Syria's draft constitution: Separation of powers, territorial unity and Islamic jurisprudence After more than a week of uncertainty amid violent clashes and Israeli strikes, Syria's interim president has signed a constitutional declaration. Syria
US green lights $95 million in aid for Lebanon’s army The Trump administration made an exception to its foreign assistance freeze for a $95 million aid package headed to Lebanon's armed forces. Lebanon
Canceled Syrian justice workshop sparks repression fears: What to know Syrian civil society organizations condemned the sudden cancelation of a planned workshop on transitional justice in Damascus, calling it an act of oppression reminiscent of the Assad era. Syria
Lebanon’s government wins confidence vote ahead of Aoun’s visit to Saudi Arabia The Lebanese parliament gave their backing to the new government's ministerial statement, which excluded acknowledgement of Hezbollah, days before President Aoun is set to visit Saudi Arabia. Lebanon
Interview NATO deepens engagement with Iraq as US prepares to withdraw Commander of NATO Mission Iraq Lucas Schreurs
Erdogan's ties with Turkish army gets alarmingly personal The extraordinary personalization of Turkey’s civilian-military relations is deinstitutionalizing the Turkish military structure and causing internal power struggles within the army ranks. Turkey
Egyptian political party leaders react to Sisi’s merger proposal As Egypt prepares for parliamentary elections in November, political party representatives examine what's needed to implement the president's advice to consolidate the country's more than 100 parties. Egypt
Reshuffle of HTS-linked government fails to bring hope in Idlib It appears that the new cabinet of an Idlib-based opposition government connected to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham will not earn the trust of the public, which continues to suffer under tough economic and humanitarian conditions. Syria
Sex workers fall victim to Israeli government paralysis Due to the paralysis of successive transitional governments in Israel, millions of shekels allocated to the Welfare Ministry to help sex workers get out of the business have gone unused and might therefore be returned to the Finance Ministry. Israel
What is the fate of Baghdad-Erbil’s oil-for-budget agreement amid ongoing protests? Iraqi political sides vow to block a recent oil-for-budget agreement by Iraq’s caretaker government with the Kurdistan region. Iraq
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
