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.

Latest News

Iraq deepens Iran ties days after US investment push

Iranian Presidential Office / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Lavrov Hussein

Russia's Lavrov in Iraq, looks for sanctions relief

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s trip to Iraq focused on expanding energy and trade ties, while making a pitch for relief from US sanctions.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) drill held by the Iranian army in Semnan, Iran, on Jan. 5, 2021.

Iran intel official says China in line to buy Tehran's drones

Despite growing Western alarm over the Islamic Republic's drone shipments to Russia, the Iranian official said 90 countries were "queuing up" for purchases of the same products.

STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

US unveils new sanctions on Iran's petroleum industry

The sanctions targeted nine entities the Treasury Department said were involved in producing, shipping and selling Iranian petrochemicals and petroleum.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

France offers Syria $12.8 million for earthquake via UN agencies, not Assad

As ties between Paris are Damascus have been severed since 2012, France will donate humanitarian aid financing to Syria through the UNs and other international mechanisms.

Syria In Crisis

An Iraqi farmer on a boat collects reeds from the banks of the southern Chibayish marshes in Dhi Qar province, on January 23, 2023, as water levels recover following a rainy period. (Photo by ASAAD NIAZI/AFP via Getty Images)

Iraq's PM in UAE as Abu Dhabi announces water project in Sinjar

Iraq is pivoting towards the Gulf in its foreign policy while also seeking to maintain good ties with Iran.

A motorist rides past a billboard welcoming Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who will be chief guest at India's 74th Republic Day parade, in New Delhi on January 24, 2023. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Lotus in the desert: The burgeoning India-Middle East relationship

The recent recalibration in ties between India and the Middle East has impacted several key sectors. We take a deep, analytical dive into the growing relationship.

Turkey earthquake

The Takeaway: Syria's neglected northwest pleads for earthquake aid

Plus, a roundup of Al-Monitor's on-the-ground coverage of the devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey.

Syrians, displaced as a result of the deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria two days ago, arrive to an open area on the outskirts of the rebel-held town of Jindayris on February 8, 2023. - A leading United Nations official called for the facilitation of aid access to rebel-held areas in Syria's northwest, warning that relief stocks will soon be depleted. Rebel-held areas near Turkey's border -- hard hit by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on Monday -- cannot receive aid from government-held pa

Earthquake death toll nears 20,000 as Turkey, Syria seek help

Hundreds of thousands more are injured or displaced as rescue workers race against time to free those who are trapped.

Smog obscures the view from the Saad Abad mountain north of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Clean air funding halved in Iran’s budget as pollution chokes much of country

As much of Iran grapples with record levels of air pollution during the cold season each year, the government has halved the resources allocated to tackling the pressing issue despite an overall increase in the budget cap.

A French Navy Rafale jet lands the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier on May 11, 2018 in the Atlantic Ocean.

Pentagon readies aircraft carrier to assist Turkey earthquake rescue efforts

US European Command has begun pre-positioning supplies at Incirlik Air Base to support Turkey's efforts.

In this picture taken on September 30, 2020 shows logos of social networking websites displayed on a mobile phone's screen in Istanbul. - Turkey on Wednesday restricted Twitter in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake. (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Twitter restricted in Turkey in aftermath of earthquake

Governmental restrictions on the social media app have been imposed even while rescuers race against time to reach survivors trapped under the rubble.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan tours earthquake zone as casualty count rises

The Turkish president visited the epicenter of the quake in Kahramanmaras to pledge state aid to victims, but many remain angry at the government's response.