A survey of armed conflict in the Middle East

How the Arab Spring engulfed the Middle East – and changed the world

The Arab Spring engulfed the Middle East, unleashing consequences that still shape the world today. In 2011, the Arab Spring began with protests in a small Tunisian city. Those protests led to an era of uprisings and civil war in the Arab world,...

An interactive map tracking conflict in the Middle East

Conflict and peace in the Middle East are constantly in flux. Decision-makers need up-to-date developments – both within individual countries and across the greater MENA region – to identify trends and risks of violence, and opportunities for...

Timeline: the Middle East conflict

During the First World War, Western and Arab powers negotiated the future political status of Arab lands. Since WWI, a complex history of political, economic, and social events have fueled tension and violence between Israel and Palestine. This timeline, compiled by Al Jazeera, highlights important global events defining conflict in the Middle East from 1915 to 2007.

The Middle East's cold war, explained

The Middle East is one of the most complex regions in the world, including a complicated web of conflicts and actors. Two countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran, have torn apart the region by supporting opposing sides in other countries and indirectly...

Is there an arms race in the Middle East?

In 2021, countries in the Middle East spent $168 billion on weapons. Defense spending in the Middle East has been falling in the last few years, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that the region is de-militarizing. In 2021, Saudi Arabia spent $55...

Could water scarcity cause future wars in the Middle East?

The MENA region is facing a looming water crisis that could lead to future conflicts. While water scarcity isn't new in the Middle East, the region is among the most water scarce in the world. Home to only 1% of the world's fresh water...

History shows what’s wrong with the idea that war is ‘normal’ in the Middle East

An old trope claims that war is ‘normal’, innate, and inevitable in the Middle East. However, the history of the region reveals complex and civilized systems of coexistence. Empires found economic and political strength in fostering diversity;...

The Sunni-Shia divide has fueled conflict and rivalry throughout the Middle East for centuries

Islam's ancient sectarian split, rooted in a seventh-century dispute over succession following the Prophet Mohammed's death, has shaped modern geopolitics—most visibly in the proxy rivalry between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran, whose competition for regional dominance has inflamed conflicts across Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.

Mapping the Middle East showing Sunni and Shia populations by country

France24's interactive visualization shows where each branch of Islam predominates across the region, from Iran's Shia majority to Saudi Arabia's Sunni dominance. The map helps make Middle Eastern politics (and conflicts) more legible.

The final war between the Persian and Byzantine empires

The Arab conquests of the seventh century, which swept over Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia, were made possible by a catastrophic generation-long war between the Byzantine and Persian Empires. That war, in turn, was the last act in a struggle that had gone on for centuries, and shaped the whole subsequent history of the Middle East.

The Sykes-Picot agreement as seen through Arab eyes

After WWI, the borders of the Middle East were redrawn by two men: Mark Sykes (UK) and Francois Picot (France). Signed in 1916, their secret agreement divided one of the most volatile regions in the world into states, cutting through ethnic and...

An interactive overview of the human toll of the Yemen conflict

The conflict in Yemen shows no signs of stopping. Civilians continue to suffer from military hostilities and human rights violations. More than 20,000 civilians have been killed and injured by the fighting since March 2015, according to the Office...

The Council on Foreign Relations maps conflicts to watch in 2026

This interactive map highlights conflicts to watch in 2026, rating each by likelihood and potential impact and allowing users to explore detailed background on every potential hotspot.

See how the rivalry between Iran and Israel has remade the Middle East

This 2025 documentary explores how the relationship between Iran, Israel, and the United States has shaped Middle Eastern geopolitics for decades. The film covers events leading up to and following the 2025 12-day war involving these nations.

An interactive documentary exploring violence in the Central African Republic

This photographic and audio documentary explores a decade of violence in the Central African Republic. In March 2013, rebel groups in the north of the country united to form Seleka, which went on to take power of CAR’s capital. Waves of violence...

CIA factbook on the Middle East

The CIA’s World Factbook provides a comprehensive overview of 19 Middle Eastern nations. A wide range of background information is provided for: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, the Gaza Strip, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon,...

Syrians in their own words

The conflict in Syria is still alive after 10 years. Thousands of Syrians have been reported missing, hundreds of thousands reported dead, and millions have been displaced. The ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) asked 1,400 Syrians...

The 1967 war was the first use of oil as a geopolitical weapon

Following the June 1967 Arab–Israeli war, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Libya, and Algeria embargoed oil shipments to the US, UK, and West Germany. While the move did not have a large impact, it reshaped global oil flows, and foreshadowed OAPEC's later actions.

The 1979 Iranian Revolution inspired other Islamist movements and alarmed Sunni governments

By establishing the world's first modern Islamic theocracy, the revolution inspired Islamist movements across the region and alarmed Sunni Arab governments. The resulting rivalry between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia has since fueled proxy conflicts in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen that persist today.

Hear how the US and Iran went from close allies to bitter adversaries after the 1979 revolution.

Ceasefires rarely produce a total cessation of violence.

The Arab League has 22 members and very little enforcement power

It was founded in Cairo in 1945 and spans 22 nations across the Middle East and North Africa, ostensibly to coordinate policy on economics, culture, and defense. Its charter says any resolution only binds states that voted for them, rendering most of them toothless.

Protests in Ukraine from 2013 to 2014 set the stage for the current conflict.

Note: graphic content.

Israel’s swift victory in the Six-Day War redrew the map of the Middle East

Learn more about the June 1967 conflict which shifted territorial lines across Israel and its neighbors—Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq—reshaping the Middle East’s political landscape with long-lasting geopolitical ramifications.

