Kurdish families demand the PKK stop kidnapping minors About two dozen Kurdish families have come forward since May 19 in protest of the Kurdistan Workers Party’s abduction of their children. Turkey
Hamas will keep limited force in unity government Hamas will accept, and not challenge, the PLO's agreements with Israel. Palestine
House Defense bill limits aid to Syrian rebels The House version of the Defense appropriations bill, released today, restricts assistance to Syrian opposition forces. Syria
Palestinians stumble on selection of foreign minister The selection of a foreign minister is an unexpected stumbling block in the Palestinian reconciliation process. Palestine
Gezi resistance anniversary recalls impact on Turkey On the first anniversary of the Gezi revolt, the bottom line is that it failed to transform into a political movement, but did manage to transform Turkey. Turkey
Turkey’s Kurdish oil gamble Turkey’s sale of Iraqi Kurdish crude oil could backfire for Ankara and the Kurdistan Regional Government. Iraq
Lebanon needs new electoral law, then a president The core of the crisis of the Lebanese national pact is the absence of an electoral law that represents the sects fairly, especially the Christians. Lebanon
Beilin calls Obama 'serious disappointment' on peace talks In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Minister Yossi Beilin blames the Americans for insisting on a final status agreement instead of working on interim arrangements like former President George W. Bush’s road map. Palestine
Putin’s Muslim family values Russian President Vladimir Putin considers his country’s Muslim citizens as a like-minded constituency in combating the perceived negative consequences of the encroachment of "Western" culture in the Middle East. Russia
Saudi Peace Initiative takes back seat to Iran Although the Arab peace initiative may be going nowhere, there may be a Saudi-Israeli convergence of interests on the threat from Iran. Saudi Arabia
Israel should take Prince Turki's offer on Arab Peace Initiative Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud spoke in Brussels with retired Gen. Amos Yadlin about the Saudi initiative for ending the conflict, saying, "Israel has nuclear weapons. … The Arabs aren’t crazy. We want to talk peace." Saudi Arabia
Beirut's shoeshine boys Part of an estimated 180,000 child laborers in Lebanon, shoeshine boys, many of them from Syria, face a hard life on Beirut's streets. Lebanon
Is Egypt winning war on terror in Sinai? Egyptian military officials repeat statements that the Sinai Peninsula is under their complete control, but locals paint a different picture, as the war on terror continues. Egypt
Iran official: Revealing extent of corruption could cause 'social shock' Gholamali Jafarzadeh has said that details of the Iranian Parliament's investigation into Ahmadinejad-era corruption would cause a "social shock" and harm the government if it is made public. Iran
Iraqis' epidemic of mental illness Although statistics from international organizations indicate that mental illness is on the rise in Iraq, social stigma prevents patients from getting treated and students from studying psychology and psychiatry. Iraq
Jordan maintains Syrian ties despite envoy's expulsion Jordanian officials insist the Syrian envoy's expulsion was based on his actions, not a rupture in ties with Damascus. Jordan
