Russia weighs two reconstruction strategies for Syria In the face of US sanctions, Moscow is considering whether the outsourcing of reconstruction efforts for Syria may be better for Russia than a long-term presence. Syria
How will America’s Caesar Act impact Lebanon? The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which the US president signed into law recently, sends a clear message to the Syrian government’s political and economic backers in Lebanon, but analysts say its impact may be less forceful. Originals
Gazans lay out new strategy for return marches Palestinians resumed the marches of return on the Israel-Gaza border after they were halted for weeks. Palestine
Cairo gallery ends decade on a funny note A gallery in Cairo is exhibiting 220 cartoons that illustrate what has made Egyptians laugh over the past 100 or so years. Egypt
Novy God holiday enchants Israelis with Soviet new year festivities After years of misunderstanding and rejection of the Soviet holiday, Novy God has become as Israeli as any other of the beloved traditions brought to the country by waves immigrants. Israel
Netanyahu panics, slams ICC prosecutor Faced with the International Criminal Court's decision to investigate Israel’s behavior in Palestinian territories, Israel has few tools other than hollow and abusive comments about the prosecutor. Palestine
Sell-off in Oman reveals privatization with regional characteristics Some Middle East countries in need of cash, such as Oman, are selling assets to Chinese and Malaysian state-owned entities. Oman
Secular Shiism on rise in Shiite Crescent The Shiite Crescent, a fertile area for rising political Shiism in recent decades, is now witnessing the rise of new, secular Shiism. Iraq
Congress forces Trump to restore Palestinian aid Congress has a plan to restore some of the Palestinian aid that President Donald Trump eliminated. Palestine
Intel: Pentagon refuses to put timeline on Syria mission Defense Secretary Mark Esper refused to put a timeline on the Pentagon’s scaled-down mission to defeat the Islamic State and guard Syrian oil fields at the agency’s last press briefing of the year. Syria
UAE insists it’s not lobbying for sanctions against Turkey after all Lobbyists for the UAE embassy in Washington have clarified their talking points to Congress. United Arab Emirates
Turkey’s Libya gambit raises stakes in eastern Mediterranean Turkey’s military commitments to Libya’s Tripoli-based government have escalated the conflict in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey
Potential oil spill disaster looms off Yemen's coast, but who’s to blame? Calls are rising to separate the politics of the military conflict in Yemen from the issue of an abandoned oil tanker in the Red Sea, in light of a looming ecological disaster that could affect the entire region. Saudi Arabia
Tunisia's Ennahda vacillating over leader's future in the party Ennahda is slated to elect a new leader in May, but some members want the vote moved forward in light of the movement's leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, now also serving as speaker of parliament, but others appear to want bylaws to be changed to allow him to remain as movement head. Tunisia
Potential consensus candidate helps Hamas, Fatah communicate The name of Nasser al-Din al-Shaer, former deputy prime minister in the government of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, has been coming up as a potential consensus candidate in the Palestinian elections, given that he is close to both Hamas and Fatah. Palestine
Arab parties stand to gain from political chaos in Israel The Arab Joint List seeks to boost its number of seats in the Israeli Knesset in the March election by increasing turnout in the Arab community, with the ultimate goal of dealing a fatal blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, preventing him from forming a government. Palestine
