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

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Politics & Security

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Iran war puts Turkey’s inflation fight, lira under fresh pressure

A prolonged Iran war is leaving Turkey's economy management caught between maintaining painful monetary tightening and cutting rates before the economy is ready.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

moke rises from a high-rise building following a drone attack in Kuwait City on March 8, 2026.

Analysis

Can Kuwait secure a Saudi-style defense pact with Pakistan?

Kuwait and other GCC states are looking to Pakistan, among other countries, for alternate security arrangements and multilayered deterrence.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement on American nuclear innovation in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

US halts strikes on Iran, sees opening for talks: What to know

A four-day lull in Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz was seen as an opportunity to resume diplomatic talks and dial down the war, Al-Monitor’s source said.

Jared Szuba

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

Muntions near a B1 Bomber are seen at RAF Fairford on July 24, 2026, in Fairford, England.

Analysis

What Iran's warning to Britain reveals about broader escalation strategy

Iran's latest warning to Britain reflects more than wartime rhetoric, exposing how Tehran is widening its deterrence as the conflict increasingly draws in US allies.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Analysis

What challenges await Erdogan’s new rival and Turkey’s new opposition party?

Ozgur Ozel

Halil Karaveli

By Halil Karaveli

Analysis

Saudi nuclear deal adds new wrinkle if Iran talks resume

US President Donald Trump (L) and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia pause for photographs along the West Wing Colonnade at the White House on Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Iran signs 25 deals at SCO meeting: What to know

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Ahead of Trump meeting, Netanyahu lays groundwork for Israel to rejoin Iran war

GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Seyit, an 8-year-old Kurdish garbage collector, carries flattened cardboard boxes in Istanbul on Sept. 12, 2022.

Deepening poverty fuels mass school dropout in Turkey

Children are dropping out of school at unprecedented rates in Turkey, activists warn, as the social toll of the country’s economic turmoil deepens.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Earthquake in Turkey highlights questions over disaster preparedness

Wednesday's earthquake in Duzce has rekindled memories of quakes that struck Turkey in 1999, worrying many about future disasters.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

Jerusalem bombs kill Israeli teenager, 2 Americans among wounded

Israel police are searching for the suspected Palestinian assailants who detonated two explosive devices this morning in two locations in Jerusalem, killing one civilian and wounding others.

Turkey election

Missing legal, tech safeguards worry Turks as elections loom

Few legal safeguards exist to prevent the Turkish authorities from restricting internet access on election day, experts say, as the opposition scrambles to devise contingency plans.

West Bank

PA prime minister warns of Israeli action vs. Palestinians

Mohammad Shtayyeh said the next Israeli government is preparing to declare war on the Palestinians; Israeli far-right parties say they will target terrorism at its source.

Iran Kurds

Iran deploys heavy weaponry to crush Kurdish protests

The Iranian government’s escalating violence against protesters in Kurdish cities has led to chains of funerals.

Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), gives a press conference near the northeastern Syrian Hassakeh province on October 24, 2019.

Syrian Kurdish commander says Kobani likely target of threatened Turkish ground offensive

Following Turkish airstrikes on his headquarters in northeast Syria, SDF commander Mazlum Kobane spoke with Al-Monitor about Erdogan's threats of a new ground offensive.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Qatar on Nov. 20, 2022.

Sisi, Erdogan meet, pledge new era of Egypt-Turkey relations

Turkish analysts believe that the enthusiastic handshake between Sisi and Erdogan may facilitate the budding rapprochement but will not be a magic wand, particularly in Libya.

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (C) arrives at the parliament ahead of a confidence vote on a new government, Baghdad, Iraq, Oct. 27, 2022.

Iraqi PM tries to assure skeptics of anti-corruption initiative

The new Iraqi prime minister says there will be no tolerance for human rights abuses in battling corruption.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s Russian-built nuclear plant could amplify Moscow’s regional influence

Some experts are warning that Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, which is being built by Russia's Rosatom, might become a tool to advance Russian interests in the region.

Syrian Kurds protest against Turkey and in solidarity with the Kurdistan Workers Party, in the Kurdish-held city of Qamishli, Syria, Nov. 13, 2022.

Turkey strikes near US base in Syria after Pentagon calls for de-escalation

The US military says it opposes Ankara's plans to send ground troops against Syria's Kurds, but it has stood down in the face of similar attacks in the past.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech on Iran's nuclear program at the Defense Ministry, Tel Aviv, Israel, April 30, 2018.

Israel warns Iran could attempt to enrich uranium at 90%

Israel’s military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva says Iran could try soon, at least symbolically, to enrich uranium up to a weaponized level.