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.
No relief in sight for Mideast hotspots after catastrophic 2020
Conflict, disease, famine compound crises in Gaza, Yemen, Syria.
Erdogan weighs new reality in US-Turkey ties under Biden
The Turkish president, after backing Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabagh, could feel emboldened to move in Syria, but anticipating the next administration may give pause.
Biden will face matrix of conflicting influence campaigns in Africa, Mideast
Egypt seeks to check Turkish influence in North Africa and the Horn, while its priority remains Nile Dam talks with Ethiopia.
Biden unlikely to turn back in Iraq
Former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel says Biden knows Iraq "as well or better than just about anyone."
While America counts its votes, Erdogan advances his agenda
Can the next US president manage Erdogan’s ambition?
New normal takes shape for Israel, Palestinians, UAE
Israelis and Emiratis throw themselves into their new relationship and Palestinians are throwing Gulf visitors out of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Would Mideast leaders prefer Trump or Biden to deal with Iran?
Whoever wins the election, a new Iran deal would require a regional consensus and some tough diplomacy with Putin.
Middle East’s chronic woes exacerbate COVID impact, IMF says
Also: Israelis back Trump, Palestinians (kind of) tilt toward Biden.
For Arab youth, the future is in the Gulf
The most recent Arab Youth Survey shows the United States is gaining ground on Russia and China as perceived "allies."
Did Erdogan approve Azerbaijan escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh?
The Turkish president is the author of a militarized regional policy that now stretches from the Caucuses to Libya.
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.
