Analysis
Since 2012, the Week in Review keeps you ahead of the curve with in-depth analysis of the trends in the region, based on AL-MONITOR’s world class reporting.
Will Russia and Turkey withdraw their proxies from Libya?
The UN delivers a potentially game-changing win for diplomacy, but the United States wants Russian and Turkish mercenaries out of Libya.
Syrian Kurds hoping for lifeline from Biden administration
Damascus, Ankara and Moscow turn up the heat on US-backed group; UN Syria envoy says, "We can’t continue like this."
Post-COVID Mideast economies look to the Gulf and Egypt
The region took a hard hit from the pandemic, and it’s far from over, but Egypt and Saudi Arabia are managing better than expected.
Blinken warns Nile Dam talks could ‘boil over’
Biden’s nominee to be secretary of state promises "fully engaged” US policy in Horn of Africa, as the crisis between Ethiopia and Sudan escalates.
Is Israel’s Arab Joint List breaking up ahead of March elections?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu campaigns in Nazareth for the Arab vote.
Hamas scrambles for relevance in post-normalization Middle East
Egypt urges Palestinian reconciliation in midst of diplomatic surge, as Hamas keeps options open with Iran and Syria.
Four must-read books on Trump’s Middle East policies
What we learned from Michael Wolff, John Bolton and Bob Woodward about the Trump administration and the Middle East.
Sudan’s fragile transition boosted by turnaround in ties with US, Israel
Khartoum is also a key broker in the Nile River dam talks with Egypt and Ethiopia.
Iraq, KRG, Turkey find common ground in response to PKK
Kurdish group increasingly isolated; meanwhile, Syrian Kurds boxed in by Turkey, Russia and Assad.
Rouhani, Biden hint at pathways to resume Iran deal
The Iranian president wants Biden to reverse Trump policies, not start a new round of talks; the US president-elect makes clear US regional partners will also have their say.
Zaidi’s test in Tehran
Less than 24 hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi returned from Tehran on Thursday, Iraqi Kurdistan again came under attack.
Five explosive drones were intercepted over Erbil by US-led coalition air defenses, triggering explosions and smoke near the airport that hosts coalition forces and sits adjacent to the US consulate. While Iraq’s Kurdistan region is no stranger to attacks by Iran and its proxies, the timing was hard to ignore. For Tehran, despite the arrival of a new Iraqi prime minister promising a different path, it appears to be business as usual.
US banking on Iraqi turnaround with nomination of Zaidi as new PM
Trump signals hope for a "tremendous new chapter” in US-Iraq ties with the nomination of Ali Al-Zaidi as prime minister.
Iraq's Sudani: US troop withdrawal does not mean end of security relationship
At an event hosted by Al-Monitor and the US Chamber of Commerce, the prime minister discussed Iraq’s plan to achieve energy independence by 2030 and his desire to drawdown the US military presence in the country.
Netanyahu, regional leaders hedge on possible Trump win in November
The Israeli prime minister is under pressure to deliver on a cease-fire during his Washington visit next week; Biden can’t heal Democrat divisions over Israel and the Gaza war.
