Syrian activist’s rooftop lessons to kids interrupted by Turkey's operation Salman Ibrahim's Bread Ways drama lessons take Syrian children to the rooftops of repurposed buildings the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib to teach them critical thinking. By Matt A. Hanson
Saudis' release of Houthis met with both hope, skepticism Houthi senior officials welcomed Saudi Arabia's release of detainees, but much remains to be resolved in the bloody four-year battle. By Naseh Shaker
Democratic leader pours cold water on Tulsi Gabbard’s bid to force Syria withdrawal The House’s No. 2 Democrat dealt a major blow to Tulsi Gabbard’s effort to force President Donald Trump to pull the remaining US troops out of Syria. By Bryant Harris In Washington, reporting on Congress
The Takeaway: December 4, 2019 Highlights: Iran’s top trends; ‘Joker’ sighted at Beirut protests; Egypt’s independent media fight back; and more! By Andrew Parasiliti In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, national security
Middle East lobbyists pay op-ed writers to sell their message A Kuwaiti firm and an armed Iranian opposition group are some of the latest examples of lobbyists paying for positive press coverage. By Aaron Schaffer
SDF woos Syrian Kurdish rivals in wake of Turkish assault Could the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish-backed Kurdish National Council, long at loggerheads, come to an accord in the wake of Turkey's invasion of Kurdish-administered areas of Syria? By Amberin Zaman In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Erdogan drops block on NATO defense plan as trust issues linger Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped his threat to block a defense plan for the Baltic states and Poland, though disagreements persist among NATO allies. By Diego Cupolo
Iran's Rouhani open for Trump meeting if sanctions lifted The Iranian president has signaled readiness for talks with his US counterpart if the latter removes economic sanctions he reimposed on the Islamic Republic. By Al-Monitor Staff
Istanbul's Arnavutkoy embracing change for centuries Arnavutkoy, Istanbul's chic district, struggles to keep its multiculturalism and serenity through the 21st century. By Lisa Morrow
Why Hamas is renewing the Gaza border protests In order to appease Palestinian public opinion and show that it is negotiating with Israel from a position of force, Hamas leadership is calling to resume fence demonstrations. By Shlomi Eldar
Turkey seeks to refresh NATO ties to balance Russia Turkey seems to have failed to get all it wanted from the NATO summit in London, but even an incomplete outcome meets its purpose of balancing ties with Russia by refreshing ties with NATO. By Metin Gurcan
What does silence of Blue and White party cover? The common desire of Blue and White’s leaders to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot justify their silence, when it comes to the Jewish settlement in Hebron or support for insane ideas like Jordan Valley annexation. By Yossi Beilin
Yemen’s Taiz residents still drowning in woes despite deal Yemeni citizens in Taiz doubt the power-sharing deal brokered by Saudi Arabia will help them overcome the major destruction and humanitarian disasters caused by the ongoing war and Houthi siege on their city. By A correspondent in Yemen
Abbas calls Druze 'purest' of all Arabs Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made overtures toward Druze leaders during a meeting in Ramallah in an effort to warm the community's relationship with the rest of the Palestinian population. By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics
Islamist, secularist rivals clash as Tunisian government takes shape Tunisia's incoming prime minister is including various political parties in talks on forming the new government, but his inclusion of the liberal secular party Qalb Tounes has irritated the dominant Ennahda faction. By Mohamed Ali Ltifi
Egypt purging Brotherhood from Ministry of Endowments Egypt's Ministry of Religious Endowments has banished from the pulpit imams it says are members of the Muslim Brotherhood. By Ahmed Youness