Is promoting civil society key to combating radical groups? Propping up oppressive dictators won’t stop violence in the Middle East and beyond, and a sophisticated approach is needed to address the complex origins of terror in the region. Pan Arab
Why is Rouhani backing off from those profiting from sanctions? Is Rouhani's softer tone against those who've benefited from the sanctions on Iran a tactic to win them over — or is he just giving up? Iran
Erdogan’s march to one-man power A few years ago, three powerful men — Erdogan, Gulen and Ocalan — had a say in Turkey’s future, but now Erdogan has emerged as "the man” charting the country’s course. Turkey
After Paris, Iran spy chief warns Tehran could be next Iranian officials have warned about the possibility of an attack by the Islamic State. Syria
Senior Palestinian official refuses to give up on peace process A senior Palestinian official has given his blessing to the current wave of protest activities against the Israeli army and settlers while clearly warning about the uprising taking a military turn. Palestine
Paris attacks spoil AKP’s G-20 game plan Turkey's AKP government will not be able to use the G-20 summit as an anti-Kurdish platform. Syria
Was government negligence to blame for deadly fireworks explosion in Jordan? Jordanian politicians and analysts are blaming poor government performance for the explosion in Amman’s Customs Department that killed seven. Jordan
How one Lebanese woman is clowning around to bring laughter to refugees The nonprofit organization Clowns Without Borders performed for two weeks to offer moments of laughter and levity. Lebanon
Ethiopian water minister determined to continue Renaissance Dam construction In an Al-Monitor interview in Cairo, Ethiopian Minister for Water, Irrigation and Energy Motuma Mekasa expressed his country's determination to continue construction on the Renaissance Dam despite the lack of studies on its impact. Egypt
Is it time for Israel to revisit its relationship with Sunni bloc? With Iran fighting against IS forces, and in view of IS’ latest terrorism attacks in Egypt, Lebanon and France, the Israeli security establishment is questioning its regional security doctrine. Saudi Arabia
Qatar launches initiative to ease power crisis in Gaza As Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue to suffer from daily power cuts, Qatar proposed to Israelis supplying Gaza with natural gas. Qatar
Israeli budget becomes political playground Ministers Moshe Kahlon, Aryeh Deri and Naftali Bennett each look to appease their constituencies when voting over the 2016 Israeli state budget. Israel
Israel needs calm, not action-movie operations Israel's political and military establishments feel the need to "do something" to appease public opinion in the face of recent violence, but the situation calls for restraint, not excessive actions like the undercover operation at a Hebron hospital. Palestine
Egypt rushes to bolster tourism after Sinai plane crash Egyptian politicians and public figures have created dozens of initiatives to bring tourism back to Sharm el-Sheikh after Western countries decided to suspend their flights to Sinai in response to the Russian plane crash there. Egypt
Jordan tasked with establishing terrorist blacklist for Syria talks Islamic State terrorism in France and Lebanon leads to new peace plan for Syria; Hamas and Islamic Jihad seek advantage from Palestinian uprising. Palestine
Paris attacks expose tensions in Turkey Comments, both arrogant and jubilant, celebrating Paris massacre on social media rub salt into the unhealed wounds of IS attacks in Turkey. Turkey
