By Any Military Standard, the Islamic Republic Suffered a Catastrophe
For the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Compromise Is an Ideological Danger
Iran May Now Be Free to Rebuild Its Battered but Intact Structures of Power
Expanding Influence Has Emboldened Erdoğan’s Government and Vision of a Middle East Where Islamist Movements Dominate
Iran-Backed Armed Groups Long Have Used Religious Narratives to Recast Coercion as Duty, Sacrifice, and Defense of Religion
No Agreement, Not This One and Not a Better One, Can Permanently Guarantee That Iran Never Builds a Nuclear Weapon
The Place, Very Clearly, Where Trump Feels Comfortable Is Where Deals Are Made
Albania Is Pushing a Large Tourism Development Planned in the Environmentally Protected Narta Lagoon and Surrounding Area
Left-wing Political Parties Opening Doors to the Muslim Brotherhood
The Qualitative Military Edge Was Never Meant to Be a Permanent External Gift
Tehran’s Cuban Proxy Is Not an Existential Threat, but It Is a Distraction for the United States That Iran Built at Minimal Expense
Iran’s Foreign Minister Reassured Hardliners That Negotiations Do Not Represent Political Rapprochement with the United States
Deeper Economic Integration Helps Create a More Predictable Framework for a Relationship That Is Vital to India’s Energy Needs
New Gas from Absheron Will Not on Its Own Transform Europe’s Energy Balance, but It Will Add Valuable Supply Diversity
The Problem in Canada Is the Persistent Unwillingness of Political Leaders, Media Institutions, and Public Officials to Discuss the Issue Honestly
Spotlight on a Deal with Iran
There have been many claims of an imminent deal between the United States and Iran recently. No deal has emerged and many versions have been floated as both sides jockey for an advantage in negotiations. The regime seems as recalcitrant as ever.
The most recent version on May 28th is purported to simply be awaiting signatures from the leaders of both countries. Is there a deal to be made that is worth doing or is the regime simply too much of an impediment to the security in the region? MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
The most recent version on May 28th is purported to simply be awaiting signatures from the leaders of both countries. Is there a deal to be made that is worth doing or is the regime simply too much of an impediment to the security in the region? MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
As unrest spreads across Iran, the regime and the opposition both face narrowing choices.
Military Officials May Believe the Civilian Governing Structure Is Too Fragmented and Indecisive to Manage the Country
Why the Newly Revealed American-Israeli Plan Never Stood a Chance
Once Trump Has a Credible Partner, He Should Dictate the Terms
Iran’s Competing Power Centers Are Shaping Negotiations, Escalation Risks, and Regional Strategic Decisions
Spotlight on the Gulf States
The combined US and Israeli war against Iran also drew in a number of the Gulf States. Iran’s decision to attack them immediately after Operation Epic Fury began was meant to split them away. In perhaps the most fatal mistake for its survival, it ended up bringing them closer and creating a counter-Iran alliance.
The Abraham Accords are back under discussion and an idea of what type of power structure will replace Iran and its proxies has begin to emerge. That must survive the usual rivalries between the Gulf States themselves, but it seems to be a positive development.
The Abraham Accords are back under discussion and an idea of what type of power structure will replace Iran and its proxies has begin to emerge. That must survive the usual rivalries between the Gulf States themselves, but it seems to be a positive development.
Iran’s Broader Objective Appears to Be the Gradual Decoupling of Arab Oil Producers of the Persian Gulf from the U.S. Security Umbrella
A Consequential Fault Line in the Middle East Runs Not Just Between Riyadh and Tehran but Between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi
How a Coordinated International Campaign Is Targeting the United Arab Emirates
The Pipeline Would Cost Billions of Dollars, Take Years to Build, and Would Cross Multiple Jurisdictions, Not All of Them Reliable
The Decision Sends a Signal That National Priorities Now Outweigh Collective Discipline
Recovery Will Not Be Simply a Return to the Old Model, Now That Gulf States Are Diversifying Their Energy and Economies
Middle East Quarterly - Summer 2026
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.
Summer 2026 Volume 33: Number 3
Summer 2026 Volume 33: Number 3
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Secretary Kennedy Confirms Review That Could Bar the Hamas-Aligned Group from All Federal Funding for a Decade -
A Cross-Spectrum Coalition Backs Rep. Chip Roy’s H.R. 8236, Citing Condemnation of CAIR That Runs from Republican Governors to Democratic Attorneys General -
The Middle East Forum Stands by Its Mission and Will Not Be Intimidated -
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Hearing, Co-Chaired by Reps. Christopher H. Smith and James P. McGovern, Examines Whether Turkey Can Reverse Its Democratic Backsliding
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The Obstacle to Peace Between Israel and Lebanon Is an Armed Non-State Militia Actor—Hezbollah—That Pledges Allegiance to Iran and That Wants to Stay Dominant in Lebanon -
There Is an Anti-Islamophobic Expression Movement Which Holds That Little, If Any, Criticism of Islam and Its Adherents Should Be Permitted -
Hezbollah Has No Interest in Lebanese Sovereignty or Peace and Is Simply Acting as a Tool for Iran and Other Rejectionists
Middle East Forum Observer
Founded in 2024, the Observer provides rapid analysis on leading Middle East developments, from Marrakech to Mashhad and the Bab el-Mandeb to the Black Sea.
Launched in 2006, Islamist Watch is a project of the Middle East Forum. We work to combat the ideas and institutions of lawful Islamism in the United States and throughout the West. Arguing that “radical Islam is the problem, moderate Islam is the solution,” we seek to expose the Islamist organizations that currently dominate the debate, while identifying and promoting the work of moderate Muslims.
CAMPUS WATCH, a project of the Middle East Forum, reviews and critiques Middle East studies in North America with an aim to improving them. The project mainly addresses five problems: analytical failures, the mixing of politics with scholarship, intolerance of alternative views, apologetics, and the abuse of power over students. Campus Watch fully respects the freedom of speech of those it debates while insisting on its own freedom to comment on their words and deeds.
Antisemitism
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European Jews Are Abandoning Multiculturalism—Which Doesn’t Include Them—for Israel -
Both the Anti-Zionist Left and the Isolationist Right Are Undermining a Strategic Alliance -
With Spain’s Government Collapsing Under Documented Corruption, Prosecutors Need the Relevant Intelligence -
The Middle East Quarterly, MEF’s Journal Intended for Both Scholars and the Educated Public, Features Historical Articles and Book Reviews on Subjects Ranging From Archaeology to Politics
Gaza
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Egypt’s Refusal to Confront Hamas Exposes the Gaza Stabilization Force’s Fatal Mandate Problem -
Washington’s Strategic Dependence on Cairo Has Turned IMF Reform Into Political Theater -
Israeli Actions Generate Immediate Debate, but Comparable Institutional Urgency Rarely Applies to Hamas’s Rule over Gaza -
Israel Could Indulge in a Sociological Experiment: Open the Ports and Gates, Transfer the Volunteers Onto the Beach of Gaza City, and Watch
Muslims in the US
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Supporter Calls on IRUSA to Register as ‘Church’ to Avoid Government Scrutiny -
Dearborn and the Surrounding Communities Act as a Base of Support for the Decades-Long Propaganda War Against the Jewish Diaspora in America -
Group that Affirmed Hamas’s October 7 Attack Defends Terrorists in India -
Are Al-Sadri ‘Guest Houses’ Recruiting Grounds for Foreign Militia?
