Turkey Should Shut Down Jihadists on Border Turkey's shooting down of a Syrian helicopter that violated its airspace on Sept. 16 should provoke a clampdown on all border activity. Syria
Israeli NGOs Demand Greater Role For Women in National Security Israeli women’s organizations have formulated an action plan to implement UN Resolution 1325, which calls for increasing the representation of women in security and diplomatic deliberations. Israel
Egypt-Sudan Ties Deteriorate Over Nile Sudan is shifting its position closer to the other upstream Nile states as ties with Egypt's new military leaders grow weaker. Egypt
Iraqi Vice President Launches Consensus Initiative Iraq’s political quagmire, exacerbated by increasing sectarian violence, may yet be overcome with the help of the vice president’s consensus initiative. Iraq
AIPAC, J Street And the 'Dual Loyalty' Question The pro-Israel organization J Street, AIPAC's liberal rival, must confront its dual loyalty dilemma, which will be tested once Jerusalem's division is put on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiating table. Israel
Hamas Shuts Down Egypt Center in Gaza The closing of the center reflects a further deterioration in Hamas-Egypt ties. Palestine
Iraq to Raise Bank Capital To Address Housing Crisis Iraq plans to increase the capital in the country’s two government banks from $23 million to about $360 million to address the growing housing crisis. Iraq
Sectarianism Dominates Mideast Media Coverage of Syria, Bahrain A close look at Middle Eastern media reveals a sectarian bias for regional audiences and a more democratic face when broadcasting in English to the West. Iraq
Mayor: Israel's 'Structural Injustice' In Resource Distribution According to the mayor of Yeruham, Michael Biton, the Israeli government refuses to decide on differential allocation that would rescue the development towns, “because its main beneficiaries would be Arab municipalities.” Israel
Turkey’s AKP Mobilizes Twitter Army for Elections The Justice and Development Party has acknowledged the need for a social-media strategy. Turkey
Israel's Right Wing Embarrasses Itself Over Court Ruling The overreaction of the Israeli right to the supreme court decision on illegal immigrants reflects its self-perception as a persecuted opposition, not as the party in power. Israel
Two-State Solution Under Siege US political scientist Ian Steven Lustick is the latest intellectual to jump on the one-state bandwagon for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Palestine
Iraqi Secularists Struggle To Establish Political Presence With Iraq's national culture characterized by sectarian divisions, Iraqi secularists have had difficulty gaining traction in post-2003 politics. Iraq
Turkey’s Sunni-Alevi Fault Line Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s democratization package will need to dampen sectarian tensions. Turkey
Sadat: Egypt Will Keep The Peace with Israel Esmat al-Sadat, nephew of the late Egyptian president, is confident about the future of the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement: "It will be maintained even when there’s utter chaos in Egypt." Egypt
Rouhani Should Give Priority To Religious Freedom in Iran Religious minority communities still face repression in Iran. Iran
