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.
Netanyahu more worried about Israel's protests than Palestinians
The Israeli prime minister will receive US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as violence escalates, normalization stalls, and the economy tanks in anticipation of right-wing reforms.
Turkey's Erdogan shows no give on Sweden’s NATO bid
The hope is that the Turkish president will deal on NATO, Sweden and Syria after May 14 elections; Turkey-Syria talks unsettle refugees; Could jihadists make a comeback in Europe?
Middle East states seek to stave off global downturn
World Bank report portends trouble for fragile economies; Saudi Arabia looks to copper; Oman invests in hydrogen; Egypt floats its exchange rate; Iran’s currency crisis; Algeria expects to profit.
Will Erdogan and Assad soon meet to bury the hatchet?
Erdogan’s opportunism, Putin’s weakness, Iran’s distraction, Israel’s vigilance all complicate Syrian endgame.
Will Biden, Netanyahu find common ground on Iran in 2023?
EU Foreign Policy Chief meanwhile says ‘no alternative’ to JCPOA to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon.
Can Biden afford to give up on Iran nuclear deal?
US envoy's latest word is Iran is 'not interested,' but the EU reaffirms support for the JCPOA while an IAEA team comes to Iran.
Iran looms large over Iraqi PM’s reform agenda
Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s government is seeking a fast start amid uncertainty in Iran.
Turkey’s leveraging of Syria, Ukraine crises frustrates US, Europe
Erdogan disregards appeals by US for restraint in Syria and demands further concessions from Stockholm for agreeing to Sweden’s NATO admission.
US again tries to thwart Turkish invasion of northern Syria
Erdogan says military operations are "just beginning" against Syrian Kurdish groups, while teasing possibility of talks with Assad.
US partners in Middle East avoid taking sides against China
Also: cryptocurrency takes spotlight in Abu Dhabi and Gargash outlines UAE approach to foreign policy.
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.
