Middle East Quarterly

Middle East Quarterly - Current Issue
Founded in 1994 by Daniel Pipes, MEQ is the Middle East Forum’s journal intended for both scholars and the educated public. Policymakers, opinion-makers, academics, and journalists write for and read the Quarterly, which is known for exclusive interviews, in-depth historical articles, and book reviews on subjects ranging from archaeology to politics and on countries from Morocco to Iran.


Spring 2026 Volume 33: Number 2
The Palestinian right of return is primarily a political and ideological claim rather than a binding legal one supported by international law. In 1974, Yasser Arafat championed it at the U.N., declaring that Zionism is "colonialist", "imperialist," and "racist." The right of return continues to shape Palestinian politics and Western diplomacy, and remains a central factor in the persistence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Middle East Quarterly
Palestinian Intransigence and the “Right of Return”
February 27, 2026
Middle East Quarterly
Trump’s Twenty-Point Plan and Hamas’s Rebirth
February 27, 2026
Map of Nubl and al-Zahra in northern Aleppo countryside (10 June 2018). The map shows the locations of the two Twelver Shiite towns, Nubl and al-Zahra, within territories held by Syrian government forces (blue), opposition forces (green), and Kurdish forces (yellow) during the Syrian civil war. Despite their isolation amid Sunni and Kurdish regions, both towns have largely avoided post-Assad violence and serve as case studies in localized stability and minority protection.
Middle East Quarterly
Eyewitness Report: Twelver Shiite Villages of Nubl and al-Zahra in the Aleppo Countryside in the Post-Assad Period
February 27, 2026
The June 2025 Israeli military campaign, backed by the U.S., significantly weakened Iran’s strategic capabilities and reshaped regional dynamics. Rather than accelerating formal Saudi-Israeli normalization, it produced a post-liberal Middle East in which Saudi Arabia treats Israel as a covert partner and constrained outsider while competing for regional primacy. (Shutterstock/Asset ID: 2096850640)
Middle East Quarterly
Inter-Arab Rivalry and Regional Hierarchy in the Post–Liberal Middle East
February 27, 2026
Middle East Quarterly
Book Reviews
February 27, 2026
Book Reviews
Winter 2026
Book Reviews
Inside the Arab State
September 1, 2019
 · 
Mehran Kamrava
Book Reviews
The Future of the Middle East: Faith, Force, and Finance
September 1, 2019
Book Reviews
Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness
September 1, 2019
Middle East Quarterly
China in the Middle East: Reshaping Regional Politics
September 1, 2019
 · 
Ilan Berman
Middle East Quarterly
Brief Reviews
September 1, 2019
Middle East Quarterly
The Great Saudi-Iranian Proxy Game
September 1, 2019
Middle East Quarterly
The Many Implications
The End of the Syrian Civil War
June 1, 2019
 · 
Eyal Zisser
Middle East Quarterly
How Jordan Can Cope
The End of the Syrian Civil War
June 1, 2019
 · 
Mohammed Bani Salameh
Middle East Quarterly
Keep the PFLP on the EU Terror List
June 1, 2019
 · 
Jan Kapusnak
Book Reviews
Piracy and Law in the Ottoman Mediterranean
June 1, 2019
Issue Archive
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Winter 2026
Book Reviews
The Holocaust and North Africa
June 1, 2019
Book Reviews
The Iranian Diaspora: Challenges, Negotiations, and Transformations
June 1, 2019
Book Reviews
Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History
June 1, 2019
Book Reviews
Palmyra, Mirage in the Desert
June 1, 2019
Middle East Quarterly
Are the Insurgencies Truly Over?
The End of the Syrian Civil War
June 1, 2019
 · 
Thomas R. McCabe
Middle East Quarterly
Brief Reviews
June 1, 2019
Book Reviews
Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires
June 1, 2019
Book Reviews
Le grand abandon. Les élites françaises et l’islamisme
June 1, 2019
Book Reviews
Christian Martyrs under Islam
Religious Violence and the Making of the Muslim World
March 1, 2019
Middle East Quarterly
Who Is Sisi of Egypt? A Salafi.
March 1, 2019
 · 
Ramy Aziz
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More from MEF
Palestinian Hamas militants take part in an anti-Israel demonstration.
Middle East Forum Observer
Disarmament Without Enforcement
Armed Movements Reject Disarmament Demands Because Compliance Would Eliminate Their Leverage or Reason for Existence
April 18, 2026
 · 
Aaron J. Shuster
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani in April 2024.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iraqi Prime Minister Sudani Lies to President Trump About Militias
The Iranian-Backed Militias Sudani Defends Are Parasites Upon the Iraqi Economy and the Country’s Sovereignty
April 17, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Qatar Airways jets are grounded at Manchester Airport, United Kingdom, because of the Iran war on March 8, 2026.
Middle East Forum Observer
The Iran War’s Damage to Global Aviation
Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz Have Caused Shortages and Surging Prices for Jet Fuel
April 17, 2026
 · 
Dalga Khatinoglu
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