Iran's absence at Geneva II hurts hopes for peace Even without Iran, the Geneva II talks must work toward a cease-fire and a solution to the Syrian crisis. By Clovis Maksoud
Iranian women warned about wearing chador Former Iranian Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi says, “All hell breaks loose when it comes to women’s hijab.” By Mehrnaz Samimi In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture
Nuclear deal cracks open Iran economy and helps students IAEA confirmation that Iran has stopped enriching uranium to 20% starts the clock on six months of economic relief and on negotiations for a more-lasting agreement. By Barbara Slavin
Erdogan travels to Brussels Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits Belgium in the face of setbacks to Turkey's application for EU membership and the cloud of corruption his government is under. By Tulin Daloglu
Israel must limit targeted killings to avoid further violence The elimination by airstrike of Islamic Jihad operative Ahmad Saad on Jan. 19 raises again the discussion on the long-term effectiveness of Israel's targeted killings policy. By Shlomi Eldar
Turkish intelligence service trucks reveal secrets Did trucks linked to Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization facilitate the smuggling of weapons to rebel forces in Syria? By Fehim Tastekin In Paris, reporting on Turkish politics
Bibi knows where Ya'alon stands on peace talks In view of Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's recent statements, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows that his top minister might jeopardize the possibility of talks with the Palestinians as he did before. By Akiva Eldar
Could Nobel laureate Shechtman be Israel's next president? The Knesset is preparing to elect the 10th president of the State of Israel in May 2014, and unlike previous times, candidates include a growing list of names from outside the political sphere. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Status of Jerusalem may again scuttle peace talks There is as yet no sign that the US-led Israeli-Palestinian talks have made any progress on Jerusalem. By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics
Iraqi women mostly absent from political scene Despite some gains made in recent decades, Iraqi women remain largely absent from the country’s political scene. By Omar al-Jaffal
Russia can't lose in oil deal with Iran Russia is seeking to expand trade ties with Iran and is angling to benefit from any lifting of international sanctions on Iran. By Tatiana Mitrova
Will Geneva II go the way of Vietnam peace talks? The Geneva negotiations have yet to resolve many differences in form or substance between the government and opposition delegations. By Jean Aziz (Lebanon Pulse)
Iran addresses legacy of rents in economy The role of foreign exchange, fuel smuggling and commercial rents are all under scrutiny. By Bijan Khajehpour In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics
The meanings of Egypt’s referendum Egypt's new constitution is more progressive than its predecessors. By Bassem Sabry
Source: Hamas resorts to tobacco taxes to pay state employees In light of a religious debate concerning the permissibility of cigarettes in Islam, the Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip had restricted the use of money from tobacco taxes to infrastructure projects, but a source says it's now using those funds to pay salaries. By Asmaa al-Ghoul
Gaza expresses solidarity with Syria’s Yarmouk camp Palestinians in Gaza have organized rallies and donation campaigns for the Palestinians in Syria's Yarmouk refugee camp, which has suffered a months-long siege. By Rasha Abou Jalal In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict