Courts and the law

Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system is displayed at the exposition field in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow on Aug. 22, 2017 during the first day of the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2017.

Analysis

As Trump admin drops Halkbank case, S-400 last big hurdle in US-Turkey ties

The move eases a key source of friction with Turkey ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Hungary’s parliament voted to remain in the International Criminal Court, reversing a planned withdrawal and marking a shift in Budapest’s approach to Israel and the EU.

Ozgur Ozel

Majority in Turkey rejects court ruling ousting CHP’s Ozel, poll shows

A new poll shows a majority in Turkey rejects the court ruling that ousted main opposition leader Ozgur Ozel.

Turkish riot police use water cannon to disperse protesters during a rally called by ousted opposition leader Ozgur Ozel, days after a court dismissed him from office, in Izmir on May 26, 2026.

Turkey: Thousands defy police to rally for ousted CHP leader Ozel

Tens of thousands of CHP supporters rallied for Ozgur Ozel in Izmir on Tuesday in a major show of defiance after a court ousted him from the party leadership.

Latest News

Explainer

Why Sunni frustration is growing over Lebanon’s amnesty law

Women hold portraits of jailed Islamist cleric Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir during a protest calling for his release in Beirut on April 24, 2025.

Turkish court ousts CHP leadership amid opposition crackdown

Leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Ozgur Ozel addresses the audience during a rally in Istanbul on April 9, 2025.

Analysis

Iran tightens wartime crackdown across Kurdish, Baluch ethnic regions

Baluch Iranian youths cross a street in Zahedan, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan, on Dec. 18, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

A protester waves a Turkish national flag and chants slogans as university students gather in protest in Besiktas district in Istanbul on March 20, 2025 following Istanbul metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's detention over a corruption probe. Istanbul's powerful mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, remained in police custody on March 20, 2025 over graft and terror allegations after being held the day before, as his party called for more protests in Turkey's largest city. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP

Turkey arrests 37 more as protests continue over Imamoglu's detention

As Turkey’s opposition parties rally in solidarity with Istanbul's mayor, Turkish authorities have moved forward with more detentions.

Supporters of Istanbul metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu take part in a demonstration outside Istanbul municipality against his detention over a corruption probe in Istanbul on March 19, 2025.

Protests in Turkey as Imamoglu, key Erdogan rival, is arrested

As the detention of Istanbul's mayor and the arrest of more than 100 raise alarms over an escalating crackdown on opposition, internet access across Turkey has slowed and protests are banned in Istanbul.

Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkish university revokes Imamoglu's degree, jeopardizing presidential bid

The decision came days before the primary to be held on Sunday, when the Istanbul mayor was highly likely to be chosen as the presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition party.

A Department of Homeland Security officer stands guard at 26 Federal Plaza as protestors gather to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil on March 10, 2025, in New York City.

Hearing delayed after Lebanese doctor with US visa deported: What to know

A Lebanese citizen is the latest in a string of detentions, visa revocations and deportations conducted by the Trump administration.

Khalil protest

Analysis

What Mahmoud Khalil’s ICE arrest means for green card holders, free speech

Mahmoud Khalil’s case sets the stage for a major legal battle in the US, which could have repercussions for the rights of green card holders, free speech and political activism.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa receives the country's constitutional declaration, which will be enforced throughout a five-year transitional period, before signing it at the presidential palace in Damascus on March 13, 2025. Sharaa said he hoped the constitutional declaration would mark the start of "a new history for Syria, where we replace oppression with justice", as he signed the document setting out the transitional period. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP) (Photo by BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty I

Syria's draft constitution: Separation of powers, territorial unity and Islamic jurisprudence

After more than a week of uncertainty amid violent clashes and Israeli strikes, Syria's interim president has signed a constitutional declaration.

AFP via Getty Images

Sudan brings genocide case against UAE at International Court of Justice

Sudan accuses the United Arab Emirates of complicity in genocide over its alleged support for the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, which has been found to have committed atrocities against the Masalit ethnic group in Sudan's West Darfur state.

A voter holds his proof of Kuwaiti citizenship upon arriving at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Kuwait City on June 6, 2023.

Kuwait revokes citizenship of 464 as restrictions tighten under new emir

Over 35,000 Kuwaitis have lost their citizenship since the government enforced amendments to its citizenship law in September of last year.

The Israeli flag flies in front of the Israeli embassy in Berlin, on October 20, 2024. A Libyan suspected of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin and links to the Islamic State (IS) group will appear before a judge on October 20, 2024, German prosecutors said. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Germany arrests Russian suspect over alleged plan to attack Israeli Embassy

On Thursday, a Russian national suspected of planning an attack on the Israeli Embassy was arrested by German authorities, and in a separate incident on Friday, a stabbing occurred at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin.

Educational Bookshop

After raid, Israel puts Jerusalem bookshop owners under house arrest: What to know

Israeli police raided the Educational Bookshop on Sunday and arrested its owners on charges of “disturbing public order,” a move met with outcry by diplomats.

Yair Golan in Tel Aviv on Feb. 2, 2025.

Interview

Amid Israel's rightward shift, left struggles for relevance

In a special interview with Al-Monitor, Yair Golan, leader of center-left party the Democrats, insists that the Palestinian Authority must play a pivotal role in the future administration of Gaza.

Yair Golan

Yair Golan

Chair of the Democrats Party

The leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa waits to greet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (not in picture) ahead of a meeting between the Syrian leadership and a Ukrainian delegation to help strengthen ties between the two countries on December 30, 2024 in Damascus, Syria. Syria is transitioning after the fall of the Baath regime and the Assad family's rule, with a temporary administration now in place in Damascus and Aleppo. (Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

Syria suspends constitution, declares Ahmed al-Sharaa transitional president

Syria's de facto leadership previously said that new elections could take up to four years and that it could also take several years to draft a new constitution.