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
Federal anti-terrorism command center, with a big screen and radar surveillance used for reconnaissance on satellite system.
Middle East Forum Observer
What’s Next for America’s Counter-Islamism Policy?
Across the U.S., Humanitarian Aid Charities Openly Operate as Proxies or Partners for Foreign Extremists and Terror Groups
September 11, 2026
 · 
Sam Westrop
Former Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad in Washington, DC.
Middle East Forum Observer
On 9/11 Anniversary, Will Washington Acknowledge How Zalmay Khalilzad Empowered the Taliban?
A Quarter-Century After the Terror Attacks, America Still Possesses No Settled, Coherent Understanding of the Taliban
September 11, 2026
 · 
Davood Moradian
Anti-Israel hostility stoked by the Islamic Republic of Iran has rendered Jews, who play a significant role in Persian and Iranian history, vulnerable to oppression and violence.
Dhimmitude Project
Recognized, Yet Suspected: Iranian Jews and the Paradox of Citizenship under the Islamic Republic
From Dhimmitude and Pahlavi-Era Citizenship to the Politics of Loyalty after 1979
September 10, 2026
 · 
Erfan Fard
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood on the summit of Mount Hermon (above) inside Syrian territory on September 9, 2026, flanked by Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior IDF commanders, and delivered a clear strategic message. He declared that Israel now exercises control from the peak of Hermon to the Yarmouk River and westward toward the Mediterranean, an operational dominance the country had never previously held.
Middle East Forum Online
Israel Holds the High Ground, Iranian Axis Severely Weakened
September 10, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub
Hargeisa is the capital and largest city of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa.
Middle East Forum Online
Whatever Happens in Washington, Somaliland Must Prepare Legally for Recognition
Somaliland Is Independent; There Is No Taking That Back
September 10, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
The kinetic actions off Kharg Island generate an elevated risk environment for Israel's offshore natural gas infrastructure, specifically the Leviathan, Tamar and Karish production fields. Image: the Leviathan natural gas field off the coast of Israel.
Middle East Forum Online
The Kharg Trap: How U.S. Strikes in Hormuz Put Israel’s Mediterranean Gas Infrastructure at Risk
Iran Favors Asymmetric Target Substitution, Shifting the Burden Toward High-Value, Vulnerable Western-Aligned Strategic Assets
September 10, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub
Middle East Forum Online
The Soufan Center Will Not Judge Qatar
Its New Book on the Global Jihadi Movement Is a Study in Omission
September 10, 2026
 · 
Gregg Roman
Middle East Forum Online
Why We Map American Islamism
Mapping Ideological Networks Is an Ordinary Practice in American Civil Society
September 10, 2026
 · 
Gregg Roman
Press Releases
25 Years After 9/11, MEF Opens Nation’s Largest Counter-Islamism Clearinghouse to Researchers
September 10, 2026
Houthis captured the port at Mokha, an old fishing village along the Bab el-Mandeb, in Yemen.
Middle East Forum Observer
How to Counter the Houthi Capture of Mokha and Protect Red Sea Shipping
The U.S. Should Establish a Security Partnership with Tihami Forces and Local Communities Along the Tihama Coast
September 10, 2026
 · 
Abdulmajeed Zubah