Gaza
Conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran Are Set to Continue in Altered Form
August 19, 2026
 · 
Jonathan Spyer
Cambridge University is under fire for hiring Farah Ahmed, a former pamphleteer for Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist organization that seeks establish a global Islamic Caliphate. In 2002, she warned her readers that British Muslims need “to recognise that Western education is a threat to our beliefs and values.”
FWI News
Cambridge Hired Anti-Western Education Academic Linked to Islamist Terror Group
Farah Ahmed Attacked British Schools for Condemning Child Marriage and Polygamy
August 19, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
A Kuwait cityscape in the mid-day heat.
Middle East Forum Observer
As Kuwait Rebuilds Its Suburbs, Where Will Its People Go?
When Redevelopment Outpaces Resettlement, the Consequences of Displacement Are Devastating
August 19, 2026
 · 
Radhika Lakshminarayanan