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

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Politics & Security

Members and supporters of the Nafas movement take part in an anti-government protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied, chanting "Degage" and calling for political change, in Tunis,Tunisia on August 20,2026. (Photo by Imen Ben Youssef / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)

Tunisia’s water, power crisis fuels growing protests against Saied: What to know

A utility crisis is giving momentum to opposition forces challenging Saied’s grip on power.

Zaidi

Iraq’s Zaidi doubles down on militia disarmament, boosting oil exports

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi made the comments amid Hormuz-related export struggles and a nearing deadline for armed groups to disarm.

ANKARA, TURKEY - JULY 7: U.S. President Donald Trump (L)shakes hands with with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) during a formal arrival at the Bestepe Presidential Palace during the NATO summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Emrah Gurel - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel fears Turkey’s Syria ambitions and doubts Trump will stop them

Israeli officials remain skeptical of Turkish and Syrian denials over Ankara’s military ambitions in Syria, warning that a deeper Turkish foothold could threaten Israel’s security and strain its ties with Washington.

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

Latest News

Saudi crown prince heads to France as ties deepen: What to expect

LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

Caught in the middle, Oman shrugs off Trump's latest Iran threat

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Houthis claim new strikes on Saudi Arabia after IRGC warning: What to know

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/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

An Iranian man pours kerosene on a pile of drugs seized by authorities.

Drugs, militias form explosive mix on Iraq-Iran border

Officers and judges who dare to go up against those controlling the drug trade along Iraq’s southeastern border with Iran continue to be targeted as attempts are made to crack down on corruption.

Queen Elizabeth II with (L-R) Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan, Queen Rania of Jordan, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Princess Anne.

UAE, Jordan, Israel mourn passing of Queen Elizabeth of England

Elizabeth II ruled the United Kingdom for more than eight decades.

United Arab Emirates

Netanyahu campaigns behind glass

Netanyahu's armored stage raises eyebrows along campaign trail

With polls giving him 59-60 Knesset seats, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is busily campaigning in neighborhoods where his party has lost influence.

Israel's head of the mainly Arab Joint List Ayman Odeh casts his ballot accompanied by his family during the parliamentary election at a polling station, Haifa, Israel, March 2, 2020.

Polls predict new lows in Arab-Israeli voter turnout

Ahead of the Nov. 1 elections, most Israeli-Arab voters do not believe that their representatives in the Knesset are capable of bringing real change.

Libyans gather at Martyrs Square to protest against the political situation and dire living conditions, Tripoli, Libya, July 1, 2022.

Power struggle continues in Libya

Recent deadly clashes have alarmed regional and international powers, as civilians fear displacement and a shortage of medicine and food.

A picture shows a newspaper stall with a view of Etemad newspaper's front page bearing a title reading in Farsi "The night of the end of the JCPOA ", and cover photos of Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian his deputy and chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani, in the capital Tehran on August 16, 2022.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Hopes dim for Iran deal before US midterms

Hamas, Islamic Jihad tensions escalate; Netanyahu-Liberman square off ahead of elections; Egypt expands green initiatives ahead of COP27; Qatar’s neighbors benefit from World Cup; Syria’s Christians hold service in Idlib.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti

A man walks past a mural depicting slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, on a street in the Arab town of Umm Al-Fahm in northern Israel, on Sept. 5, 2022.

Israeli report whitewashes Abu Akleh's killing, little hope for US intervention

The Israeli army investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh stirred outrage among her family and rights organizations.

Co-leader of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Pervin Buldan delivers a speech during the party's meeting at the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara on April 26, 2022.

Cracks in Turkey’s opposition alliance emerge over ties to HDP Kurds

Infighting within the major alliance of six Turkish opposition parties over the role of the country’s largest pro-Kurdish group has the ruling party palpably gleeful.

This picture taken on Aug. 30, 2022 shows a view of the remaining encampments of supporters of Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr before their dismantlement in the capital Baghdad's high-security Green Zone.

Iraq's top court rejects calls to dissolve parliament

Iraq's federal court ruled today that it cannot dissolve parliament and only parliament can dissolve itself.

Heads of States of the Gulf Cooperation Council sit at a round table in Bayan Palace for the opening session of the 34th GCC Summit hosted by Kuwait December 10, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (KUWAIT - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX16CHR

Gulf states exercise fiscal restraint despite oil windfall

Robert Mogielnicki

Robert Mogielnicki

GENT SHKULLAKU/AFP via Getty Images

Iran condemns Albania for severing relations

Albania accused Iran of conducting a cyberattack against its government. The eastern European country hosts an Iranian dissident group, which has harmed bilateral relations.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Syrian authorities seize Captagon disguised as pottery

The Syrian government has also been accused of facilitating the Captagon trade.