Week in Review - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

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.

Trump’s integration policies build on Gulf, Turkey ties and Syria success

By Andrew Parasiliti , Week in Review

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026.

Russia’s Course in Syria Unchanged

Al-Monitor’s coverage of US and Russian policies toward Syria; the protests in Egypt; and the return of reformist and Islamic chic in Iran.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu hold a joint news conference at the Russian embassy in Washington after their meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, August 9, 2013. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX12FAI

Obama Administration Navigates New Egypt

Al-Monitor’s coverage and analysis of Egypt.

A man sprays water on supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, as they shout slogans during a protest at the Rabaa Adawiya square where they are camping, in Cairo August 2, 2013. Tens of thousands of supporters of Mursi marched through Cairo on Friday, demanding Mursi's reinstatement amidst a looming threat that Egyptian authorities will clear out two pro-Mursi sit-ins with force. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX128JA

The Struggle for Syrian Kurdistan

Al-Monitor covers Syrian Kurdistan, the rebel siege of Aleppo, maids in Saudi Arabia and the Iraqi sex trade.

A Free Syrian Army member inspects his weapon beside a checkpoint to siege the Kurdish city of Afrin, which is under the control of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in the Aleppo countryside June 30, 2013. REUTERS/Hamid Khatib (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTX117H8

Obama Administration Should Clarify Syria Policy

The US objective should be to convene the Geneva Conference on Syria as soon as possible, not to provide an open-ended commitment to the Syrian rebels.

U.S. President Barack Obama salutes before boarding Marine One at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, July 5, 2013. Obama will fly to the presidential retreat, Camp David, in Maryland. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX11DYI

Egypt’s Uncertain Transition

Al-Monitor’s coverage of the coup in Egypt.

A protester supporting deposed Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi holds a poster of Mursi during clashes outside the Republican Guard barracks where Mursi is being held in Cairo July 5, 2013. At least three protesters were shot dead on Friday outside the barracks in Cairo, security sources said, as angry Islamist supporters confronted troops across the country. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX11DTC

Egypt Springs Again

Al-Monitor’s coverage of the pro-democracy movements in Egypt and Turkey.

Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi wave Egyptian flags and shout slogans against him and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, during a protest in front of El-Thadiya presidential palace in Cairo June 30, 2013. Millions of Egyptians flooded into the streets on the first anniversary of Islamist President Mursi's inauguration on Sunday to demand that he resign in the biggest challenge so far to rule by his Muslim Brotherhood. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) -

Syria in 'Free Fall'

Edward Dark describes the despair in both Aleppo and a Syrian prison; Syria is in “free fall,” according to the chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani (C) speaks during the London 11 countries "Friends of Syria" meeting in Doha June 22, 2013. Western and Arab opponents of Bashar al-Assad met in Qatar on Saturday to tighten coordination of their stepped up support for rebels battling to overthrow the Syrian president. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX10WYN

Obama Should Invite Iran's Rouhani to Geneva

The election of Hassan Rouhani as president of Iran might present an opening for a political solution to the Syria war.

Iranian presidential candidate Hassan Rohani (L) waves to supporters in the central Iranian city of Shiraz June 11, 2013. Picture taken June 11, 2013. REUTERS/Fars News/Mohammad Hadi Khosravi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION WILL BE PROVIDED SEPARATELY - RTX10L2E

US Needs Iran, Turkey For Diplomatic Surge in Syria

The latest UN report on Syria calls for a “diplomatic surge” to end the war, which has reached “new levels of brutality.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (L) sits with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu during the opening of a ministerial meeting in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah, by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on May 13, 2013. The OIC urged its member states to make generous contributions at this week's main donors conference on Mali to be held in Brussels, which aims to raise funds to repair the damage caused by the war against Islamists in the African country. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo c

Turkish Spring?

Turks takes to the streets to protest the policies of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Demonstrators stand in front of a make shift shield during clashes with Turkish riot police in central Ankara June 2, 2013. Erdogan accused Turkey's main secular opposition party on Sunday of stirring a wave of anti-government protests, as tens of thousands regrouped in Istanbul and Ankara after a lull and trouble flared again in the capital. Police used tear gas on protesters in Ankara but the clashes were relatively minor compared with major violence in Turkey's biggest cities on the previous two days. RE

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.”

Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement, arrive with their weapons to rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon, in Sanaa on April 8, 2026, following the announcement of a ceasefire in the Middle East war.

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.

Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, gives a press conference in the autonomous region's capital Arbil on June 25, 2025.

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.

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport on Aug. 2, 2026 in Morristown, New Jersey.

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.

Fighters lift flags of Iraq and paramilitary groups, including al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, during a funeral in Baghdad for five militants killed a day earlier in a US strike in northern Iraq, on Dec. 4, 2023.