Newsletter: China-Middle East China adjusts to Middle East turbulence in 2025, faces challenges in Iran, Yemen While evading new US sanctions on Iran, adjusting to changes in Syria and expanding military footprint with key Arab partners especially Egypt, China closes 2025 with gains in the Middle East but confronts new challenges with UAE-Saudi rupture in Yemen and Sudan. By Joyce Karam , Rosaleen Carroll
Analysis From Sputnik to satellites: How China is pulling Egypt and Gulf into its space orbit Beijing is emerging as a key partner for Middle Eastern and North African states seeking to develop satellites, navigation services and space industries of their own. By Dale Aluf In Amsterdam, reporting on China in the Middle East
Analysis Egypt’s $35B Israel gas deal buys time, tests fragile energy partnership The agreement is a critical stopgap as Cairo grapples with domestic power demands, but the last two years have tested Egypt-Israel energy cooperation in unprecedented ways. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Maersk resumes Red Sea passage after two-year halt amid easing Houthi threat A ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October has prompted some shipping companies to consider resuming services, but security concerns persist. Yemen
Analysis How Netanyahu ceded to Trump, agreed to Egypt's $35B gas deal By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Egypt, Oman confer on possible Syrian return to Arab fold Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry took advantage of his visit to Oman to speak about Egypt’s ongoing efforts to communicate with Arab countries to facilitate Syria's return to the Arab League. Egypt
Egypt pushes to revive stalled negotiations over Nile dam Egypt is calling for the swift resumption of negotiations over the controversial Ethiopian dam, as the new US envoy to the Horn of Africa lands in Cairo for the first time since his appointment. Egypt
Egypt's religious authorities weigh in on Nile dam crisis Egypt’s Al-Azhar has published a book asserting Egypt’s rights to the Nile River waters based on Sharia law, raising questions about the role of religious institutions in the crisis over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt
US to reprogram military aid to Egypt over rights record, lawmakers say A spokesperson for the House Foreign Affairs Committee told Al-Monitor that the State Department will reprogram the aid. Egypt
Egypt wary of Turkey’s moves in eastern Libya Ankara is expanding its influence in eastern Libya, deemed an area of Egyptian influence. Egypt
Egypt-Sudan road closure impacts flow of goods The resistance committees in Sudan’s Northern State are keeping the road connecting Sudan to Egypt closed, which raised questions on the decision’s impact on the Egyptian economy and whether there are political motives behind the escalation. Egypt
Netflix's first Arabic-language film sparks uproar in Egypt The launch of Netflix's first original Arabic-language film "Perfect Strangers" led to an immediate backlash in Egypt among conservatives. Egypt
Egypt skeptical of Ethiopia call for cooperation on Nile dam Egypt sees Ethiopia’s latest call for cooperation over its controversial Nile dam as mere ink on paper, as Cairo continues to insist on resuming the negotiations to reach a legally binding agreement. Egypt
Sudanese public widely rejects new UN initiative A number of Sudan's major civilian groups have shown skepticism toward UN efforts to help. Egypt
House Democrats press Blinken on military aid to Egypt In a letter to the US secretary of state, lawmakers described Egypt's "pervasive and systemic violations of human rights." Egypt
Egypt officially enters state of water poverty Egypt announced that it has entered the stage of water poverty, while talks on Ethiopia’s Nile dam continue to stall. Egypt
Sudanese security forces intensify media crackdown The increasing pressure, violence and prosecution faced by journalists at the hands of security forces represent a major threat to the future of press freedom in the country. Egypt