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Armed personnel of SDF and public security forces of the new Syrian government stand guard in al-Ramun district of Aleppo, Syria, on April 3, 2025.

Analysis

Will deadly Palmyra attack accelerate SDF's integration into Syrian forces?

Following the Palmyra attack, analysts say the SDF may face growing pressure to align with Damascus.

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Sudanese leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Dec. 15, 2025.

Saudi Arabia cements ties with Sudan during Burhan visit as UAE rivalry heats up

The Sudanese leader may be looking to increase Saudi support following losses on the battlefield as Riyadh weighs its security interests in the country.

Saudi Arabia

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns meets with Ahmed al-Ahmed in the hospital on Dec. 15, 2025.

Ahmed al-Ahmed, Syrian Australian who fought off Hanukkah attackers, recovering from surgery

Ahmed is recovering from surgery after being injured while tackling one of the shooters during an attack on a Jewish gathering in Australia, as he receives an outpouring of support for his actions.

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Youssef Rajji meets with Maj. Gen. Diodato Abagnara, UNIFIL head of mission and force commander, at the UN peacekeeping headquarters in Naqoura, southern Lebanon, Oct. 24, 2025.

Lebanon FM lashes out at Iran amid ambassador impasse: What to know

Lebanese officials have grown more frustrated at Tehran over its perceived meddling in Lebanon’s internal affairs by making repeated comments about its ally, Hezbollah, and the importance of its weapons, at a time the country is working to extend control over all arms.

Lebanon

Libyan military graduates loyal to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) take part in a parade marking their graduation, a result of a military training agreement with Turkey, at the Omar Mukhtar camp in the city of Tajoura, southeast of the capital Tripoli on November 21, 2020. (Photo by Mahmud TURKIA / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey seeks two-year extension of Libya troop mandate

The mandate cites ongoing risks and threats that could impact Turkey’s interests in the Mediterranean and North Africa.

Turkey

Latest News

Pentagon identifies two US Army soldiers killed in Syria attack

US Army soldiers stand near armored military vehicles on the outskirts of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, bordering Turkey, on March 27, 2023.

By Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Egypt secures Qatari investment boost, launches first SCZONE industrial deal

Egypt

Australia shooting targeting Jewish community kills at least 16: What we know

DECEMBER 14: Police enforce a cordon at Bondi Beach after a mass shooting on December 14, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. Two gunmen dressed in black fired several shots at Sydney's world-famous Bondi Beach, causing at least 10 fatalities and several more casualties, as New South Wales police said the toll was very likely to climb. (Photo by George Chan/Getty Images)

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Analysis

As Turkey’s East Med isolation deepens, will Ankara seek maritime Syria deal?

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides signs documents with Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny, as Lebanon's president, Joseph Aoun, looks on during an agreement signing ceremony at the presidential palace of Baabda, east of Beirut, on Nov. 26, 2025.

By Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

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FILE PHOTO: A doctor measures the upper arm of a three-year-old boy suffering from severe acute malnutrition, at Yaka Dokan health clinic, Herat, Afghanistan, October 23, 2024. REUTERS/Charlotte Greenfield/File Photo

Afghan hunger crisis deepens as aid funding falls short, UN says

Reuters

A woman keeps a candle next to flowers laid as a tribute at Bondi Beach to honour the victims of a mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday, in Sydney, Australia, December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Flavio Brancaleone

Bondi gunman's Indian family had no knowledge of his radicalisation, Indian police say

Reuters

Republic of Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, United Nations Secretary-General's Personal Envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman pose for a photograph at the U.N. compound inside the UN buffer zone, in Nicosia, Cyprus, December 11, 2025. Petros Karadjias/Pool via REUTERS

UN envoy hopeful on Cyprus, says multi-party summit premature

Reuters

A recording of a footage shows a man holding the gun of one of the gunman of the deadly shooting incident at Bondi Beach after trying to disarm him, in Sydney, Australia, December 14, 2025, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. JENNY/via REUTERS

Man, couple who died trying to stop Bondi Beach attackers praised for heroic efforts

Reuters

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The Al-Monitor Brief

Sydney Hanukkah attack: Implications for Israel, Australia’s security and fight against antisemitism

Adam Lucente interviews Gabrielle Debinski

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The Al-Monitor Brief

Israel fears Iran has rebuilt missile capability as Trump and Netanyahu differ on regional approach

Adam Lucente interviews Ben Caspit

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The Al-Monitor Brief

Why are Gulf investors partaking in Paramount's bid to take over Warner Bros?

Adam Lucente interviews Jack Dutton

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Interview

Cyprus weighs joining Gaza force but 'not enough clarity' on mission, FM says

Constantinos Kombos

Cypriot Foreign Minister

Interview

UNRWA plans Turkey office to boost Gaza, Syria aid as pledges dip

A boy sits outside the entrance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) building complex in Gaza City, on Sept. 6, 2025.

Tamara Alrifai

Interview

Can protests in Israel halt Netanyahu's second attempt at judicial overhaul?

Shikma Bressler, an Israeli physicist and one of the leaders of the protest against the government's judicial overhaul.

Interview

Robots can solve UAE construction labor shortage, says Buildroid AI

Analysis

Stay a step ahead of your colleagues.

Analysis

As Turkey’s East Med isolation deepens, will Ankara seek maritime Syria deal?

By Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Analysis

Yemen’s oil heartland fuels new conflict as STC seeks new political power

Yemeni employees walk at the Aden oil refinery company in Yemen's port city of Aden on Sept. 29, 2015.

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Turkey moves into Somalia’s untapped oil, raises stakes in Horn of Africa

This picture taken on Aug. 23, 2019 in Istanbul shows a view of Turkish General Directorate of Mineral research and Exploration's (MTA) Oruc Reis seismic research vessel docked at Haydarpasa port, which searches for hydrocarbon, oil, natural gas and coal reserves at sea.

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Will deadly Palmyra attack accelerate SDF's integration into Syrian forces?

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Amberin Zaman, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Danny Makki, Joyce Karam in a virtual discussion on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to Washington

Syria's Sharaa in Washington

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Iraqis prepare to head to the polls

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Amberin Zaman Reports from Damascus

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Elizabeth Hagedorn Reporting from UNGA in New York

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AL-Monitor Global Institute hosts food security forum with Dr. Conrad Rein

On October 16, 2025, the AL-Monitor Global Institute hosted Dr. Conrad Rein, Secretary of the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security, alongside representatives from multilateral development banks and the private sector for a discussion on food security in the Middle East and Africa.

Washington, DC

October 16, 2025 11:00 EDT

Past Live Journalism

AL-Monitor Global Institute hosts Digital Cooperation Organization Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya

On Sept. 21, 2025, the AL-Monitor Global Institute hosted Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization, for a discussion on digital inclusion and economic empowerment in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

New York, NY

September 21, 2025 17:00 EDT

Past Live Journalism

Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani at AL-Monitor Global Institute

AL-Monitor Global Institute hosts Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright

On May 22, 2025, the AL-Monitor Global Institute hosted Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in Washington DC to discuss the future of power and energy in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Washington, DC

May 22, 2025 10:30 EDT

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