Fears of Civil War Cripple Baghdad Commerce As sectarian violence and car bombings continue to flare up across Iraq, new limits on mobility have created roadblocks to the flow of commerce in the country. Iraq
Peres Holds False Hope For a 'Better Place' Will the fate of Israeli President Shimon Peres' vision of peace be any different from that of the Israeli electric car, which shattered in a resounding crash? Israel
Gaza Press Freedom in Spotlight After Columnist Arrested The backlash from the brief arrest of high-profile columnist Ibrahim Abrash continues, with Hamas targeted over freedom of speech. Palestine
Will There Be a Turkish Peace Dividend? The Kurdish peace process could bring changes to Turkey’s highly controversial and unchecked security policies and defense expenditures. Turkey
Gaza Fish Farms Face Closure An alternative source of local fish, scarce due to Israel's blockade, Gaza's fish farms are struggling to compete with cheaper Egyptian imports. Palestine
Syrian Fault LinesIn Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley The Syrian war has already come to Arsal and Hermel. Lebanon
Israeli Minister: 'A Palestinian State Is not the Solution' For Israeli Tourism Minister Uzi Landau: “One thing must be clear: A Palestinian state is not the solution." Palestine
Arab Israeli Women Fight Domestic Violence “Violence against women is not the whole of the problem, but just a symptom,” says Arab feminist activist Aida Tuma-Suliman. Israel
Iraqi Kurdish Opposition Parties Oppose Referendum Iraqi Kurdish opposition parties insist that Kurdistan region President Massoud Barzani submit the draft constitution to the parliament. Iraq
Turkey’s Foreign-Aid Priority Is Central Asia The Turkish International Development and Cooperation Agency (TIKA) still devotes most of its private aid to the Caucasus and Central Asia countries. Turkey
Sadr Gives Maliki 'Final Warning' Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr has issued a warning to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to withdraw militants from the streets amid a series of devastating car bombings throughout Iraq. Iraq
Turkey’s Kurdish Policies Complicate Ties With Iran, Iraq Turkey’s Kurdish policies are developing at the expense of its ties with Iran and Iraq. Iraq
Syrians in Israeli-Occupied Golan Remain Divided on Assad While Syrian President Bashar al-Assad enjoys considerable support from Golan Syrians under Israeli occupation, many are speaking up against his rule. Israel
Is Egypt’s Shura Council Constitutional? Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court will soon make a decision on the country’s only functioning legislative body. Egypt
Syria’s War Impacts Turkish Alevis Syria’s sectarian conflict is spilling over into Turkey’s Alevi community. Syria
Lebanon: Fault Line for Hezbollah's War on 'Takfiris' in Syria Just hours after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah announced that his party was fighting “takfiris” in Syria, two rockets struck a Shiite neighborhood in Beirut, suggesting that those “takfiris” might have military capabilities in Lebanon. Lebanon
