Three years in Syria, Russia sums up achievements and challenges On the third anniversary of the Russian campaign in Syria, Foreign Minister Lavrov summed up Moscow's achievements but conceded challenges persist. Syria
Iran FM: Trump ‘repeating the same mistakes’ Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Donald Trump administration is repeating the same mistakes that led to the US invasion and occupation of Iraq and growing chaos and instability in the Middle East. Iraq
Pence pressure prompts USAID to appoint liaison for Iraqi Christians USAID has appointed a special representative for the beleaguered minority group following intense pressure from the vice president. Iraq
Iran launches missile, drone attacks on militants in Syria Using missiles and armed drones, Iran said it sought to send a message to terrorist groups and their sponsors. Syria
Erdogan greets Turkish lawmakers with fire, fury as parliament convenes The Turkish president opened the parliamentary session with renewed antagonism toward the United States and the Kurdish militants it's aligned with in Syria and Iraq, dashing hopes that Turkey's economic difficulties had tempered his aggression. Syria
How the Rouhani administration can contain excess liquidity In the absence of genuine reforms that will allow the adoption of more prudent fiscal, monetary and foreign currency policies, the Iranian economy will remain structurally crisis-ridden. Iran
Raki bottles tell story of Turkey's changes The story of raki under the Justice and Development Party is the story of Turkey’s Islamic conservative transformation in a nutshell. Turkey
Egypt's aspiring actors tout talent online Many of Egypt's wannabe stars are showcasing their work on social media, hoping to break into big-time show business. Egypt
Egypt to sell valuable cotton land to bolster the textile industry Egypt announced that it will sell 14 tracts of land where it stores its industrial cotton gins to compensate for the heavy losses suffered by the textile industry. Egypt
Tunisia in limbo after Essebsi ends Ennahda alliance The announcement by Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi of the dissolution of Nidaa Tunis' alliance with Ennahda, ending five years of consensus government in Tunisia, has sparked controversy. Tunisia
Russia pins downed plane on Israel, will add missiles in Syria Russia’s decision to deploy its S-300 air defense systems in Syria is a major step toward dominating Syrian airspace, but to what extent will it affect Israel? Syria
Is Trump shifting toward Abbas? According to statements by President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly, it seems that the solution he envisions is closer to the one Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas favors than to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s status quo. Palestine
Iraqi Kurds vote to elect new parliament Iraqi Kurdistan held its parliamentary elections one year after its failed bid for independence, but low voter turnout and claims of voter fraud are tainting the results. Iraq