Loopholes, gaps riddle Taif Agreement The agreement that ended the Lebanese civil war still hasn't been implemented and remains as controversial as when it was penned. Lebanon
PA all talk, no action on Abu Ein’s death The PA’s tough statements in the aftermath of Ziad Abu Ein’s death appear nothing more than hot air, as it has refused to follow through with its threats to cut security coordination with Israel or accelerate steps to join international conventions. Palestine
Erdogan continues to consolidate power Turkey remains a parliamentary system under its present constitution, but there is little preventing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from taking steps to fulfill his ambition of becoming the country’s paramount leader. Turkey
US will veto Palestinian UN bid The US debated which course of action would distance Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the most from another term in office, especially in view of the Palestinian bid in its most “extreme draft” to the UN and the American veto power. Palestine
Iran warned Australia about Sydney attacker Sydney hostage-taker Man Haron Monis had long been wanted by Iran for fraud. Iran
Mothers of missing Syrians look for answers Thousands of Syrians remain missing, either abducted by armed groups or held in government prisons, leaving their anguished families distraught. Syria
Sisi under fire over proposed defamation law Even loyal followers of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are up in arms about the proposed defamation law criminalizing the January 25 and June 30 revolutions. Egypt
Gulenists defeated on first anniversary of corruption probes A year after the December 2013 corruption probes, Erdogan’s government continues to grapple with the ghosts of the covered-up scandals, while the Gulen community stands defeated in the open war it launched on the government through the probes. Turkey
Erdogan shows his true, authoritarian colors Turkey took a dangerous turn toward autocracy with the arrest of journalists critical of the government. Turkey
IS threat led to closure of Western embassies in Egypt The Islamic State has sent Egyptian members back to Egypt to plan attacks against foreign interests in the country, prompting the United Kingdom and Canada to close their embassies. Egypt
Is Iran's supreme leader subject to oversight? Statements by parliament member Ali Motahari have once again raised the issue of whether Iran's supreme leader can be supervised. Iran
Israeli ultra-Orthodox party locked in internal battle Ahead of Israeli elections, the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party leader Aryeh Deri is determined to drive away former Shas Chairman Eli Yishai, despite the political price to be paid by an already declining party. Israel
Shiites, Sunnis unite to denounce and condemn extremists The recent surge of Islamist extremists movements has had a positive effect in uniting Shiite and Sunni clerics, from Tehran to Cairo, to denounce the waves of intolerance and radicalism. Saudi Arabia
Middle East dictators feed sectarianism To assess why the Arab world is increasingly torn apart by violence in the name of sectarian identity and solidarity, we must focus on the abysmal strategies of patron-client dictatorships and economic inequality. Gulf
Egypt's June 30 coalition loses support Hamdeen Sabahi, a former presidential candidate, is leading a movement to boycott the final stages of the June 30 coalition talks to finalize a road map for Egypt in light of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s newest policies and the acquittal of former President Hosni Mubarak. Egypt