A report found that the 2026 Iran war is the largest oil supply disruption in history.

Drug trafficking in the MENA

The Middle East and North Africa is a major source, transit point, and consumer of illicit drugs. Despite having some of the harshest penalties for drug-related crimes, the region both influences and is negatively impacted by illicit substance abuse...

See a timeline of the events that shaped the Iranian Revolution

From a defamatory newspaper editorial that sparked protests in January 1978 to Khomeini's return from exile and the Shah's flight from Iran in 1979, this timeline traces the rapidly escalating chain of events—protests, crackdowns, and political collapses—that toppled one of the Middle East's most powerful monarchies.

Check out information on the over 1,000 protests across the globe since 2017.

The 1973 oil embargo by OPEC inspired advances in alternative energy technology

The shortages imposed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) created a global energy crisis and economic instability after the Arab-Israeli War. This led to investments in green technologies and improvements in automobile fuel efficiency and manufacturing.

Oil shocks, war, and the 1970s crisis that remade American energy and economics

The oil crises of the 1970s—fueled by Middle East conflict and OPEC's dominance—triggered inflation, price controls, and policy failure. But they also accelerated fracking, alternative energy, and the rise of free-market economics.

OPEC's 1973 embargo sparked the first global energy shock.

The world's most peaceful countries

Global Peace Index presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to date on trends in peace, including the most and least peaceful countries in the world.

Decades of instability in the Middle East gave rise to al-Qaida.

Timeline: the Kurds’ quest for independence

The Kurds have a long history of fighting for rights and regional autonomy across the Middle East. After WWI, when the Middle East was reconfigured, the Kurds were dispersed across the new borders of previous Ottoman territories. The idea of an...

Iraq invaded Iran in 1980, drawing the new Islamic Republic into a devastating eight-year war

Just a year after the revolution, Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, hoping to exploit its post-revolutionary instability. The brutal conflict killed hundreds of thousands in one of the century's deadliest conflicts and forced Khomeini's government to consolidate power.

A database tracking water conflicts for thousands of years

This open-source database has logged more than 4,000 conflicts around water across 100 countries, cataloging water as a casualty, trigger, or weapon of the conflict.

9/11 reshaped US foreign and military policy for decades, shifting focus to non-state actors and the Middle East.

Post-WWII decolonization in Africa led to Cold War proxy conflicts

As newly independent African nations emerged after World War II, the US and USSR vied for influence—backing opposing sides in civil wars and revolutions. Conflicts in Angola, Ethiopia and Mozambique became proxy fronts in the Cold War.

Infographics explaining global terrorism trends

Our World in Data’s terrorism page details global trends in terrorism. Through interactive infographics, the site shows how the number of terrorist acts varies around the world and how it has changed over time. Sections investigate common definitions of terrorism, trends in global terrorism deaths, and the global distribution of terrorism. Additional segments highlight airline hijackings, public opinion, and media coverage of terrorism. Explore this website for an array of infographics on terrorism.

The 1956 Suez crisis was one of the earliest tests of the rules-based order

When Britain, France, and Israel secretly invaded Egypt, the Eisenhower administration supported UN resolutions condemning the invasion and called for a ceasefire—publicly criticizing its closest allies to uphold the principle that force should not be used to resolve international disputes.

Iran's 1979 revolution sparked a second oil shock—and reconfigured global energy markets.

How armed groups became embedded in Haitian politics

This six-minute video explores the relationship between Haitian politics and armed gangs. As recently as June 2023, Haiti did not have a single elected official left in office; The 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and the...

Travel in time to how people felt about major US events

Pollsters track more than just politics: From civil rights to war declarations, go back and see how people felt about major events in the US with this timeline.

In 2025, Gen Z-led protests swept across Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste.

A deep dive on the weapons being used by both sides

From ballistic missiles to armed drones, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is proving the devastating power of modern weaponry. This infographic illustrates and explains the uses and effects of the weapons of choice for both sides of the conflict. Tactics are also explored in regards to their efficacy and consequences, with expert commentary added.

The rise of ISIS, explained in 6 minutes

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is incredibly powerful, and has seemingly done the impossible. The group has seized vast areas of the Middle East to form a mini-state it calls a reincarnation of the ancient Caliphate. Since forming, ISIS has waged war with all of its neighbors and has launched deadly terror attacks all over the world. This six-minute video, by Vox, outlines the history and rise of ISIS.

The Iranian Revolution relied largely on nonviolent tactics

Despite thousands of unarmed protesters killed by the Shah's forces, the revolution relied overwhelmingly on nonviolent tactics, including strikes, demonstrations, and civil disobedience, with up to 9 million Iranians peacefully taking to the streets, making it one of history's largest protest movements by population percentage.

Ramadan is a major television event in the Middle East

Each year, major networks air special 30-episode dramas timed to the month—one episode per night after iftar. Syrian productions long dominated the format, though that has shifted. The season is the advertising event of the year across the Middle East, rivaling the Super Bowl in commercial intensity.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps became one of the most powerful forces in the Middle East

Created after the 1979 revolution to protect the new Islamic Republic, the IRGC grew into a force that controls Iran's ballistic missile arsenal, funds, and arms regional proxy groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, and answers directly to the supreme leader.

10 controversial World Cup moments

If you're expecting a staid back-and-forth, then you'll be surprised by the World Cup, which is often filled with high drama and even higher tensions. This list highlights how controversy has been a constant on soccer's biggest stage, influencing outcomes, sparking debates, and sometimes leading to rule changes.