Week in Review - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Week in Review

U.S. President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One at the airport in Amman March 23, 2013. Obama marvelled at the sights of Jordanís ancient city of Petra on Saturday as he wrapped up a four-day Middle East tour by setting aside weighty diplomatic matters and playing tourist for a day. REUTERS/Majed Jaber (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXXUHD

Obama Calls for Peace Talks Without Conditions

Week in Review

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (L) meets Senator John Kerry, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in Damascus February 21, 2009. REUTERS/Sana (SYRIA) - RTXBW2Q

Kerry to Assad, Opposition: 'Come to the Table'

Week in Review

Iraqi police stand guard during foot patrol at Rabia, near the main border between Iraq and Syria March 2, 2013. Clashes between the Syrian army and rebels at a border post brought the civil war close to neighbouring Iraq, where troops fired warning shots into the air, residents, officials and a Reuters reporter said. Insurgents seized control of half of the northeastern Syrian town of Yaarabiya, including a border post with Iraq, in a battle with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad on Friday and earl

The Iraqi and Turkish Fault Lines

Week in Review

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (2nd L) holds his first meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General John M. Paxton, Jr. (L), U.S. Army General Martin Dempsey (4th R), General of the Army Ray Odierno (3rd R), U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jon Greenert (2nd R) and U.S. Army General Frank Grass (R) in a briefing room called "The Tank" at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, March 1, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) -

Hagel, Syria, the P5+1 and Iran

Week in Review

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets International peace envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus December 24, 2012 in this handout photograph released by Syria's national news agency SANA. Brahimi met with Assad in Damascus on Monday to discuss a solution to the country's 21-month-old conflict. Brahimi told journalists after the meeting that he discussed the situation in Syria overall and gave his views on how to solve the crisis. He said conditions in the country were still poor. REUTERS/Sana (S

No Conditions on Syrian Dialogue

Week in Review

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 13: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh shake hands during a joint press conference at the State Department February 13, 2013 in Washington, DC. Kerry and Judeh met privately to discuss efforts in Syria and on the Middle East peace process among other issues. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Kerry Calls for 'Negotiated Outcome' in Syria

Week in Review

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) shake hands after the president announced Kerry's nomination as Secretary of State to succeed Hillary Clinton, at the White House in Washington December 21, 2012. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3BTVQ

Week in Review: US Resets Diplomacy in Middle East

Week in Review

Sheikh Moaz Alkhatib, President of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces and U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden (R) meet for bilateral talks during the 49th Conference on Security Policy in Munich February 2, 2013. Senior U.S., Russian and U.N. officials, along with the leader of the Syrian opposition, were all expected in Munich on Saturday, providing a rare opportunity for talks to revive efforts to end the civil war in Syria. REUTERS/Michael Dalder(GERMANY - Tags: MILITARY

Week in Review: Turkey Terror Attack; Syria Political Solution

Week in Review

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies on the September attack on U.S. diplomatic sites in Benghazi, Libya during a hearing held by the House Foreign Affairs committee on Capitol Hill in Washington January 23, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3CUXG

Al-Monitor Week in Review: 5 Key Trends, from Mali to Qatar

Week in Review

Syria Requires Political Solution; Iran in Gaza; Turkey’s Kurds

Week in Review

Former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R) takes the podium after U.S. President Barack Obama announced the nomination of Hagel to be his new Secretary of Defense, at the White House in Washington January 7, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY)

Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense

Week in Review

Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr speaks during a news conference in Najaf, some160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, January 1, 2013. Moqtada al-Sadr, head of a powerful Shi'ite movement in Iraq voiced his support for Sunni anti-government protesters, and warned of an "Iraqi Spring". REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION)

Al-Monitor Launches Iraq Pulse

Week in Review