After Jordan, Emirates also furious with Netanyahu Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only managed to get into a diplomatic row with Jordan, he also succeeded in angering the Emiratis. Israel
Iran operating new advanced centrifuges, nuclear watchdog finds According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report, Iran is now using IR-4 centrifuges to enrich uranium in violation of the nuclear accord. Iran
Lawsuit filed to close pro-Kurdish party after lawmaker stripped of parliamentary seat Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, a pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party deputy known to focus on human rights abuses, was stripped of his parliament seat and a lawsuit was filed to close the party March 17. Turkey
Netanyahu courts Arab voters as 'Abu Yair' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has adopted a new strategy for the Arab public: cynically rebranding himself as "Abu Yair." Israel
Lapid Plan for Ultra-Orthodox to Serve In Israeli Military Must Go Forward Yair Lapid, the chairman of Yesh Latid, must seize this historic opportunity and impose a real plan for drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the army, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
Clinton Leaves to Applause, Mixed Record on Middle East Outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mastered the memes of 21st century diplomacy but her substantive legacy, especially on the Middle East, is thin. Pan Arab
Will Hamas Make Bid For PLO Leadership? Geoffrey Aronson writes that Khaled Meshaal and Hamas may soon be able to make a bid for leadership of the PLO, given President Mahmoud Abbas’ present weakness. Palestine
Jabhat al-Nusra Disrupts Syrian Opposition Mohammad Harfoush analyzes the growing influence of the Salafist jihadist group Jabhat al-Nusra, and concludes that despite its military success, it has "contributed to the disarray of the revolution." Lebanon
NGOs Face Challenges in Gaza NGOs in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip, have faced constant roadblocks to carrying out their work as they clash with local political interests, writes Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Turkey May Find Itself With 'AKP Constitution' Mustafa Akyol assesses the politics of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's initiative for a new constitution. Turkey
Erdogan Serious About Turkey's Bid For Shanghai 5 Membership Kadri Gürsel writes that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is serious about his bid to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Turkey
Will Egypt Reach a Consensus? Nervana Mahmoud writes that Egypt needs to achieve a so-far elusive consensus to avoid collapse. Egypt
Assad’s Final Days More Hope than Reality Ali Hashem writes that perceptions of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s final days are giving way to the reality that he may not be leaving soon. Syria
Violence in Tunisia Increases As Ennahda Stands By Islamist extremists in Tunisia are increasingly resorting to violence to implement their ideology, while the Ennahda government is accused of fence-sitting, writes Kaci Racelma. Tunisia
Iraq in Crisis Over Terror Death-Penalty Law There are growing calls in Iraq among the Sunni opposition to annul an article in the Anti-Terrorism Law that Sunnis say discriminates against them, reports Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
