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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Ahmed al-Alwani in an undated photo

Ex-Iraqi MP Ahmed Alwani found dead in Lebanon: What to know

Ahmed al-Alwani was a prominent leader of anti-government protests by Iraqi Sunnis in 2013, and was released from prison last year.

Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles

Iran unveils new underground 'missile city': What to know

Iran has moved much of its missile stockpile underground as the threat of a new war looms.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey bars MP’s wife from travel after his fund scandal criticism: What to know

Opposition politicians and rights advocates described Yonca Verdioglu Sik’s brief detention as an attempt to intimidate her husband, opposition lawmaker Ahmet Sik, over his criticism of the government.

ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images

GCC to build military command center in Kuwait as region simmers: What to know

GCC countries have stepped up their joint defense efforts with the announcement of a new forward command center to be headquartered in Kuwait, as tensions between Iran and the US continue to escalate.

Latest News

Hegseth strikes defiant tone, calls House impeachment process 'farce'

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Jared Szuba

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

Explainer

From Oct. 7 inquiry to blocking Netanyahu: Eisenkot's bloc maps out Knesset agenda

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) casts his ballot, next to his wife Sara

Slotkin, Van Hollen emerge as potential challengers to Schumer’s Senate leadership

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 23: U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) speaks at a press conference on China AI export controls at the U.S. Capitol on September 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. Slotkin, joined by fellow Senate Democrats, urged Senate Republican's and the Trump administration to enact stronger export controls on AI technology and computer chips to China. The Democrats also call for a vote on bipartisan export control legislation, including the AI OVERWATCH Act, the MATCH Act, and the Chip Security Act. (

Massie introduces impeachment articles against Hegseth over Iran war

SAUL LOEB / AFP via 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

Iraq's Minister of Finance Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi listens during an interview at his residence in Baghdad, on June 22, 2020.

Iraqi finance minister resigns over continuing political crisis

Finance Minister Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi has resigned from his post in the Iraqi government.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) listens on as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint press conference at al-Shaab palace in Damascus on Oct. 11, 2010.

'Normalization' with Assad is the new normal in Turkey

Comments by Turkey's foreign minister hinting at normalization with Damascus drove hundreds of Syrians across Turkish-occupied areas of northern Syria to stage demonstrations.

Centcom

US base in Syria targeted with rocket fire, coalition says

Rockets landed near the Green Village base, marking the second projectile attack on US forces in Syria on Monday.

Israeli settlers gather as they try to establish a wildcat settlement outpost.

In rare move, Israeli ultra-Orthodox establish West Bank outpost

For the first time, ultra-Orthodox families established yesterday an illegal West Bank outpost.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu undeterred by ex-army chief joining rival camp

Ex-IDF Chief Gadi Eizenkot joined this week the party of Defense Minister Benny Gantz, but opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu believes this move is not going to block his own way back to power.

ALEX HALADA/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s response to EU conveys 'initiatives' on restoring nuclear deal

After submitting its response to the European Union’s proposal on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran says it's waiting answers on its own “practical ideas and initiatives.”

Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Wehbe (R) and Israeli Justice Minister Gideon Saar (L) shake hands after signing an agreement, Rabat, Morocco, July 26 , 2022.

Israeli ministers fast-track deepening of ties with Morocco

Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Regional Cooperation Minister Issawi Freij and Justice Minister Gideon Saar are only a few of the Israeli ministers and senior officials who have visited Morocco recently.

In this handout photo, a munitions storage area at Baghdad International Airport is seen on May 7, 2003, in Baghdad, Iraq.

Weapons warehouse blasts frighten Iraqis

Concerns over whether weapons held in and near urban areas are being properly stored — and who is holding them — are being raised after several blasts of unclear origins near major Iraqi cities.

A picture taken on Jan. 21, 2019, shows a partial view of the new international Ramon Airport.

Israel allows West Bank Palestinians to fly out of Ramon Airport

Israel will allow Palestinians to travel to Turkey through Ramon Airport on a pilot flight that may expand routes and numbers.

The National Oil Company is seen in the northern town of Ras Lanuf, Libya, June 3, 2020.

Security unrest sparks protests in southern Libya, threatens oil output

The Libyan oil sector is once again threatened amid security and political turmoil, most recently with protests breaking out in the oil-rich southern region, which has been marginalized for years.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani.

Iran sends EU response on text to revive nuclear deal

An advisor to Iran's negotiating team said the two sides are "closer than we've been before."

Author Salman Rushdie at the Blue Sofa during the 2017 Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse), Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Oct. 12, 2017.

Hard-line Iranian media praises Rushdie attack

Hard-liners in Iranian media have praised the attack on author Salman Rushdie.