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.
Erdogan says Kurdish militants will be 'annihilated'
Turkey intensifies military operations against Kurdish "self-rule" movement; what do the UN Security Council resolutions on Syria mean for Saudi-led Islamic coalition? Zarif sets red line on terrorist groups in Syria; has Netanyahu closed Israel’s Iran file?
Turkey misfires in Iraq
Turkey’s military deployment near Mosul provokes widespread opposition and sends Russia-Turkey ties into a further downward spiral; Turkey’s Kurds face "unrealistic prospect" for democracy; Barzani on the spot as a result of KRG alignment with Turkey; Russia slams Saudi hosting of Syrian opposition.
Turkey’s red line in Syria under attack
Syrian military advances, backed by Russia, threaten Turkmen and Jabhat al-Nusra forces along the border with Turkey; Russia and Israel understand each other on Syria; Israel’s’ "small joy" in clash with EU over settlements.
Erdogan more isolated than ever on Syria
The Turkish president is on the defensive after Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian warplane; the Syrian war enters a more dangerous phase.
Will battle for Aleppo determine Syria’s fate?
Syrian government forces advance despite heavy resistance; Arab leadership missing in battle against Islamic State; Erdogan differs with United States and G-20 on next steps in Syria; Israel rethinks "Shiite axis."
Jordan tasked with establishing terrorist blacklist for Syria talks
Islamic State terrorism in France and Lebanon leads to new peace plan for Syria; Hamas and Islamic Jihad seek advantage from Palestinian uprising.
Is Erdogan waging a war of choice against the PKK?
Erdogan and the AKP win by emphasizing the threat from Kurdish terrorism; Palestinian martyrs on the rise with intifada violence; Al-Monitor backs UNICEF education program for Syrian children.
Turkey’s dispiriting elections
Erdogan offers an uncertain democratic future for Turkey; Syria Contact Group avoids divisions over Assad’s fate; Iranian and Russian support pivotal in Syrian military campaign to retake Aleppo.
No breakthrough in Syria possible without Iran
Russian foreign minister dismisses rumors of a deal on Assad ahead of Syria talks; Hezbollah takes casualties in Hama; Turkey’s headache over US support for Syrian Kurds; days of rage in Gaza.
Are we witnessing ‘Syrianization’ of Turkey?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims “no difference” between Islamic State and Syrian Kurdish group backed by the United States; Syrian opposition groups reject UN talks; did Netanyahu ignore warnings about an intifada?
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.
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.
