<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

YemenYemenis rally to show their support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council on Dec. 14, 2025.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Military & Security

Politics

Escalating tensions and potential violence between the Southern Transitional Council and Saudi-backed forces create security vacuums that Houthi rebels will likely exploit.



Yemen's Anti-Houthi Bloc Is Fracturing

Sub-Saharan Africa

Mozambique

Republic of the Congo

Somalia

Afghanistan

A destroyed church is seen in Mosul, Iraq.

The Islamic State's main threat to the West in 2026 will remain its ability to inspire lone-actor violence, though in the coming years the group's African, Afghan and Syrian branches may become increasingly capable of directing mass casualty attacks in Western countries.

The Islamic State's Enduring Threat to the West

People walk through a main square in Algeria's capital of Algiers on Sept. 15, 2024.

Economics

Energy

By introducing Sharia-compliant debt instruments, the Algerian government aims to tap into significant informal savings and diversify its funding sources while avoiding external debt. 

Algeria's Islamic Bonds an Incomplete Step Toward Diversifying Government Revenues

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

South Asia

A container ship arrives Oct. 10 at the Port of Oakland, California. In 2026, political calculations among major global players will significantly shape international affairs.

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

In 2026, political calculations among major global players will significantly shape international affairs.

2026 Annual Forecast: A Global Overview

Tunisia's President Kais Saied (top-R) waits to take his oath of office during his swearing-in ceremony before the National Assembly in Tunis on Oct. 21, 2024. 

Despite tensions with union leaders, Tunisia's controversial finance bill will introduce reforms that attract foreign investment and increase production in key sectors.

Strikes Loom as Tunisia's Government Undermines Labor Union

Israeli air defence systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv amid a fresh barrage of Iranian rockets on June 16, 2025.

If effective, the laser air defense system will significantly reduce the cost of intercepting short-range aerial threats and bolster Israel's multilayered protection against aerial attacks.


The Role of Iron Beam in Israel's Evolving Defense Architecture

Jordanian police close the entrance of a Muslim Brotherhood headquarters on April 23, 2025, in Amman, Jordan.

While the White House has initiated a review process to label the Muslim Brotherhood a Foreign Terrorist Organization, it is unlikely to result in a comprehensive ban on the group.

U.S. Unlikely To Broadly Designate Muslim Brotherhood as a Terrorist Organization

Palestinian Hamas militants stand guard as Egyptian and Red Cross workers search for the bodies of the last two remaining hostages from under the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 1, 2025.

The shift toward a low-intensity conflict in the Gaza Strip will likely enable Israel to keep pressuring Hamas to disarm without triggering significant backlash or a resumption of Houthi maritime attacks.

Israel Moves Toward a De Facto Partition of Gaza

Snapshots

Yemenis stand under a billboard depicting the seizure of an Israeli-linked ship in the sea by Yemen's Houthi-run coast guards during a demonstration staged in solidarity with the people of Gaza and against U.S. President Donald Trump's deal to end the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 3, 2025, in Sanaa, Yemen. 

While the partnership provides tactical benefits, structural limitations on Houthi resources and al Shabaab's financial independence suggest the relationship will remain opportunistic.

The Outlook for Cooperation Between Yemen's Houthis and Somalia's al Shabaab

A photograph taken from the Israeli side of the border with southern Lebanon shows U.N. peacekeepers clearing landmines on Nov. 19, 2025. 

Rare direct talks between the neighboring adversaries will probably continue despite Hezbollah's objections, but Israel's likely refusal to offer meaningful concessions will sustain a high risk of renewed conflict in the coming months.

Lebanon-Israel Talks Are Unlikely To Pave the Way for Peace

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global hunger monitor, wrote in an assessment that there was no longer a famine in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported on Dec. 19.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Global Hunger Monitor Declares Famine Is No Longer Present in Gaza

Ethiopia

Sudan

Following a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Egyptian presidential office issued a statement on Dec. 18 that outlined a series of "red lines" regarding Sudan's civil war, namely the preservation of Sudan's territorial integrity, the rejection of parallel government entities and the preservation of state institutions.

Egypt: Cairo Outlines 'Red Lines' in Sudan, Secures SAF Support on Nile Tensions

India

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Oman, India signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement to strengthen bilateral trade and investment, Reuters reported on Dec. 18.

India, Oman: Governments Sign Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

The U.S. Senate repealed the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act as part of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act in a 77-20 vote with bipartisan support to permanently end U.S. sanctions on Syria, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 17.

U.S., Syria: U.S. Congress Repeals Caesar Act Sanctions

Russia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Turkey to return the S-400 missile defense system it received in 2019 and recoup billions of dollars spent on the initial purchase, potentially in deductions from Turkey's oil and natural gas import bills, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 17.

Turkey, Russia, U.S.: Erdogan Seeks To Return Russia's S-400 To Ease U.S. Sanctions

Burkina Faso

Mali

Laos

The Trump administration expanded its travel ban to include full restrictions on several sub-Saharan African countries, including Mali and Burkina Faso, Laos, Syria and individuals with Palestinian Authority-issued passports, as well as partial restrictions on several Caribbean and other African countries, the White House announced on Dec. 16.

U.S.: Trump Expands Travel Ban, Effective Jan. 1

Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, backed by the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, affirmed SAF Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's "keenness" to work with U.S. President Donald Trump to resolve Sudan's civil war between the SAF and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, Al Arabiya reported on Dec. 16.

Sudan: SAF Stresses Readiness To Work With Trump To End Civil War

U.S. CENTCOM held a conference in Doha, Qatar, with some 45 countries to discuss a possible Gaza stabilization force, with U.S. officials optimistic that at least some forces could be deployed behind the so-called yellow line in Gaza under Israeli control in 2026, The Times of Israel reported on Dec. 16.

Israel, Gaza: Qatar Hosts U.S.-Led Gaza Stabilization Forum, With Little Sign of Progress

Middle East and North Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Global Hunger Monitor Declares Famine Is No Longer Present in Gaza

Egypt: Cairo Outlines 'Red Lines' in Sudan, Secures SAF Support on Nile Tensions

India, Oman: Governments Sign Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

U.S., Syria: U.S. Congress Repeals Caesar Act Sanctions

Turkey, Russia, U.S.: Erdogan Seeks To Return Russia's S-400 To Ease U.S. Sanctions

U.S.: Trump Expands Travel Ban, Effective Jan. 1

Sudan: SAF Stresses Readiness To Work With Trump To End Civil War

Israel, Gaza: Qatar Hosts U.S.-Led Gaza Stabilization Forum, With Little Sign of Progress

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