The Shi’a, Constituting 15 Percent of India’s Muslims, Lionize Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Respect the Iranian Religious Hierarchy
Insider Admissions Confirm Turkey’s Role in Engineering Sanctions Workarounds That Later Exploded Into a U.S. Criminal Case
The Group Frames Damascus’s Advance as Apostasy, Betrayal, and Proof of a Broader War on True Believers
The Collapse of Kurdish Control and the Rise of Islamist Rule Create a Jihadi Time Bomb on Israel’s Northern Border
With U.S. Protection Gone, Islamist Forces Move to Dismantle the Kurdish-Led Order in Northern Syria
Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine Operate as Interchangeable Parts of the Same Network
A Landmark Western Energy Deal Revives Production but Risks Entrenching Militia Power and Rentier Corruption
Will Banning Create False Sense of Security?
Saturation Attacks Depend on the Assumption That Defenders Will Deplete Their Interceptors or Face Unsustainable Financial Strain
Turkey Insists Its Naval Mission in Albania Will Continue Despite New Rome–Tirana Agreements
‘You Have Been Identified and Are Under Investigation,’ Repression Forces Said in Marking the Doors of Homes with a Red X
Sustained Engagement with Congressional Offices Remains the Kurds’ Clearest Path to Preserving Structural Autonomy
The Government Effectively Has Been Bankrupt for Years, Running Annual Deficits of Roughly One-Third of Its Budget
Recognition of Somaliland Shatters Ankara’s Maritime Dominance and Redraws the Strategic Map of the Horn of Africa
More than 150,000 Kurds, Arabs, and Christians Are Once Again Under Siege, as Turkish-Backed Forces Block Aid, Gas, and Food
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.
