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Speaking at a rally earlier this month, President Donald Trump described Somaliland as a “totally different country.” It was not a mistake. Yet his ambassador to Ethiopia said “there has been no change in United States policy.” Image: President Donald J. Trump holds a White House press briefing; February 20, 2026.
Middle East Forum Online
Why Is the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Undermining Trump?
In Effect, Ervin Massinga Is Telling His Ethiopian and Broader African Audience to Ignore the White House and the President’s Comments
October 24, 2026
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Michael Rubin
Undersea communications cables are covered in feather-like hydroids.
Middle East Forum Observer
What Might Happen If Iran Makes Good on Threats to Sever Undersea Cables
‘If They Attack the Infrastructures of Our Country, It Is Natural That the Islamic Republic Will ... Destroy Their Assets,’ the Revolutionary Guard Warned
October 24, 2026
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Shay Khatiri
FWI Opinion & Interview
Mohamed Fahmy Puts the Brotherhood Question to Ottawa
Activists Call on Ottawa to Investigate Brotherhood—An Overdue Task
October 23, 2026
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Gregg Roman
The Trump administration’s ongoing fraud probe into Somali-born Rep. Ilhan Omar’s refugee and U.S. citizenship approvals carries much more importance than many Americans realize as this political theater unfolds. Image: Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks during a public reception at the annual Muslim Advocacy Day at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.; April 28, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Ilhan Omar Investigation Red Flags Broad Immigration Fraud and Terrorism Security Risks
Because Letting Somalis Into America Is Strictly for High-Stakes Gamblers, the Only Safe Bet with Them Is to Just Refrain
October 23, 2026
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Todd Bensman
The three antisemitisms meet at one point: the demand that the United States step back from Israel. Image: An anti-Israel protest in New York City, May 15, 2021.
Middle East Forum Online
Three Antisemitisms; One Beneficiary
The Three Antisemitisms End at the Same Roll Call, and Tehran Is Counting the Votes.
October 23, 2026
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Gregg Roman
The blue dome of Haydar Khana Mosque rises above this street in Baghdad, Iraq.
Middle East Forum Observer
Is Iraq’s Ali Al-Zaidi Repeating Adil Abdul‑Mahdi’s Mistakes?
By Providing Iran Inroads and Prioritizing Iraq’s Corrupt Ex-Prime Minister over the Masses, Al-Zaidi Is Disappointing Iraqis
October 23, 2026
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Michael Rubin
Libyan flags fly over Tripoli, the country's capital city.
Middle East Forum Observer
Eastern Libya’s Pro-Turkish Tilt Is Wrong but Was Avoidable. U.S. Passivity Has a Cost
By Ignoring Benghazi, the State Department and Many in Europe Opened the Door to Turkey to Seize Advantage
October 23, 2026
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Michael Rubin
Israeli soldiers oversee the demolition of a Palestinian home in Tarqumiyah, West Bank, in February 2026.
Middle East Forum Observer
Settler Violence Is a Problem but Context and Categories Matter
Critics Must Not Portray Israeli Offenses as Representative of the Settler Population, nor Marginalize Palestinian Terrorism
October 23, 2026
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Alex Selsky
A mother walks her two girls dressed in traditional black-and-white school dress in Khudat, Azerbaijan.
Middle East Forum Observer
Azerbaijan Should Not Cave to Islamist Pressure on Female Education
Schoolgirls Cannot Become Hostages Trapped Between Their Parents’ Religious Convictions and Rigid State Policies
October 23, 2026
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Davood Moradian
A long coastline, a weak central government and a position between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa have repeatedly made Yemen a relay station for militant movements, a place where ideas, money and weapons arrive from outside, where fighters are trained and organized, and from which capability is sent onward across the water.
Middle East Forum Online
The Yemen–Horn of Africa Corridor: Houthi Expansion and the Gap in American Red Sea Strategy
Iran’s Proxies Now Have Proxies of Their Own
October 22, 2026
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Hussein Aboubakr Mansour