<p>The Middle East and North Africa is the world&#39;s crossroads. It encompasses the Arabian Peninsula, the mountains of Iran, the plains of Turkey, the deserts of the Levant, the lands north of the Sahara and all coasts in between. The story of the region, as is so often the case of places stuck between foreign players, is the story of trade, exchange and conflict. The traditional powers of the region are Turkey and Iran &mdash; Saudi Arabia and Egypt are the current Arab powers &mdash; and their competition for influence over the region&#39;s weaker states makes the Middle East and North Africa an arena of violence and instability.</p>

The Middle East and North Africa encompasses the Arabian Peninsula, the mountains of Iran, the plains of Turkey, the deserts of the Levant, the lands north of the Sahara and all coasts in between.

Middle East and North Africa

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Libya

Morocco

Oman

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Tunisia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Western Sahara

Yemen

The Syrian Civil War

The Yemen Civil War

The Libyan Civil War

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The Saudi Survival Strategy

The Kurdish Struggle

Iran's Arc of Influence

Israel's Survival Strategy

The Difficulties of North African Reform

Egypt's Uphill Battle

The Battle for Mosul

Assessments

Israel's parliament meets March 20, 2023, in Jerusalem. A caretaker government would likely make concessions in Gaza, while a new government would likely take a different approach than Netanyahu toward Hezbollah and Iran.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Military & Security

Politics

A caretaker government would likely make concessions in Gaza, while a new government would likely take a different approach than Netanyahu toward Hezbollah and Iran.

How a Government Collapse Could Alter Israeli Foreign Policy

Kenya

South Africa

United States

China

Poland

Economics

Global Trade

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: A U.S. Tariff Ruling, Israel's Opposition Seeks To Dissolve the Knesset

U.S.-China Relations

Smoke and fire erupted from the site of an Israeli airstrike on a suburb south of Beirut, Lebanon, on June 5, 2025. 

The attacks appear designed to keep Hezbollah weak, while pressuring the Lebanese government to take quicker and more aggressive steps toward the group's disarmament. 

What To Make of Israel's Latest Strikes on Lebanon

Columns

On Geopolitics

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) interacts with Oman Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Asaad (second from right) as they prepare to pose for photos with leaders during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Leaders' Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025.

Energy

Despite Trump's recent sharp words on his predecessor's "forever wars," U.S. trade and energy interests will keep him engaged in the region, though in ways that rely more on economic and diplomatic leverage, as opposed to military campaigns.

Is the Era of U.S. Interventionism in the Middle East Over?

Europe

Russia

India

Pakistan

The Geopolitics of Trade

Turkey's export strategy necessitates trade partnerships with countries in many different spheres of influence, portending both risks and opportunities as Ankara attempts to maintain its neutral middle-power status.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Turkey's Export Strategy Hinges on Neutrality

Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan hold the movement's flag during a demonstration in the capital, Amman, on Nov. 28, 2014.

Militant factions of the Muslim Brotherhood will likely go underground in Jordan following the government's ban on the organization, but Iranian influence and persistent socioeconomic grievances will sustain risks of violence.

In Jordan, a Ban Pushes the Muslim Brotherhood Underground

Media

Podcasts

How does Turkey's political uncertainty affect its economic outlook?

Essential Geopolitics: Turkey's Current Political Environment

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters aboard Air Force One on May 14, 2025, as he flies to Doha, Qatar, for his first trip to the Middle East since returning to the White House. 

Trump's decision to lift sanctions will help kickstart Syria's war-torn economy and strengthen its new government, but sectarian infighting, Israeli aggression and a resurging Islamic State could still hamper progress.

In Syria, the Promise and Limits of U.S. Sanctions Relief

A Syrian Kurdish woman waves a flag bearing a picture of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, as people gather in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria to listen to a message from the jailed leader on Feb. 27, 2025. 

While the disbandment will reduce the near-term risk of Kurdish militant attacks, the peace process could still collapse, which would rob the government of the political support it needs to secure Erdogan's 2028 reelection bid.

What the PKK's Disbandment Means for Turkish Politics and Security

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B aircraft over the North Sea having taken off from RAF Fairford on July 1, 2016 in Gloucestershire, England. The tactic designed to allow intervention without deepening withdrawalism will instead do the opposite, and Washington will face more and more calls to retrench from the Middle East.

The tactic designed to allow intervention without deepening withdrawalism will instead do the opposite, and Washington will face more and more calls to retrench from the Middle East.

Washington Bumps up Against the Limits of Airpower in the Middle East

Sudan

Clashes broke out near the Sudan-Libya border between the Libyan National Army -- reportedly linked to Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter -- and the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, which is loyal to Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, The Sudan Times reported on June 9. 

Sudan, Libya: Libyan National Army and Sudanese Armed Forces Clash at Border

For the first time, the Israeli navy used missile ships to attack Yemen's Houthi-controlled port of al-Hudaydah, marking the navy's farthest known operation, Al Jazeera reported on June 10.

Israel, Yemen: Israeli Navy Attacks Houthi Port, Israel Threatens Air and Naval Blockade

The Israel Defense Forces intercepted the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel, the Madleen, and 12 humanitarian activists onboard, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and a French member of the European Parliament, CNN reported on June 9.

Israel: IDF Intercepts Gaza-Bound Aid Flotilla

The U.S. State Department sanctioned four International Criminal Court judges for allegedly "targeting" the United States and Israel, including by issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, The Guardian reported on June 5. 

U.S.: State Department Sanctions Four ICC Judges

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government had "activated" local clans in Gaza to counter Hamas, The Wall Street Journal reported on June 5. 

Israel, Gaza: Netanyahu Admits To Arming Criminal Gang To Offset Hamas

Burundi

Chad

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Republic of the Congo

Sierra Leone

Somalia

Togo

Cuba

Haiti

Venezuela

Laos

Myanmar

Turkmenistan

Afghanistan

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a ban barring citizens from 12 countries from traveling to the United States, with the order set to take effect on June 9, The New York Times reported on June 4.

U.S.: Trump Administration Issues New Travel Ban

Israeli media reported that the ultra-Orthodox Shas party was considering joining the United Torah Judaism party in leaving the coalition government, with the latter party's leaders convening on June 5 to discuss next steps, The Times of Israel reported on June 5.

Israel: Government Wavers as Religious Parties Consider Exiting Coalition

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he held a call that lasted over an hour with Russian President Vladimir Putin in which the two discussed the war in Ukraine and Iran's nuclear program, according to a June 4 post on Truth Social.

Russia, U.S.: Trump Announces Call With Putin in Which Two Discuss Ukraine, Iran

U.S.-Iran Relations

Middle East and North Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Sudan, Libya: Libyan National Army and Sudanese Armed Forces Clash at Border

Israel, Yemen: Israeli Navy Attacks Houthi Port, Israel Threatens Air and Naval Blockade

Israel: IDF Intercepts Gaza-Bound Aid Flotilla

U.S.: State Department Sanctions Four ICC Judges

Israel, Gaza: Netanyahu Admits To Arming Criminal Gang To Offset Hamas

U.S.: Trump Administration Issues New Travel Ban

Israel: Government Wavers as Religious Parties Consider Exiting Coalition

Russia, U.S.: Trump Announces Call With Putin in Which Two Discuss Ukraine, Iran

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support