Middle East and North Africa

List of Middle East and North Africa articles

Workers load aid supplies into a military plane bound for Port Sudan at the Abu Dhabi International Airport on May 10.
Workers load aid supplies into a military plane bound for Port Sudan at the Abu Dhabi International Airport on May 10.

U.S. Sudan Sanctions Won’t Work Without the UAE’s Help

Washington must lean on Abu Dhabi to halt its support for Hemeti’s RSF.

Tunisian Maritime National Guard officials intercept tiny boats carrying migrants before towing them back to the shore of the Tunisian city of Sfax on June 23.
Tunisian Maritime National Guard officials intercept tiny boats carrying migrants before towing them back to the shore of the Tunisian city of Sfax on June 23.

How Tunisia Became Europe’s Border Guard

Another crackdown is targeting Black Africans seeking to enter the EU.

A mural depicting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first supreme leader after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, is pictured as women walk along Enghelab Square in central Tehran on Sept. 10.
A mural depicting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first supreme leader after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, is pictured as women walk along Enghelab Square in central Tehran on Sept. 10.

Why Did Last Year’s Protest Movement in Iran Fail?

The supreme leader learned what not to do from the Shah.

El Hardi kneels next to his dog Rock, amid tangled piles of rubble, water, and some intact buildings, during their search in Derna, Libya.
El Hardi kneels next to his dog Rock, amid tangled piles of rubble, water, and some intact buildings, during their search in Derna, Libya.

‘We’ll Start Digging Here’

Unusually virulent weather and poor infrastructure have brought hell to eastern Libya.

A man pushes a trolley past a partially collapsed building in Marrakech, Morocco.
A man pushes a trolley past a partially collapsed building in Marrakech, Morocco.

What in the World?

Test yourself on the week of Sept. 9: An earthquake devastates Morocco, Kim Jong Un leaves Pyongyang for a key summit, and a French official is arrested abroad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed following the G-20 meeting on Sept. 13 in New Delhi, India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed following the G-20 meeting on Sept. 13 in New Delhi, India.

Is the G-20 Useless?

As another multilateral forum issued a watered-down statement, Russia and North Korea met to deepen military ties.

Clashes between Kurds and Arab tribes in Deir ez-Zor spread to Manbij, in Syria, on Sept. 1.
Clashes between Kurds and Arab tribes in Deir ez-Zor spread to Manbij, in Syria, on Sept. 1.

Why Clashes in Northern Syria Threaten U.S. Strategy in the Region

An outbreak of Arab-Kurdish violence threatens to upset the delicate balance that kept the Islamic State and other U.S. adversaries at bay.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.

Ethiopian migrants walk on foot along a highway to cross into Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 23, on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen.
Ethiopian migrants walk on foot along a highway to cross into Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 23, on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen.

Biden Is Letting Saudi Arabia Get Away With Murder, Again

Riyadh’s forces are killing defenseless Ethiopian migrants at its border, and Washington and its allies don’t seem to care.

U.S. President Bill Clinton, wearing a dark suit with his arms stretched wide, stands on a platform between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat as they shake hands after signing the historic Oslo Accords at front of the White House in 1993.
U.S. President Bill Clinton, wearing a dark suit with his arms stretched wide, stands on a platform between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat as they shake hands after signing the historic Oslo Accords at front of the White House in 1993.

Why the Oslo Peace Process Failed

And what it means for future negotiators.

Erdogan walks beside a row of Turkish flags.
Erdogan walks beside a row of Turkish flags.

Erdogan Has No Choice but to Reconcile With Assad

The Turkish leader is in a weak position to dictate the terms of what the new normal with Syria will be.

A Saudi man wearing a white traditional headdress walks past a framed Andy Warhol artwork.
A Saudi man wearing a white traditional headdress walks past a framed Andy Warhol artwork.

Saudi Arabia Really Wants You to Think It’s Cool

The desert kingdom’s rebranding project goes way beyond sportswashing. But it’s all a little too contrived.

Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo runs across the grass on a pitch as he celebrates a goal. Ronaldo's arms are outstretched, and he sticks out his tongue as he looks up at the crowd in the stands.
Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo runs across the grass on a pitch as he celebrates a goal. Ronaldo's arms are outstretched, and he sticks out his tongue as he looks up at the crowd in the stands.

The Gulf Is Playing Hardball With European Soccer

Critics say petrodollars are wrecking the beautiful game—in a way that rubles, euros, and baht never quite did.

A close-up image shows Sisi's face with a serious expression.
A close-up image shows Sisi's face with a serious expression.

Egypt’s Sisi Rules by Fear—and Is Ruled by It

By falsely labeling all critics as Muslim Brotherhood shills, the Egyptian president shows how scared he really is.

An Iranian holds a cardboard cutout of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz during a demonstration against airstrikes carried out by a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi and allied positions in Yemen, outside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran, on April 13, 2015.
An Iranian holds a cardboard cutout of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz during a demonstration against airstrikes carried out by a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi and allied positions in Yemen, outside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran, on April 13, 2015.

Peace With Israel Means War With Iran

There’s a dangerous flip side to Saudi Arabia’s potential new diplomatic deal.

Two Chinese construction workers wearing reflective vests push wheelbarrows down a paved plaza at a work site at Egypt’s new administrative capital project. Skyscrapers and palm trees line the street behind the workers.
Two Chinese construction workers wearing reflective vests push wheelbarrows down a paved plaza at a work site at Egypt’s new administrative capital project. Skyscrapers and palm trees line the street behind the workers.

BRICS Expansion Could Help Egypt’s Ailing Economy

New additions to the bloc from Africa are linked by their opposition to a Western-dominated financial system.

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