Intissar Fakir is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI), where she focuses on the geopolitics of North Africa and the Sahel. Her work explores the intersection of political, social, and economic trends at both the national and regional levels.
Ms. Fakir has advised governments, policymakers, and corporate entities in North Africa, the EU, and the US on a variety of issues. She is a member of several advisory groups, including serving on the supervisory board of the Council for Mediterranean Diplomacy (Diplomeds) and as a board member of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC). She is also a member of the scientific council of the Elcano Royal Institute.
Before joining MEI, Ms. Fakir was a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she also served as the editor-in-chief of Sada, the bilanguage (English and Arabic) Middle East platform. She has implemented programs with various NGOs supporting political, economic, and social reform in North Africa and the Middle East. Additionally, she has provided consulting and advisory services to governments and corporations in both the US and Europe on developments in the Maghreb.
Ms. Fakir is the author of numerous reports, articles, and book chapters on the region, and her work has been published in leading foreign policy journals and newspapers in both English and Arabic.
Originally from Morocco, she holds an MA from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
The Far Reach of the Iran War: Food Insecurity from North Africa to the Sahel
Within weeks of the Strait of Hormuz closure, fertilizer prices began to rise sharply. Tanker traffic through the strait, which handles one-third of the global fertilizer trade, fell by 90%. Across North Africa the impacts are multiplying, and this is having ripple effects for the Sahel in the south, adding to food price inflation, migration pressures, and the erosion of state legitimacy. The situation underscores how food security is a governance issue compounded by geopolitical crisis.
US foreign policy in the Middle East: Short-termism and the erosion of influence
Trump’s active Middle East policy reflects a striking paradox. The United States is more visibly engaged in the region than the “America first” rhetoric suggests, yet its influence over regional outcomes continues to erode.
The Ripple Effects of the US-Israel War on Iran for North Africa
North African states feel the consequences of the US-Israel war with Iran less through direct security risks than through economic shocks that affect long-term stability. The region remains highly exposed to disruptions in global food and energy markets, where price spikes can lead to fiscal pressure, inflation, and social unrest.
Morocco-Algeria: The case for ambitious reconciliation
On October 31, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution centering Morocco’s autonomy plan as the basis for resolving the Western Sahara conflict. The UN vote and comments from United States Special Envoy Steve Witkoff suggest President Donald Trump wants another headline foreign policy “peacemaking” win. But the opportunity for the Trump administration is bigger than just resolving the Western Sahara issue. It could unlock an opportunity for Morocco-Algeria reconciliation that could integrate the wider Maghreb economy, reduce migration into Europe, expand energy cooperation, and enable stronger Sahel counter-terrorism coordination.
Moroccan youth angrily protest government’s failed development promises
Hundreds of young Moroccans are protesting across 11 cities since September 27 under the banner “GenZ 212.” The central trigger behind the demonstrations has been a deep popular frustration with Morocco’s persistent inability to deliver on its development plans and promises. This sort of broad disaffection will be challenging for the government to address quickly and credibly.
North African states are turning long-standing diplomatic relationships into new opportunities for leverage, using migration flows, energy supplies, and security partnerships as bargaining chips. These new tactics and strategies are reshaping regional diplomacy.
As the Western Sahara conflict reaches its fifth decade, the territorial dispute remains unresolved and largely unknown. MEI’s Intissar Fakir unpacks the Western Sahara’s complex history and the rival claims by Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. She examines recent developments, such as President Trump’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory and the collapse of a 30-year cease-fire, as well as the core questions that remain unanswered after half a century.
The US enters Israel’s war with Iran — MEI experts react
The United States struck three nuclear facilities in Iran on the evening of June 21, in the midst of the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. MEI scholars provide real-time analysis to help make sense of what this escalation means and what might come next.
This week, US President Donald Trump makes his inaugural visit to the Middle East since the start of his second term, traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates on May 13-16. Amid the heightened focus on US policy toward the Middle East, MEI’s experts take stock of Trump’s trip to the Gulf, how his administration has shaped its approach to the wider region in its first several months, and how regional actors are responding to the policies coming out of Washington.
Sovereignty first: Reshaping international cooperation in North Africa
Countries in North Africa and around the world are increasingly prioritizing a strict definition of sovereignty and tending toward transactional diplomacy. Understanding the motivations behind North Africa’s “sovereignty-first” approach can help the United States and Europe build mutually beneficial and durable links with the region in this new reality.
French embrace of Moroccan autonomy plan underscores broader shift on Western Sahara dispute
Macron announced that France views Morocco’s autonomy proposal not only as a viable solution, but the most viable solution to the conflict. This semantic shift is a significant change of French foreign policy and, coming after a similar shift in Spain’s position, could prompt other European countries to follow suit.
The common understanding of the state of economic integration in the Maghreb is that it is victim to geopolitical rivalries and poor economic management, both of which prevent the region from flourishing to the same extent as other regional blocs. The forgone conclusion is that greater economic integration would generate trade, boost levels of growth and increase the region’s bargaining position.
Morocco, Algeria and the Western Mediterranean tension game
As the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Morocco in early September unfolded, one notable aspect of the response to the devastation was the geopolitical element of aid and disaster relief. Specifically, what drew attention was Algeria’s offer of assistance and whether it might signal an implicit desire to reduce tensions between the hostile neighbours. Yet, mistrust between the two continues to run high, and a single gesture of offering support is unlikely to undo decades of animosity.
