<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

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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

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Rescue teams work at damaged buildings in Nobonyad Square following Israeli airstrikes on June 13, 2025, in Tehran, Iran. 

Global Trade

Military & Security

Politics

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: G7 Leaders' Summit, More Israeli Attacks on Iran

Media

Podcasts

What is the outlook for Hezbollah's disarmament in the coming months?

Essential Geopolitics: The Potential for Militia Disarmament in Lebanon

Snapshots

Smoke rises from a location allegedly targeted in Israel's wave of strikes June 13, 2025, in Tehran, Iran. Israel and Iran are increasingly likely to expand the scope of their attacks to include targets like each other's political leadership, energy infrastructure and other sensitive targets that would open the door to a wider regional war.

Israel and Iran are increasingly likely to expand the scope of their attacks to include targets like each other's political leadership, energy infrastructure and other sensitive targets that would open the door to a wider regional war.

Israel and Iran's Conflict Intensifies, Raising the Risk of a Regional War

U.S.-Iran Relations

A view of the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Israel's massive strikes on Iran's nuclear and military sites mark a sharp escalation likely to trigger sustained retaliation, regional instability and the collapse of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks.

Israel's massive strikes on Iran's nuclear and military sites mark a sharp escalation likely to trigger sustained retaliation, regional instability and the collapse of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks.



What To Expect as Israel Goes After Iran's Nuclear Program, Military Capabilities

An Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft on March 24, 2025, over the city of Yokneam Illit in northern Israel.

Israeli launched a "preemptive" strike on Iran in the early hours of June 13, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced as he declared a special state of emergency inside Israel.

Israel Launches Major Military Strikes on Iran

An aerial depiction of Iran's Zagros Mountains and the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel is growing increasingly likely to strike Iran's nuclear program as U.S.-Iran talks struggle to progress, potentially setting off a cycle of regional escalation that alters Iran's political landscape.

As U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Flounder, Israel Inches Toward Escalation

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

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

China

Poland

Economics

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?

Gulf Arab states condemned Israel's June 13 attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets in a series of official statements, Al Jazeera reported on June 13. 

GCC, Israel: GCC Countries Condemn Israeli Attacks on Iran

European light sweet crude benchmark Brent increased by as much as 12.9%, peaking at $78.50 per barrel on June 13, following Israeli strikes targeting Iran's senior military leadership, nuclear scientists and nuclear program earlier in the day, Bloomberg reported on June 13.

Global: Israel's Attack on Iran Spikes Oil Prices, But Physical Supplies Remain Fairly Secure

Social Issues

A bill that would have dissolved Israel's Knesset was rejected in a 61-53 vote in the legislature on June 12, after the two religious parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, Shas and United Torah Judaism, backed off their threats to support the motion upon reaching a last-minute compromise on ultra-Orthodox conscription, The New York Times has reported.

Israel: Netanyahu Survives Knesset Vote to Dissolve Itself After Last-Minute Compromise With Religious Parties 

Indonesia

Indonesia agreed to purchase 48 KAAN fighter jets from Turkey over the next 10 years, and the deal includes technology transfers, Hurriyet Daily News reported on June 11. 

Turkey, Indonesia: 10-Year Deal Marks Breakout KAAN Fighter Jet Sale

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, is preparing for an ordered evacuation, and the U.S. military has authorized the "voluntary departure" of troops' dependents in the Middle East, AP reported on June 11.

U.S., Iraq: U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Prepares for Ordered Evacuation

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich ordered the cancellation of a waiver that enables cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian banks, just hours after the United Kingdom and four other countries sanctioned him and far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Reuters reported on June 10.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Smotrich Cancels Waiver Allowing Israeli and Palestinian Bank Transactions

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

Middle East and North Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

GCC, Israel: GCC Countries Condemn Israeli Attacks on Iran

Global: Israel's Attack on Iran Spikes Oil Prices, But Physical Supplies Remain Fairly Secure

Israel: Netanyahu Survives Knesset Vote to Dissolve Itself After Last-Minute Compromise With Religious Parties

Turkey, Indonesia: 10-Year Deal Marks Breakout KAAN Fighter Jet Sale

U.S., Iraq: U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Prepares for Ordered Evacuation

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Smotrich Cancels Waiver Allowing Israeli and Palestinian Bank Transactions

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

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