Politics & Security - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

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Politics & Security

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) Ousted party leader Ozgur Ozel waves to supporters from atop a police water cannon vehicle after being forcibly evicted by police from his party’s headquarters on May 24, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

Top ally of Turkey’s Erdogan backs state funding for Ozel’s breakaway party

Devlet Bahceli’s suggestion exposes a more nuanced position within the country’s governing alliance over the ongoing legal crackdown against Turkey’s main opposition.

David's Sling.

Explainer

As Turkey rivalry heats up, Greece to acquire $4B Israeli air defense system

The Greek defense minister said that the air defense system will be operational within 35 months.

Iranian Presidential Office / AFP via Getty Images

Iraq deepens Iran ties days after US investment push

The Iraqi premier visited Tehran shortly after his trip to Washington for talks focusing on economic cooperation and plans to develop a cross-border railway network.

Latest News

Dozens killed in Yemen clashes as Houthis escalate threats against Saudi Arabia

Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images

Trump says Saudi nuclear deal 'totally subject' to Israel normalization

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Turkey to begin surveys for planned northern Cyprus gas pipeline

Turkey's servicemen stand at attention on a Turkish submarine as they participate in the live-fire phase of the Blue Homeland 2026 tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

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

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

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

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

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

Turkish soldiers stand next to a destroyed building in Hatay.

Turkish youth dies in police custody as impunity soars in wake of Turkey's killer quakes

Vigilantes and members of the Turkish gendarmerie are brutalizing some survivors in the provinces struck by the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara attend a toast for the new Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (unseen) after the new government is sworn in at the parliament, Jerusalem, Dec. 29, 2022.

Netanyahu advances judicial overhaul in Israel's Knesset

The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the first step in getting its judicial reform adopted by the Knesset.

Greece's Minister for the Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Christos Stylianides (R) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) during a meeting with a Search and Rescue team that assisted during the earthquake in Turkey, in Athens, on February 21, 2023. (Photo by MICHAEL VARAKLAS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Blinken urges Turkey, Greece to end dispute in wake of earthquake goodwill

Wrapping up his Greece visit, the top American diplomat focused on unity among allies as the Ukraine invasion's first anniversary nears.

Iran international

Tehran threatens US with legal action for hosting Iran International

Prior to relocating to Washington, the London-based Persian-language TV station had already infuriated Iranian authorities with its around-the-clock coverage of the unrest that has shaken the core of the Islamic Republic.

A general view shows a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, at the United Nations headquarters, New York, Feb. 20, 2023.

Israel rebukes UN Security Council anti-settlement statement, criticizes US support

Members of the UN Security Council issued on Monday a rare joint statement, the first in nine years, condemning recent Israeli measures for West Bank settlement expansion.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Powerful new earthquake hits Turkey, trapping several under rubble

Another 6.4-magnitude quake struck Turkey’s southern province of Hatay, one of the worst-hit areas just two weeks ago, killing at least six people.

Iran street

EU slaps fifth wave of sanctions on Iran, targeting 32 individuals

The new list brings the total number of Iranian individuals under EU sanctions to 196 and the tally of sanctioned Iranian entities to 33.

President Xi Jinping held talks with President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran on his state visit to China on Feb. 14, 2023.

Analysis

Iran’s Raisi visit to China, high on optics but falls short on immediate deals

The first visit in 20 years for an Iranian president to China was big on optics but short on deliverables.

Arash Karami

By Arash Karami

Iraqi women's rights activists lift placards during a rally near the Supreme Judicial Council in Baghdad on Feb. 5.

Honor killings in Iraq rekindle efforts to criminalize domestic violence

There is once again outrage and calls for legal reforms in Iraq to protect women from being murdered at the hands of family members.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2nd R) chats with United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) in Sde Boker, Israel on March 28, 2022.

Analysis

UAE diplomacy guides response to Syrian, Palestinian crises

UAE steps up on Syria in wake of earthquake; Netanyahu settlement threat is déjà vu for Abu Dhabi.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) disembarks his plane at Paris-Le Bourget Aiport, north of Paris as he arrives for his visit to Paris, on March 8, 2022. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Blinken heads to earthquake-hit Turkey in first visit

The US secretary of state will view earthquake relief efforts at Incirlik Air Base and meet with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara.

Iraq elections

Iraqi parliament's attempt to amend electoral law met with anger

The controversial amendment, which will benefit Iraq's larger political parties at the expense of independent ones, is causing political division in the country between the ruling coalition and Sadrists, among others.