Turkish-Arab ties marked by fear and loathing A senior Turkish diplomat says Ankara misread the Middle East and ended up relying on Iran and its backer Russia, the two countries that Arab regimes fear the most. By Semih Idiz
Life sentence hangs over US pastor as Washington sizes up Ankara Though Congress was reportedly deterred by the State Department from imposing sanctions on Turkey, the indictment of pastor Andrew Brunson may alter the mood as Mike Pompeo replaces Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. By Amberin Zaman In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Outspoken Iranian pro-reform professor sentenced to jail A prominent pro-reform professor is sentenced to jail in Iran as two ministers survive impeachment votes in parliament. By Al-Monitor Staff
Russia warns against attacking Damascus, says West is lying Moscow accuses the United States of wanting to interfere in Russia's presidential election and of concocting fake news about a pending Syrian chemical strike against civilians, and it says it's being falsely blamed for the spy poisoning in the UK. By Maxim A. Suchkov
Iran says IS resurgence could hamper oil deal with Iraq An Iranian official warns that numerous attacks in Iraq have created security concerns that are preventing the countries from completing their oil deal, but some Iraqis think the Kurdistan Regional Government has engineered the situation because it no longer controls the oil. By Adnan Abu Zeed
European pressure over missiles unites Iranian hardliners, moderates Iran appears impervious to the increasing pressure from the United States and Europe to negotiate over its regional policies and missile program. By Saeid Jafari
New Italian government brings uncertainty for Libya After the March 4 elections in Italy, a new government could be formed with new policies on migration and Libya. By Justin Salhani (Libya)
The dueling states of Palestine Hamas-organized protests on Land Day and Nakba Day in Gaza appear planned to lead to bloodshed, while in the West Bank, the PLO is planning on recognizing a Palestinian state. By Shlomi Eldar
Eastern Mediterranean starting to resemble disputed South China Sea Military activities in the eastern Mediterranean have escalated considerably in 2018, as have tensions. By Metin Gurcan
The topsy-turvy world of Jewish-Arab relations Despite evidence of a serious deterioration in relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel, one researcher contends that Israeli Arabs continue to show a strong link to a Jewish and democratic Israel. By Akiva Eldar
Tunisian women fighting for equal inheritance rights Increasing numbers of women are organizing to pressure the government into legislating equal inheritance rights to replace the current law, which is based on the Quran. By Amel al-Hilali
Are Egypt’s clerics key to solving water crisis? Mosques and churches in Egypt are raising awareness of the rationalization of water use, but Egyptians are divided over their involvement. By Ahmed Fouad
Young Cairo painters take their work underground Young Egyptian artists are bringing color to Cairo’s metro stations, starting with magnificent murals for the Opera House stop. By Fatma Lotfi
Casualties continue to mount in Syria's eastern Ghouta The situation in the besieged eastern Ghouta area continues to deteriorate with shortages of medical supplies, the regime shelling on medical facilities and use of low concentration doses of chlorine. By Gaja Pellegrini-Bettoli
Egypt’s young muralists put cultural icons on walls A group of Egyptian activists and artists have launched an initiative to bring color to Cairo’s metro stations, starting with Opera House metro station. By Fatma Lotfi
Senate fissure opens up over ending Yemen war Traditional centrists are pushing back against bipartisan efforts to stop US support for the Saudi coalition. By Bryant Harris In Washington, reporting on Congress