Reconstruction Talk That Races Ahead of Security Realities Risks Freezing Conflict Rather than Resolving It
When a Centralized Ideological Regime Collapses, the Vacuum Is Never Filled by a Committee of Bureaucrats
Both Moral Clarity and Reciprocity Should Guide New Delhi’s Policy
Activist Used Pseudonym to Promote Iranian Events in U.K.
The Iranian Opposition Divide Is Not Between Monarchists and Republicans, or Right and Left, but Between Pahlavi’s Supporters and Critics
Some Tehran Commentators and Politicians Argue That Trump Wants a Rapid Diplomatic Success and a Nuclear Agreement Is Possible
Changes in One Producer’s Political and Economic Conditions Can Ripple Across Global Energy Markets
![“We see them test our troops. We see them carrying out attacks every week… [Hamas] injured and killed soldiers since the ceasefire began,” IDF Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told The Post at a military outpost in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday.](https://cdn-mef.meforum.org/dims4/default/8583bb5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2704x1521+0+140/resize/568x320!/brightness/16x0/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-mef.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F3d%2F29%2Fd1c530464a578792da895f74a56f%2Fidf-soldier-silhouette-in-gaza.jpg 568w,https://cdn-mef.meforum.org/dims4/default/7706a60/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2704x1521+0+140/resize/768x432!/brightness/16x0/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-mef.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F3d%2F29%2Fd1c530464a578792da895f74a56f%2Fidf-soldier-silhouette-in-gaza.jpg 768w,https://cdn-mef.meforum.org/dims4/default/25705b5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2704x1521+0+140/resize/1024x576!/brightness/16x0/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-mef.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F3d%2F29%2Fd1c530464a578792da895f74a56f%2Fidf-soldier-silhouette-in-gaza.jpg 1024w,https://cdn-mef.meforum.org/dims4/default/62bbe17/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2704x1521+0+140/resize/1440x810!/brightness/16x0/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-mef.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F3d%2F29%2Fd1c530464a578792da895f74a56f%2Fidf-soldier-silhouette-in-gaza.jpg 1440w)
Israeli Forces Claim There Are Violations ‘Every Day’
This Summit Represents a Watershed Moment Where the Maghreb’s ‘African’ Identity Is Being Superseded by an Alignment with Western and Abrahamic Security Interests
For Years, Iraqi Leaders Balanced Privately with Washington While Posturing Publicly Toward Tehran
At Stake Is Not Merely a Bilateral Disagreement but a Broader Recalibration Across the Red Sea-Horn Strategic Corridor
Several Prominent Iran-Backed Bahraini Shi’i Figures Have Emerged Amidst Current U.S.-Iran Tensions
Yet Bangladesh Remains a Country with Islam as Its Official Religion, and Islamists Are the Most Organized Political Entity
For Nearly Eight Decades, the International Community Has Coddled a Unique and Dangerous Fiction: The Perpetual Palestinian Arab Refugee
Delisting the PKK, or at Least Starting the Process, Would Signal That the United States Is Willing to Adapt Its Policies to Evolving Facts
Spotlight on War with Iran
A ceasefire is in effect, somewhat. Negotiations are starting soon in Pakistan about a full deal. There seem to be many obstacles to fulfilling the announced goals of the United States as the Iranians are circulating an entirely different plan.
The Strait of Hormuz was opened and then closed. Israel hit Hezbollah very hard the day after the ceasefire was announced. The future is very uncertain but the bombing has stopped and the talks will begin. MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
The Strait of Hormuz was opened and then closed. Israel hit Hezbollah very hard the day after the ceasefire was announced. The future is very uncertain but the bombing has stopped and the talks will begin. MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
As unrest spreads across Iran, the regime and the opposition both face narrowing choices.
Tehran Appears to Be Moving Toward Conditional Access, While Retaining the Ability to Disrupt Maritime Traffic
The Abrupt Announcement of a Two-Week Ceasefire in the War Between the U.S., Israel, and Iran Resolves None of the Issues Which Caused the Conflict
The Tactical Triumph and Strategic Uncertainty of Operation Epic Fury
While Legal Scholars Seek to Promote and Reinforce International Humanitarian Law, Their Subjectivity and Political Agendas Now Undermine It
The Iranian News Media Have Not Fully Reported the Reverberation of the War on the Iranian Economy
Spotlight on the Middle East
The entire region is affected by the conflict with Iran, but there are many other vital issues being covered by MEF. Political change in Iraq, Corruption in Turkey, and Islamists exerting their influence online and politically.
India and the UAE are deepening ties and tough words from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate to the Pope. The war has caused many problems for security and commerce, but it has also created opportunities. These issues and more are getting the attention of Middle East Forum authors.
India and the UAE are deepening ties and tough words from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate to the Pope. The war has caused many problems for security and commerce, but it has also created opportunities. These issues and more are getting the attention of Middle East Forum authors.
Iraq’s Crisis Is a Problem of Not Only Armed Factions but Also the Political Order That Preserved and Protected Them
Group that Affirmed Hamas’s October 7 Attack Defends Terrorists in India
Experts Warn of Radicalization Persisting at ‘Precariously High Levels’
Vatican Maintains Formal Ties with Top Iranian University Despite Theocratic Regime’s Massacre of Thousands
The Emirates Remains a Stabilizing Actor with Strong Ties to Israel, the United States, and Other Key Regional Players
Explosive Claims Point to Coordinated Pressure Campaign Targeting Wealthy Individuals
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
Spring 2026 Volume 33: Number 2
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.
Gaza
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Moving the Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan Would Be a Massive Undertaking -
Trump Should Consider the Factors Involved Before Spontaneously Threatening Foreign Policy Changes -
The Way Forward for Those Seeking Independence Is Accountability for Their Actions and Rule of Law -
Hamas Now Stands to Rebuild Its Rule over Gaza, and to Reconstitute Its Hold on the Strip
