Middle East crises loom in background as NATO leaders gather in Washington While this year's summit is expected to focus largely on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's military support for Russia and Turkey's strategic balancing act with Moscow are expected to weigh on NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Washington Pulse
US, Israel hold second virtual meeting on Rafah Biden administration officials have denied offering to green-light an Israeli invasion of Rafah if Israel holds off on retaliating against Iran. Washington Pulse
One year on Sudan’s war: 14,700 killed, 8.6M displaced, 4.9M face starvation As the war in Sudan enters its second year, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day with no prospects of an imminent end of the hostilities. North Africa Pulse
State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war. Washington Pulse
Syrian Islamist Rebels Threaten Maaloula, Christians The Aramaic-speaking village of Maaloula, a symbol of religious and sectarian coexistence in Syria, has been invaded and desecrated by Islamist opposition groups. Lebanon
Putin Pleased With Lack of Consensus On Syria at G20 Those who expected no progress on Syria at the G20 summit in St. Petersburg were proven right. Originals
Turks Oppose War in Syria A recent Turkish poll shows that those opposed to a war in Syria grew from 57% to 72% over the past year. Syria
Christians In the Levant Grow Fearful Over US Syria Strike Christians in Syria and Lebanon congregate to discuss the implications for their community should the United States follow through with its plans to carry out military strikes on Syria. Lebanon
Five Lessons From Turkey’s 1998 Standoff With Syria Revisiting the 1998 confrontation with Syria over Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan could help decision makers in Ankara avoid the pitfalls of intervention. Syria
Military Strike on Syria May Put Turkey at Risk Turkey may become the target of Syrian retaliation and face domestic unrest in the case of a US strike on Syria. Syria
Iraq Needs Unity to Deal with Syria Crisis As foreign military intervention in Syria grows more imminent, the Iraqi authorities would do well to set aside their internal differences and take the necessary precautions should its neighbor’s conflict spill over onto its territory. Iraq
Syria's Chemical Weapons Could Inform Iran Nuclear Talks By talking to Iran, the Obama administration could find a face-saving off-ramp for its Syrian conundrum and build trust for resolving Iran's nuclear crisis. Syria
Lebanon’s President Must Form Government to Prevent Collapse While the situation in Lebanon is increasingly affected by the crisis in neighboring Syria, President Michel Suleiman must form a government, even without the support of major parties, to end the country’s paralysis and save its economy. Lebanon
Car Bombs Come to Cairo The car bomb targeting Egypt’s Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim on Sept. 5 was just one incident in a long chain of bomb threats facing the country. Egypt
Syrian Kurdish Party Struggles With Dissent, Exodus In Amuda, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) has imposed a resolution banning Syrian Kurdish emigration after last month's mass exodus in pursuit of autonomy. Iraq
What Does Syria Crisis Hold for US, Iran? The challenges of the Syrian crisis, and how Iran and the United States deal with it, will have a strong impact in the region. Lebanon
