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
Middle East Quarterly
Brief Reviews
June 1, 2023
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
Armies of Arabia: Military Politics and Effectiveness in the Gulf
June 1, 2023
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
Kreisky, Israel, and Jewish Identity
June 1, 2023
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) are Palestinian terror organizations committed to annihilating Israel, controlling Gaza, and threatening to launch attacks at times of their choosing if Jerusalem does not act as they demand.
Middle East Quarterly
How Israel Can Solve Its Gaza Problem
June 1, 2023
 · 
Yossi Kuperwasser
Gary Gambill
Middle East Quarterly
How to Write a Jihadist’s Biography, or Not
March 1, 2023
 · 
A.J. Caschetta
Gary Gambill
Middle East Quarterly
World Vision, Friend of Terrorists
March 1, 2023
 · 
Clifford Smith
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
The Critical Qur’an: Explained from Key Islamic Commentaries and Contemporary Historical Research
March 1, 2023
 · 
Robert Spencer
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
The Massacre That Never Was: The Myth of Deir Yassin and the Creation of the Palestinian Refugee Problem
March 1, 2023
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
Medina lemekhira (State for Sale)
March 1, 2023
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
The Olive Branch from Palestine: The Palestinian Declaration of Independence and the Path out of the Current Impasse
March 1, 2023
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Gary Gambill
Middle East Quarterly
The Treacherous Triangle of Syria, Iran, and Russia
March 1, 2023
 · 
Anna Borshchevskaya
Gary Gambill
Middle East Quarterly
South Africa’s Anti-Israel Obsession
Jerusalem’s International Challenges
March 1, 2023
 · 
Michael B. Bishku
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
The Political Economy of Reforms in Egypt: Issues and Policymaking since 1952
March 1, 2023
Gary Gambill
Middle East Quarterly
Why Israel Is Judged Differently
Jerusalem’s International Challenges
March 1, 2023
 · 
Shale Horowitz
Middle East Quarterly
Brief Reviews
March 1, 2023
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
Jerusalem: History of a Global City
March 1, 2023
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood against Islam
March 1, 2023
 · 
Raymond Ibrahim
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
When Parliaments Ruled the Middle East: Iraq and Syria, 1946–63
March 1, 2023
Gary Gambill
Middle East Quarterly
The Quiet War between Israel and Iran
Iran’s Hegemonic Drive
January 1, 2023
 · 
Jonathan Schanzer
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
The Age of Political Jihadism: A Study of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
January 1, 2023
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The publication of the picture comes as Israel finds itself in repeated and avoidable fiascos around its relationship with Christians.
Middle East Forum Online
Destruction of Jesus Statue Should Serve as Moral Wake-up Call for IDF, Israel
It Is Hard to Think of an Image That Could Be More Damaging to Israel on the World Stage Right Now
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A U.S.-Iran nuclear deal must not repeat the mistakes of previous agreements.
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Has the Iran War Made Its Regime More Radical? Yes, and Easier to Eliminate
Hardliners Normally Are the Last Men Standing, and Trump Should Grant Their Wish to Fight to the Death
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