Resources on War in the Middle East
Learn about ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, from war in Iran, to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with educational resources from the Council on Foreign Relations.
CFR Education’s mission is to empower young people with the essential knowledge, skills, and perspective to be responsible citizens and navigate the news. We’ve assembled a list of resources to help students understand the multiple conflicts taking place in the Middle East—and why they matter.
What’s Going On in Iran?
Use expert analysis to help your students better understand the facts and context surrounding the war in Iran.
- Conflict With Iran | Global Conflict Tracker
- The Islamic Republic’s Power Centers
- What Are Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Capabilities?
- The Strait of Hormuz: A U.S.-Iran Maritime Flash Point
- How the Iran War Confirmed, Contradicted, and Complicated U.S. Policy
- Podcast: Six Months of War With Iran, With Steven Cook
What’s Going on in Gaza?
Give your students concise analysis and context on the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and on the current status of Israel’s war in Gaza.
What’s Going on in Lebanon?
Help your students understand how and why conflict in the Middle East has spread to Lebanon.
What’s Going on in Yemen?
Help your students understand how developments in Yemen and the Red Sea have contributed to regional conflict and instability.
What’s Going on in Syria?
Learn about the history and end of Syria’s long civil war and what the fall of the Assad regime could mean for the region and Syria’s future.
Humanitarian Issues
Explore the humanitarian issues around this conflict through CFR Education resources on civilians in conflict, which include comprehensive teaching resources, and analysis from CFR on conflict in the Middle East.
- The Civilian Consequences of Conflict
- How Do Humanitarian Corridors, Cease-Fires, and Pauses Address Violence in Conflict?
- The Israel-Hamas War: The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
- The UN’s Palestinian Aid Controversy: What’s at Stake
- The Iran War’s Forgotten Front: Global Food Insecurity and the Limits of U.S. Aid
Implications for International Law
Use CFR Education resources, which include comprehensive teaching resources, to understand the role of international law in global affairs, and explore analysis from CFR on the international legal questions raised by conflicts in the Middle East.
What Could the Future Hold?
Help your students understand how conflict in the Middle East could evolve and shape the region’s future.
Keep Up-to-Date With the Latest from CFR
Check back for all the latest from CFR on conflict and war in the Middle East.
CFR Education, the educational arm of the Council on Foreign Relations, helps middle, high school, and higher education students understand and engage with today’s most pressing global issues. With over 800 free, nonpartisan, multimedia teaching and learning resources, CFR Education’s supplemental materials help students gain the knowledge, skills, and perspective needed to navigate today’s interconnected world. CFR Education also provides professional development and programming opportunities to support educators as they take on this crucial work.