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Middle East and North Africa

Content covering countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Yemen, and more.

Past Events

Roundtable with Hina Khar on Pakistan’s Growing Influence

PAST EVENT

Hina Khar and Leslie Vinjamuri discuss the driving forces behind Pakistan's recent diplomatic initiatives and their potential implications for Pakistan, the Iran War, and the future of the Middle East.

Oct 5
Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar delivers a speech at an international conference on July 8, 2012.
Itsuo Inouye / AP Pool

Strait Talk: Lessons from Hormuz with Samir Saran

PAST EVENT

Observer Research Foundation President Samir Saran joins the Council for a private roundtable discussion on the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis.

Jul 8
Samir Saran speaks to group of people around a table.
Ana Miyares Photography
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Commentary

How Could Iran Happen? An Autopsy.

In the News
Foreign Policy
Ariane Tabatabai

"The administration gutted the country’s institutions, and the United States is left trying to bargain for an outcome worse than the prewar status quo," Council Vice President of Research for Security and Defense Ariane Tabatabai and Julia Curlee write.

President Donald Trump talking with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles as Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens during Operation Epicy Fury
Daniel Torok / The White House via AP
Geopolitics

The Next Defining Moment of the Iran War

Analysis
by Ariane Tabatabai

As the midterm elections approach, the Trump administration has realized its strategy isn’t working. Will economic measures succeed where military operations failed?

A woman waves an Iranian flag during a pro-government gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
Vahid Salemi / AP
US Foreign Policy
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Research

American Favorability of Israel Drops to Record Low

RESEARCH
Public Opinion Survey by Coauthors

Still, a majority of Americans overall continue to say the United States should not take a side in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

US and Israel flags stand outside of the White House
Mark Schiefelbein / AP
Public Opinion

7 in 10 Americans Say Iran War Not Worth Fighting

RESEARCH
Public Opinion Survey by Coauthors

New polling finds 68 percent of Americans believe the costs of the war with Iran have outweighed the benefits, though Republicans stand apart.

Demonstrators rally outside the White House to protest US military action in Iran
Jose Luis Magana / AP
Public Opinion
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Experts

Rachel Bronson 

Lester Crown Senior Nonresident Fellow, Energy and Geopolitics, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
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Expertise
Middle East and North Africa
Geopolitics
US Foreign Policy

Lama El Baz 

Research Associate, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
headshot of Lama El Baz
Expertise
Middle East and North Africa
Public Opinion
US Foreign Policy
Contact
Send a Message or Question
Social Media
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