Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner Predicts Persian Spring Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi told Sophie Claudet in an interview that renewed protests against the Iranian government are imminent and that the opposition is working behind the scenes even if the state's crackdown has kept it off the streets. She also gave her views on Iran’s nuclear program, Iranian politics, sanctions and the Arab revolutions. Iran
A Look at Egypt's Draft Constitution Egypt's constituent assembly has quietly produced another constituional draft over the weekend. Bassem Sabry outlines the document's changes, which include apparent limitations on the scope of religious freedoms. Neither Salafists nor liberals are pleased with the draft, but its ambiguity will make it tough to challenge, he writes. Egypt
Former Israeli Spymaster: We Need To Talk to Iran In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, former Israeli spy chief Efraim Halevy said Israel and the US must engage in a dialogue with Iran to understand how their adversaries think, a position rarely heard from top Israeli officials. He faulted Republican candidate Mitt Romney for making US policy toward Iran an issue in the presidential election. Israel
Why Sound Bites Won't Cut It When It Comes to Mideast The Arab Spring presents the US with a complex landscape of opportunities and dangers. Bruce Riedel writes that American policy makers will need to be agile to capitalize on the opportunities while avoiding the pitfalls, and that sound bites alone won't cut it. Pan Arab
Jihadists in Syria Can Be Found On the Internet Jihadists fighting in the Syrian conflict may be hard to meet, but they maintain an increasing online presence, writes Aaron Zelin, a research fellow at the Washington Institute. The numbers of cyber warriors are growing among the opposition. Syria
Egypt Bristling Over US Rhetoric, Defense Attache Says Congressional threats to cut assistance to Egypt threaten to erode an already fragile trust between Washington and Cairo, Egypt's defense attache in Washington tells Al-Monitor in an exclusive interview. Egypt
Khamenei on Population Control: 'May God and History Forgive Us' Ayatollah Khamenei has done something unusual, writes Arash Karami: He admitted to a mistake. Iran's supreme leader said the government's population-control policy had been wrong and would be replaced by “fertility programs." But Karami doubts Iranian women facing economic uncertainty would limit their opportunities to have children. Iran
In Yemen, Graffiti Evolves Into High Art In a country where art galleries are few and far between, artists have transformed walls in public places into canvases. Critics of the form recently defaced graffiti displays across the country, but Yemeni artists are pushing new mural and sculpture projects to advance the idea of public art, writes Nafeesa Syeed. Yemen
Setting the Record Straight On Al-Islah in the UAE Ali Rashid Al-Noami, an Emirati academic and former member of Al-Islah, discusses Al-Islah's ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and seeks to set the record straight on the UAE's recent crackdown on its members. United Arab Emirates
In Cairo, Battle Lines Are Drawn Between Islamists and Liberals An increasingly violent divide is emerging between supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and liberal and secular groups, Maggie Fick reports. More than 100 protesters were injured Friday in clashes between the two groups during Tahrir Square demonstrations marking President Morsi's first 100 days in office. Egypt
Diplomat Who Worked on Hostages Sees 'Argo' as Potentially Exploitive "Argo" opened to rave reviews last weekend. Gary Sick noted in his review for Al-Monitor that, while entertaining, the movie is “Hollywood, not history." Walker Gunning gets another perspective from Henry Precht, head of the Iranian Working Group at the State Department during the hostage crisis, who explains why he isn't planning to see the movie. Iran
Talks to Resolve Syrian Conflict Cannot Hinge on Cease-Fire Nassif Hitti argues that a cease-fire cannot be a precondition for talks to end the Syrian conflict. Talks under the auspices of UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi need to start immediately if there is any chance for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis. Syria
Iran Hostage Crisis Insider Reviews Hollywood Thriller 'Argo' Ben Affleck has taken the essence of the little-known story of how six Americans took refuge in the Canadian Embassy in Tehran and given it the full Hollywood treatment. While a lot of it rings true, there are parts that don't. But hey, this is Hollywood, not history, writes Gary Sick — enjoy it! Iran
Women Should Be Full Partners In Arab Spring, US Envoy Says Women played a central role in overthrowing dictatorships during the Arab Spring but are also prime targets of radical Islamists attempting to hijack the movement, said Melanne Verveer, US envoy for global women's issues. She spoke to Al-Monitor's Sophie Claudet on the sidelines of the Women's Forum in Deauville, France. Originals
The Lebanonization of Syria There may be nothing the international community can do to save Syria from devolving into a fragmented, proxy battleground like Lebanon, David W. Lesch writes, unless the opposition somehow discovers a truly inclusive leadership that outlines a vision for the future that is representative of the whole population. Syria
One Thing Syrians Agree On: Sense of Collective Loss Layla M. writes that the only sentiment shared by Syrians is one of collective loss — of both a secure past and a meaningful future. The general feeling on the streets of Damascus is that the current system of governance is crumbling under the weight of civil war and economic sanctions. Syria
