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.
What to do about 10,000 al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Idlib?
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stymies Turkey’s bid for cease-fire, welcomes Syrian assault.
Why are Syria's IDPs returning home?
UNHCR Filippo Grandi visits Douma, Syria; Jabhat al-Nusra dead-enders and foreign fighters face last stand in Idlib.
Russia shows no signs of ditching Iran over Syria
Turkey rallies jihadi armed groups to its side in Idlib; Lebanon backs Russian plan for Syrian refugees.
US decision to cut aid could be opening for flagging Saudi approach to Syria
Syria stabilization will instead likely depend on Putin’s shuttle diplomacy with Ankara and Damascus.
Turkey’s time running out in Idlib
Syrian Kurds could be a wild card in a possible showdown between Damascus and Ankara; Russia keeps the peace, for now, on the Israel-Syria border; Israel may have opened a new front of secret assassinations; the political economy of Iran’s protests.
Putin man in the middle between Assad, Erdogan over Idlib
A Syrian government attack on Idlib could upend the Astana accord.
Did Israel nix Russian deal on Iran-backed forces in Syria?
Putin intensifies diplomacy with Israel and Turkey, as Iran adjusts its Syria policy after Helsinki; Damascus and Syrian Kurds keep talking; Al-Monitor breaks story on costs of US Embassy in Jerusalem.
The art of the deal in Helsinki – the next chapter
More than 11% of internally displaced people have returned to areas retaken by Syrian government forces this year.
The art of the deal in Helsinki
A win-win on Syria is there for the taking by leveraging Putin’s relationship with Iran.
Rouhani goes on offense against critics, shady interests and ‘culture of opacity’
Iranian president presses ahead with anti-corruption agenda in response to political dissent and widening protests.
Iran, misreading Trump’s resolve, escalates conflict in Yemen ahead of US midterms
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Trump links Iran to the war on terror, vowing it will “never, ever have a nuclear weapon.”
Barzani calls for enhanced air defense for Kurdistan Region to counter drone attacks
Iraqi Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani backs US-led regional economic integration efforts and lauds US partnership in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor.
Trump’s strategy on Iran may be paying off
Through far-sighted diplomacy and a durable new regional architecture, Trump has cornered Iran between alignment and atrophy.
Iran-linked militias seek to draw Iraq into regional war
“Iran’s logic is the logic of war,” a Gulf regional official tells Al-Monitor.
