Rouhani wants criminal cases against US officials over sanctions Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has floated the idea of lodging criminal cases against US officials over sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Iran
Intel: How Syria policy zigzags are confounding US allies The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that the Donald Trump administration continues to walk back its pullout from Syria and is now considering leaving as many as 1,000 US troops in the country. Syria
Tal Afar wary and wedged between Iran, Turkey and PKK The Turkmen-majority city of Tal Afar remains sparsely populated and wary of outsiders a year and a half after being taken from the Islamic State. Geopolitical considerations and the nearby presence of the PKK, the Syrian border, the desert and mountains mean that operations continue in the area despite apparent calm. Iraq
Egypt’s would-be couples get training before tying the knot In an effort to lower the country's divorce rate, Egypt launches yet another program to provide pre-marriage training to would-be couples. Egypt
Turkey’s army of jobless swelling to record level Despite extensive incentives and other initiatives to create jobs, Turkey’s government has failed to reduce the unemployment rate to single digits during its 16-year rule and is now likely to bring it up to 15%, the highest level in three decades. Turkey
Are Egypt’s newspapers threatened with extinction? The Egyptian government launched a plan to reform the state press institutions suffering financial crises, to help them repay their debts. Egypt
New villages are mushrooming in Syria’s opposition-held areas Syria's displaced are creating small towns after having been forced out of their hometowns. Syria
How Iran interferes in Israel’s election campaign The Israeli press published a report last week claiming that the cell phone of Blue and White leader Benny Gantz was hacked by Iran. Now it seems that former Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s cell phone was also targeted by Iranian intelligence. Israel
Cairo's backing for Sudan's embattled president comes with strings attached Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, wary of protests in Khartoum, is backing Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, but to what extent? Egypt
Barzani: Russia key to settlement between Assad and Syrian Kurds Manbij leaders prefer the United States, but would rather deal with Russia and Syria than Turkey; Amberin Zaman gets exclusive access to a prison for IS terrorists; did HTS force the resignation of a Syrian opposition leader?; Syrians protest Turkish truckers; Rouhani’s meeting with Sistani is "crowning achievement" of trip to Iraq. Iraq
Has misogyny become official state policy in Turkey? With Turkish police canceling the International Women's Day march in Taksim at the last minute and the president using the drama as an electoral distraction, it's time to ask if misogyny has become an official state policy in Turkey. Turkey
Pompeo to push anti-Iran message in trip to Kuwait, Israel, Lebanon In his trip to Israel and Lebanon this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will emphasize the threat from Iran and Iranian-backed proxies. Kuwait
Algerian protesters maintain pressure on Bouteflika Algerians continue their third week of peaceful protests against the rule of ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Algeria
Iran, India eye closer cooperation amid tensions with Pakistan Rising tensions between Iran and Pakistan is pushing decision-makers in Tehran and New Delhi closer to each other, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the region. Iran
Inside the prison holding IS detainees in northeast Syria Al-Monitor was the first Western media outlet to be granted access to the maximum security detention center in Derik, Syria, where many foreigners caught fighting for the Islamic State await their fate. Syria
Turkey’s incredible algorithm designed to root out Gulenists Turkey is expanding its use of software that analyzes an exhaustive array of aspects of people's lives to determine whether they might be members of the Gulenist movement. Turkey
