More from MEF
Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Middle East Forum Observer
After Rubio-Abdi Meeting in Munich, Time to Rethink the PKK’s Terror Designation
Delisting the PKK, or at Least Starting the Process, Would Signal That the United States Is Willing to Adapt Its Policies to Evolving Facts
February 15, 2026
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Kamal Chomani
Nikos Christodoulides, president of Cyprus, in Berlin in November 2025.
Middle East Forum Observer
Cyprus-India Relations Should Be a U.S. Strategic Interest
Nascent Cyprus-India Relations Reflect Wider Shifts in Trade Geography Linking the Mediterranean, Middle East, Europe, and South Asia
February 14, 2026
 · 
Nicoletta Kouroushi
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump.
Middle East Forum Online
Unpersuaded by Netanyahu, Trump Pushes Diplomacy With Iran and Hamas
Rejecting Israel’s Case for Escalation, the U.S. President Channels Churchill’s Postwar Belief in Negotiation Over Preventive War
February 13, 2026
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Lazar Berman
Middle East Forum Online
Qatar’s Mediterranean Gambit: Buying Influence in Libya’s Energy Future
Doha’s Entry Into Libya’s Offshore Gas Sector Signals a Strategic Shift From External Patronage to Embedded Political Power
February 13, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub
Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, left, and Iran's current Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Middle East Forum Observer
Succession Rumors Swirl After Khamenei Sends Khomeini’s Grandson to Ceremony
Despite His Lineage, Hassan Khomeini Lacks Executive, Administrative, or Economic Management Experience
February 13, 2026
 · 
Mardo Soghom
Young boys read on a lawn in Doha, Qatar, in May 2024.
Middle East Forum Observer
Qatar’s School Textbooks Promote Antisemitism and Hatred of Non-Muslims
Eighth-Graders Are Told That Moses and Jesus Are ‘Islamic Prophets’ and That Christians Will Be Punished for Believing in the Trinity
February 13, 2026
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Jules Gomes
While Islamist violence poses a clear threat to France, critics argue that nonviolent Islamism—through cultural influence, institutional infiltration, and separatist activism—may prove a more enduring challenge to the Republic than jihadist violence. Valeurs Actuelles, a conservative publication, addressed the topic in its October–November 2020 issue. A new parliamentary report has hopefully put the topic back in the agenda.
FWI News
Parliamentary Panel: Islamism Poses an Existential Threat to France
Republic in Jeopardy as Islamist Peril is Now Primarily Homegrown
February 12, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iran Seems to Succeed in Limiting U.S. Talks to Nuclear Issue
Numerous Anti-Trump Effigies Appeared During State-Organized Events Marking the February 11 Anniversary of the Islamic Republic
February 12, 2026
 · 
Mardo Soghom
A woman in Yemen, August 2024.
Middle East Forum Observer
Saudi Empowerment of the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen Enables Al Qaeda’s Re-Emergence
Saudi Arabia Has Snubbed the Trump Administration by Empowering a Wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, and It Will Backfire
February 12, 2026
 · 
Fernando Carvajal
FWI News
Greece Moves on Illegal Mosques—What Will Italy Do?
Greek Enforcement Raises Questions about State Encroachment on Religious Freedom
February 11, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes