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

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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

Sub-Saharan migrant women learn how to use a computer at a center run by the Organization for the Support of Migrants, Medenine, Tunisia, June 15, 2021.

Tunisia activists claim authorities target sub-Saharan students

Sub-Saharan students in Tunisia decry racially motivated arrests as police impunity increases.

Mahmoud Abbas addresses UNGA in New York

Abbas strips Palestinian rivals of diplomatic passports

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has taken to revoking the diplomatic passports of his political opponents and granting them to his supporters.

F-15

Biden administration plans to sell F-15 fighter jets to Egypt

The proposed sale has been in the works for years and is bound to raise opposition on Capitol Hill.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian

Iran says Russia won't block nuclear deal

Iran's top diplomat was in Moscow in what appeared to be a push to bring Russia back onboard the nuclear talks after they were stalled presumably by Russia's "unrelated" demands.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish opposition slams electoral tinkering

The opposition says a proposed amendment to Turkey's election law is designed to look like it will enhance multiparty democracy, but will only help get the ruling party and its allies reelected.

A general view shows a damaged mansion following an overnight attack in Erbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, March 13, 2022.

IRGC attack narratives diverge as Iraq strives for unity

An IRGC attack on Erbil has sparked outcry and raised concern in Iraq over armed groups that do not recognize the country’s national sovereignty.

Iran nuclear talks at the Grand Hotel on April 15, 2021, in Vienna, Austria.

Analysis

Iran nuclear talks overcome Russian wrench in gears

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian’s Tuesday visit to Moscow could have played a part in Russia backing down from its original maximalist demands.

Mark Fitzpatrick

By Mark Fitzpatrick

JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images

Israel, Emirates coordinate positions against Iran nuke talks

The issue of the Vienna talks are sure to be discussed in today's Washington meetings between IDF senior commanders and their American counterparts.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett gives a speech during a ceremony for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah for Israeli soldiers, Jerusalem, Nov. 29, 2021.

Israel-Iran conflict escalates to drone war

Tehran blames Israel for attacking last month one of its bases in the west of Iran, allegedly destroying hundreds of drones.

A university student crosses the border from Ukraine by foot in Barabas, Hungary, on Feb. 28, 2022.

Returning Egyptians share nightmares of fleeing war in Ukraine

Egyptian students who fled the Russian war in Ukraine recount the details of their repatriation.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (L) stands next to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after a press conference, Ankara, Turkey, March 9, 2022.

Hamas fears setback in warming of Israel-Turkey ties

Hamas worries that an Israel-Turkey rapprochement could affect the movement’s presence and activities in Turkey.

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

How Erdogan could emerge stronger from war in Ukraine

Senior bureaucrats believe Erdogan will "wipe the opposition off the table" in next year's elections, excelling as he does in every major crisis.