<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

A 3D logo of Vision 2030 from the obverse side of 200 Saudi Riyal banknote. Facing ballooning costs and questionable viability, Saudi Arabia is scaling back giga-projects like Neom, signaling a new market-driven discipline that nonetheless leaves the state as the primary economic driver.

Economics

Politics

Facing ballooning costs and questionable viability, Saudi Arabia is scaling back giga-projects like Neom, signaling a new market-driven discipline that nonetheless leaves the state as the primary economic driver.

The Mixed Record of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030

Yemen's Houthi fighters man machine guns mounted on trucks as they participate in a weaponized protest staged against the United States and Israel on Nov. 6, 2025 in Sanaa, Yemen. 

Energy

Global Trade

Military & Security

Israel is expected to soon launch another offensive against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, which will risk reigniting the civil war and exposing Gulf countries and Red Sea shipping to retaliatory attacks.

What a Renewed Israel-Houthi Conflict Would Mean for Yemen and Gulf Security

Brazil

United States

China

Campaign posters Nov. 6 ahead of Nov. 11 Iraqi parliamentary elections in central Baghdad.

Environment, Science & Technology

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

The Weekly Rundown: Iraqi Elections, a U.S.-China Deal Enters Effect

U.S.-China Relations

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Tayr Debba on Nov. 6, 2025. 

Despite Lebanon's diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions with Israel, stalled progress on Hezbollah's disarmament portends intensified Israeli airstrikes that would risk collapsing the Lebanese government and even triggering another war.

The Growing Risk of a New Hezbollah-Israel War

Russia

Entrance signage is seen at OPEC's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on July 23, 2024.

Riyadh and its Gulf partners will likely prioritize OPEC+ unity and cooperation with Moscow on oil policy over boosting production to offset Russian supply losses from U.S. sanctions, even if it risks irking Washington.

Why Saudi Arabia Won't Backfill Russia's Sanctioned Oil Exports

An aerial photo shows the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

Social Issues

An aspiring middle power, Riyadh must still balance ancient imperatives with modern challenges before it reaches the kind of geopolitical security enjoyed by neighbors like Turkey, Iran and Egypt.

The Modern Geopolitics of Saudi Arabia

A girl walks past posters and banners depicting political candidates from rival blocs competing for a seat in the Iraqi Council of Representatives in old Mosul, northern Iraq, on Oct. 28, 2025, days before the Nov. 11, 2025, parliamentary elections.

Backed by a coalition that reaches across ethnic and sectarian divides, Iraq's current prime minister will likely maintain his position after the country's upcoming parliamentary elections, portending relative foreign policy continuity.

Assessing Iraq's Political Landscape Ahead of Legislative Elections

Global Elections

Columns

On Security

Kenya

Madagascar

Nigeria

South Africa

Chile

Ecuador

Peru

Indonesia

Philippines

Thailand

Serbia

Bangladesh

Nepal

Fire rages through the Singha Durbar, the main administrative building for the Nepal government, in Kathmandu on Sept. 9, 2025, after youth protesters set fire to the building. 

Recent events in Nepal, Madagascar and elsewhere show how digitally coordinated, leaderless protests can succeed, but eventually face even larger challenges in sustaining the momentum for change.

Worldwide Gen Z Protesters May Be Disappointed With Their Success

Snapshots

The new headquarters for Egypt's House of Representatives, the lower house of the country's legislature, is seen on Aug. 1, 2023, at the New Administrative Capital megaproject, which is about 45 kilometers east of the current capital, Cairo. 

With the opposition sufficiently sidelined, pro-government parties will retain a strong majority in the House of Representatives, potentially enabling President al-Sisi to pursue constitutional changes to extend his term.

Egyptian Lower-House Elections To Reaffirm al-Sisi's Dominance

Media

Podcasts

Why are certain countries and regions more susceptible to youth protests?

Essential Geopolitics: Implications of the Growing Gen Z Protests in Africa

A Saudi official announced that the kingdom would increase economic trade with Lebanon because Lebanese authorities had successfully cracked down on its drug trade, especially of methamphetamines and Captagon, Reuters reported on Nov. 13.

Saudi Arabia, Lebanon: Saudi Arabia To Increase Trade With Lebanon

Iraq's electoral commission announced that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's Reconstruction and Development Alliance garnered the most votes in the Nov. 11 parliamentary elections and is expected to have won around 45 of 329 seats in Iraq's unicameral Council of Representatives, Reuters reported on Nov. 12.

Iraq: Electoral Commission Releases Preliminary Parliamentary Election Results

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

South Asia

The International Energy Agency stated in its World Energy Outlook, published Nov. 12, that oil demand would not peak by 2050 unless current energy transition policies globally became more ambitious.

Global: IEA's 2025 World Energy Outlook Published With New Current Policies Scenario

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The United States is reportedly planning to build a $500 million military base capable of housing several thousand troops near Gaza to monitor the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, The Times of Israel reported on Nov. 11.

U.S., Israel: U.S. Reportedly Planning Base in Israel To Monitor Ceasefire

stanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek submitted an indictment that accused Turkey's chief opposition presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu of leading a criminal organization and proposed prison sentences ranging from 828 to 2,352 years, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 11.

Turkey: Prosecutor Seeks 2,000-Year Sentence for Imamoglu in Bid To Bar Him From Presidential Run

Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss the removal of additional U.S. sanctions on Syria, regional security in the Middle East and the possibility of Syria joining the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, Reuters reported on Nov. 10.

Syria, U.S.: Syria's Interim President Visits the White House

Kazakhstan

During an Oval Office meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Nov. 6 confirmed his country's decision to join the Abraham Accords in a trilateral call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

U.S., Israel: Kazakhstan Agrees To Join Abraham Accords

At U.S. urging, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution lifting sanctions on Syria's provisional President Ahmad al-Sharaa and interior minister Anas Hasan Khattab that were designed to target members and supporters of terrorist groups like the Islamic State and al Qaeda, AP reported on Nov. 6.

Syria: U.N. Lifts Sanctions in Win for Reconstruction, Though Obstacles Remain

Middle East and North Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Saudi Arabia, Lebanon: Saudi Arabia To Increase Trade With Lebanon

Iraq: Electoral Commission Releases Preliminary Parliamentary Election Results

Global: IEA's 2025 World Energy Outlook Published With New Current Policies Scenario

U.S., Israel: U.S. Reportedly Planning Base in Israel To Monitor Ceasefire

Turkey: Prosecutor Seeks 2,000-Year Sentence for Imamoglu in Bid To Bar Him From Presidential Run

Syria, U.S.: Syria's Interim President Visits the White House

U.S., Israel: Kazakhstan Agrees To Join Abraham Accords

Syria: U.N. Lifts Sanctions in Win for Reconstruction, Though Obstacles Remain

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