Iran's Supreme Council of Cyberspace announces plans for social media monitoring Given the widespread use of smartphones, Iranian officials say there is a need to monitor election-related social media activity. Iran
Death, starvation haunt southern Yemen The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Yemen’s besieged Taiz calls for immediate action to lift the siege that has strangled the city for almost a year. Saudi Arabia
Are books and movies promoting smoking and drinking? Erdogan thinks so Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s railing against smoking and alcohol has sparked concerns over censorship of movies and literary works deemed to promote the two "evils." Turkey
What happened to Turkey's foreign policy? Turkey has made some major mistakes with its one-dimensional foreign policy, say former ambassadors who served under the Justice and Development Party. Turkey
How one Palestinian sheikh hopes to unite Sunnis, Shiites In an interview with Al-Monitor, the founder of Jama’at al-Muslimin, Sheikh Mahmoud Jouda, talks about his party being religious and strictly nonpolitical and denies accusations of him converting to Shiism, saying he is neither Sunni nor Shiite. Palestine
Can Israel separate politics, education? Parents and educators are concerned about Education Minister Naftali Bennett integrating values of Judaism and nationalism into the education system, at the expense of tolerance and dialogue. Israel
Will Iraqi government employees face more wage cuts in 2016? The Iraqi government’s austerity plan has now reached civil servants, raising fears of an uncertain future in light of the plunging oil revenues and increasing military expenses in the fight against the Islamic State. Iraq
Why is Israeli media attacking itself? Freedom of speech, vital to any democracy, is under attack by the Israeli media. Palestine
US, Russia reach partial Syria truce deal The United States and Russia have reached an agreement on a cessation of hostilities in Syria, to go into effect Feb. 27, yet the plan excludes both the Islamic State and al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra. Syria
Did the UN ship restricted technology to Iran? House lawmakers finally hear from patent agency whistleblowers after four years of stonewalling. Congress
Head of Egypt’s Nour Party bloc speaks out In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ahmed Khalil, the head of the Islamist Nour Party’s parliamentary bloc, speaks about the party’s role and plans in the legislature. Egypt
Why this election of Iran's Assembly of Experts is more important than ever The next Assembly of Experts is also being selected this election season, and this one has a good chance of determining the next supreme leader of Iran. Iran
'Special messages' aside, Iran's S-300 missiles still up in air Despite the increasing regional cooperation between Iran and Russia, the Tehran-Moscow relationship is marred by distrust over the long-stalled S-300 air defense missile deal. Russia
How one Kurdish woman went from child soldier to Swedish lawmaker Swedish parliamentarian Amineh Kakabaveh tells Al-Monitor about her remarkable journey from Kurdish guerrilla camps in Iraq’s mountains to the rostrum of European politics. Iraq
To stop tourism slump, Erdogan asks Turks to holiday at home Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is asking Turks to spend their holidays in Turkey, to alleviate the loss in revenue of Russian tourists who will not travel to Turkey this year. Turkey
Iraq begins construction on Baghdad wall While the central Iraqi government claims that a wall is needed around the capital for security reasons, Sunnis suspect that Baghdad is being isolated in preparation for annexation to a Shiite region. Iraq
