Conditioning American withdrawal from Syria Now that President Donald Trump has announced US forces will be soon leaving Syria, the administration must rethink its previously stated conditions for withdrawal. By James Dobbins
What's really driving currency depreciation in Iran? Rather than an indicator of a poor economy, the devaluation of the Iranian currency is the result of investment behavior, and what we are witnessing now looks more like a bubble. By Esfandyar Batmanghelidj
Turkey’s economic woes open cracks in government ranks Amid failing efforts to halt the slump of the Turkish lira, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and senior Cabinet members appear increasingly at loggerheads over how to keep the economy afloat. By Mustafa Sonmez In Istanbul, reporting on economics
Russia sees benefit of nudging Turkey on to Manbij in Syria Despite their divergent strategic goals, the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey have agreed to work together in Syria while further excluding the United States from the decision-making process. By Metin Gurcan
Turkey’s top business body pushes for more gender equality in TV series The top business body in Turkey finds gender bias in TV series that reproduces traditional stereotypes — and aims to help correct it. By Riada Ašimović Akyol
Baghdad clamps down on cross-border arms smuggling While security along the Iraqi-Syrian border has improved with the near defeat of the Islamic State, Iraqi security forces still have their hands full trying to prevent arms smuggling and attacks by what is left of the terror group. By Omar al-Jaffal
Turkish TV paints Kurds as villains Turkish audiences watch TV series more regularly than they watch the news — and the habit seems to be making Turkey's divide worse. By Mahmut Bozarslan
Ankara summit focuses on Syria's fate once war ends The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey reassured each other that they are the "big three" of the Syrian peace talks and discussed their mission to resolve the civil war. By Maxim A. Suchkov
US ramps up counter-WMD spending amid Mideast proliferation threats The Pentagon is putting $6 million into countering weapons of mass destruction in five Middle Eastern countries, as US special operations forces take control of the fight. By Jack Detsch
Beirut renames seaside avenue after Saudi benefactor Will King Salman Avenue bring Lebanon more Saudi tourists, or does it just represent the failures of the Lebanese political system? By Joe Macaron
Rumors of Turkish deputy PM's departure spook markets The Turkish lira took a tumble amid reports that Mehmet Simsek, the deputy prime minister in charge of Turkey's economy, had resigned. By Amberin Zaman In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Iranian conservatives ask supreme leader for reforms Conservative officials and activists aligned with former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote an open letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the need for reforms. By Al-Monitor Staff
Late Iranian president's son on road to become Tehran mayor Mohsen Hashemi, the oldest son of late Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, may become mayor of the country’s capital. By Saeid Jafari
The struggle of Egypt's transgender community Many transgender Egyptians still run into society’s conservative wall, despite some tolerance by the younger generation. By Marc Español
Why have recent mass Palestinian protests been limited to Gaza? The recent mass protests along the Gaza-Israel border raise questions as to why similar events aren't happening in the West Bank. By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics