<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

United States

Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa (right) meets with U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, at the presidential palace in Damascus on July 9, 2025. 

Military & Security

Politics

The U.S. will leverage permanent sanctions relief to pressure Syria to finalize a security pact with Israel, but the Kurds will resist integrating with President Ahmad al-Sharaa's government. 

U.S. Engagement With Syria Will Promote Stability, but Kurdish Integration Will Continue To Lag

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, hold a meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow on Oct.15, 2025. 

Syria's outreach to Russia could lead to diversified economic and security ties, help de-escalate tensions between Russia and Turkey, and eventually facilitate small steps toward Syria's rapprochement with Iran.

Syria-Russia Reapproachment Reinforces Damascus's Non-Confrontationalism

Australia

Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Delegations from the United States and Russia, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, respectively, will meet this week to resume conversations about their countries' bilateral relationship and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. and Russian Delegations Meet, a Still-Fragile Hamas-Israel Ceasefire 

An Israeli military truck carries a tank in southern Israel on the border with the Gaza Strip, on Oct. 14, 2025.

The ceasefire will allow Israel to redirect resources away from Gaza toward other regional threats, particularly Iran, while temporarily easing diplomatic tensions with Egypt and the UAE.

The Regional Implications of the Oct. 8 Gaza Ceasefire

Cameroon

Japan

France

Palestinians on Oct. 10 on Al-Rashid road headed toward Gaza City. U.S. President Donald Trump said he might visit the Middle East just as 20 hostages are meant to be released by Hamas after surviving two years in captivity as the White House pushes for the solidification of a frail ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Tries To Solidify the Gaza Ceasefire, a Presidential Vote in Cameroon

Snapshots

People react at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Oct. 9, 2025, following news of a new Gaza ceasefire deal.

Violence in Gaza will almost certainly decrease as both Israel and Hamas are pressured to comply with the first phase of the ceasefire, keeping the truce intact in the coming days and possibly weeks.

After Two Years of War, a Permanent Gaza Ceasefire?

Demonstrators lift banners during a youth-led protest demanding reforms to public healthcare and education in Casablanca, Morocco, on Oct. 6, 2025.

Economics

The government will likely make some, mostly symbolic, concessions to the youth-led protest movement, which already appears to be weakening, but ongoing grievances related to economic inequality will sustain the risk of future mass protests.

Moroccans' Socioeconomic Grievances Will Persist, Even if Current Gen Z Protests Abate

Columns

On Geopolitics

An antique map showing the area around modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories. 

Current conflict dynamics suggest an uneasy ''one-and-a-half-state'' solution may emerge, where Palestinians are granted limited autonomy in reservation-style territories under Israeli control, potentially mitigating violence but leaving Israel more internationally isolated.

A Palestinian 'Half-State' Could Reduce Violence, but Deepen Israel's Isolation

Tajikistan

Azerbaijan

Georgia

The assembly hall of the Syrian parliament Oct. 1 in Damascus. An Oct. 5 indirect election for parliament will mark the first time Syrians have had an electoral say in their government since the 1960s.

The Weekly Rundown: Japan's Election, Syria's Political Transition

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks to U.S. and Qatari military personnel at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, on May 15, 2025.

The U.S. president's pledge to defend Qatar may deter future Israeli attacks, but it is unlikely to deter Iranian aggression or allay Gulf states' greater concerns about Washington's commitment to their security.

Trump's Security Guarantees for Qatar Unlikely To Offer Enough Reassurance

U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would withdraw "all of its support" from Israel should it carry out annexations in the West Bank, saying he had given his word to Arab countries that he would oppose such action, Time Magazine reported on Oct. 23. 

U.S., Israel: Trump Threatens U.S. Support Over Annexation

Environment, Science & Technology

Tens of thousands of people protested in the southern Tunisian city of Gabes the same day that shops, businesses, schools and markets closed for a general strike to protest pollution and health concerns in the city due to a polluting CGT phosphate plant, Reuters reported on Oct. 21. 

Tunisia: Southern City Sees Labor Strikes and Protests Over Health Concerns, Pollution

Europe

Energy

The United States and Qatar urged the European Union to withdraw or substantially amend its planned Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), arguing it would otherwise complicate liquefied natural gas exports from both countries to the bloc, the Financial Times reported on Oct. 22, citing a joint letter.

EU: U.S. and Qatar Urge Brussels To Amend or Scrap CSDDD, Warning of Risks to LNG Imports

Sub-Saharan Africa

U.S. President Donald Trump's Senior Advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, said in an interview with Bloomberg that the reauthorization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, was "moving positively in the right direction," the news outlet reported on Oct. 20.

U.S., Africa: Trump Administration Hints at Decision by Congress To Revive AGOA by Year-End

Cyprus

Devlet Bahceli, a key ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warned the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus against resuming talks on establishing a two-state federation on the divided island, saying annexation by Turkey was "inevitable" and calling for Northern Cyprus' parliament to declare the recent presidential election results invalid, Bianet reported on Oct. 21.

Turkey, Cyprus: Erdogan Advisor Pressures Northern Cyprus After Presidential Election

Iran voided a Sept. 9 nuclear cooperation agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, that permitted nuclear inspectors to access Iran's nuclear sites, Reuters reported on Oct. 20.

Iran: Tehran Voids Nuclear Cooperation Agreement With IAEA

Morocco revised its 2026 draft budget to increase healthcare and education spending to reach $15 billion, or approximately 10% of Morocco's gross domestic product, Reuters reported on Oct. 19, a day after Gen Z 212 protests resumed.

Morocco: Government Revises Budget To Appease Gen Z 212 Protesters

Israel resumed its truce with Hamas after a weekend of fighting in the Gaza Strip, saying it would resume humanitarian aid but would continue to react to provocations from militants, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 20. 

Israel, Gaza: Ceasefire Wobbles but Holds for Now

Middle East and North Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Israel: Trump Threatens U.S. Support Over Annexation

Tunisia: Southern City Sees Labor Strikes and Protests Over Health Concerns, Pollution

EU: U.S. and Qatar Urge Brussels To Amend or Scrap CSDDD, Warning of Risks to LNG Imports

U.S., Africa: Trump Administration Hints at Decision by Congress To Revive AGOA by Year-End

Turkey, Cyprus: Erdogan Advisor Pressures Northern Cyprus After Presidential Election

Iran: Tehran Voids Nuclear Cooperation Agreement With IAEA

Morocco: Government Revises Budget To Appease Gen Z 212 Protesters

Israel, Gaza: Ceasefire Wobbles but Holds for Now

Forecasts

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