Turkish-American economist Daron Acemoglu wins joint Nobel Prize Turkish-American Daron Acemoglu has become Turkey's third Nobel laureate. Turkey
Interview NATO deepens engagement with Iraq as US prepares to withdraw In an exclusive Al-Monitor interview, Lucas Schreurs, commander of NATO Mission Iraq, explains the scope of his outfit's mandate. Commander of NATO Mission Iraq Lucas Schreurs
Azerbaijan detains Iranian boat for alleged drug smuggling The incident has added to tense ties between Iran and Azerbaijan, in part due to the Baku’s ties to Israel and Tehran's support to Armenia. Iran
Iran-Azerbaijan ties still off track despite diplomatic gestures Azerbaijan's energy minister visited Tehran for preparations to reopen his country's embassy, but such hot-button issues as the Nakhchivan corridor and Azerbaijan's affinity with Israel appeared as stumbling blocks on the path to effective normalization. Iran
Sisi favors security appointees for Egypt's governorships Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's decision to appoint security personnel as new governors is quietly controversial. Egypt
Iran not letting Iraq go without a fight Iraqi protesters have had enough of Iran’s heavy hand, but don’t expect the Iranians to pack up and go home. Iraq
Amid rising protests, PMU prevents confrontation with US The Popular Mobilization Units try to distance themselves from the current confrontation between Iran and US in order to preserve PMU interests in Iraq. Iraq
Egypt plans to reinstate municipal oversight councils Parliament hopes to pass a bill yet this year to tackle corrupt municipal workers in Egypt, even as the federal government is cracking down on protesters who are trying to take on alleged malfeasance at the highest levels. Egypt
Kurdish leaders support Iraq's embattled prime minister The Iraqi Kurdistan government is trying to calm protesters' demands for the central government's prime minister to be removed. Iraq
Egypt’s opposition threatens to freeze political activities over crackdown Some Egyptian political parties, reacting to recent arrests made to curtail protests, have threatened to cease political activity to express opposition to the authorities' approach. Egypt
Why do some Iraqi MPs refuse to be sworn in? More than a year from the formation of the Iraqi parliament, some members of the parliament refuse to be sworn in, hoping to gain executive posts. Iraq
Baghdad sends delegation to Erbil to resolve disputes Baghdad sent a delegation, headed by President Barham Salih, to the Iraqi Kurdistan region to discuss the budget, oil and other contentious issues. Iraq
Will PMU allow parliament to appoint its leaders? Some Iraqi parliamentary blocs are working to mandate that parliament appoint the leaders of the Popular Mobilization Units. Iraq
Iraqi opposition parties form shadow government Some Iraqi political forces are poised to form a shadow government, but other Iraqi groups say the effort is a fool's errand. Iraq
Amendments to Iraqi provincial elections law spark controversy Large political blocs in the Iraqi parliament voted for a new law organizing provincial elections for 2020 that gives the blocs an advantage over smaller groupings. Iraq
Debate arises as Egypt prepares to establish new Senate As Egypt’s parliament prepares to vote on a bill to establish a new Senate, some say it would be beneficial for the country, while others believe it would add more financial burdens on the state. Egypt
