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
Middle East Forum Online
Why Iran Is Not Repeating 1979
Today’s Protests Lack the Elite Defections and Institutional Collapse That Toppled the Shah
January 16, 2026
 · 
Saeid Golkar
Middle East Forum Online
Iran’s Regime Still Looks Likely to Survive Protests but Has No Answers for Public Anger
Widespread Unrest Has Revealed the Islamic Republic’s Inability to Address Economic Collapse or Public Anger
January 16, 2026
 · 
Lazar Berman
Middle East Forum Online
How America Could Help Bring Down Iran’s Islamist Regime
Targeted Support for Protesters Could Shift the Balance Without a Full-Scale War
January 16, 2026
 · 
Jonathan Spyer
While critics warn that external strikes could trigger a “rally ‘round the flag” effect, that assumption no longer holds true. The June 2025 Israeli and US attacks prompted protests in Iran and demands for the dismantling of the regime. The recent mass killings have further eroded any remaining nationalist credibility, and the state is now openly at war with its own society.
Middle East Forum Online
Why a U.S. Strike on Iran Would Not Lead to War
Iran’s Capacity to Respond to Such an Action Is Far More Limited than Its Leaders Suggest
January 16, 2026
 · 
Saeid Golkar
The Kurdistan Free Life Party, or PJAK (Kurdish: “Partiya Jiyana Azad a Kurdistanê”), is a Kurdish nationalist anti-Iranian armed militant group.
Middle East Forum Online
Iran’s Islamic Republic Has Lost Legitimacy Across All Dimensions: Interview with an Iranian Kurdish Leader
A Middle East Quarterly Special Report
January 16, 2026
 · 
Jonathan Spyer
With the world’s longest unprotected border separating them, Canada’s failure to confront Islamist extremism increasingly becomes a U.S. national security problem.
FWI Research
Islamism Risks Becoming Canada’s Deadliest Export to U.S.
Will Islamists in Canada Take Advantage of Longest Undefended Border in World?
January 16, 2026
 · 
Joe Adam George
An Iranian soldier on June 17, 2025, during the Twelva-Day War with Israel.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iran’s Uprising Presses on Despite Curfew and Mass Repression
Some Argue the Islamic Republic Has Lost Any Chance of Recovery, That Public Rage Will Not Fade After the Atrocities Committed
January 16, 2026
 · 
Mardo Soghom
The blue dome of Haydar Khana Mosque rises above this street in Baghdad, Iraq.
Middle East Forum Observer
As Iran Teeters, It Is Time to Offer Iraqi Leaders an Off-Ramp
Trump and Rubio Should Approach Iraqi Leaders with Generosity; Co-Opting Former Opponents Is Wiser than Bludgeoning Them
January 15, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Middle East Forum Online
Dismantling the Iranian Zombie State: Washington’s Strategic Imperative
Iran’s Collapsing Legitimacy and Escalating Violence Are Forcing the United States to Move beyond Containment and toward Decisive Action
January 15, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub
People walk the busy streets of Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland.
Middle East Forum Observer
Will the Arabs Dare to Listen to Somaliland?
Somaliland Became an Oasis of Peace and Stability, Where People Abide by the Rule of Law, Without Foreign Intervention
January 15, 2026
 · 
Bashir Goth