After Jordan, Emirates also furious with Netanyahu Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only managed to get into a diplomatic row with Jordan, he also succeeded in angering the Emiratis. Israel
Iran operating new advanced centrifuges, nuclear watchdog finds According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report, Iran is now using IR-4 centrifuges to enrich uranium in violation of the nuclear accord. Iran
Lawsuit filed to close pro-Kurdish party after lawmaker stripped of parliamentary seat Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, a pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party deputy known to focus on human rights abuses, was stripped of his parliament seat and a lawsuit was filed to close the party March 17. Turkey
Netanyahu courts Arab voters as 'Abu Yair' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has adopted a new strategy for the Arab public: cynically rebranding himself as "Abu Yair." Israel
Decision of third elections doesn’t reflect instability in Israel The insistence of the Blue and White party not to form a government with an indicted prime minister and the ensuing decision to hold third elections, actually testify to the stability of Israel's governing institutions. Israel
Is Iran-Taliban cold peace within reach? To secure its part in Afghanistan's political future, Iran is actively engaging the Taliban, but the road will be bumpy, given the multiple ideological and geopolitical challenges. United States
Underlying tensions still restrict full GCC reconciliation While Qatar has been reinvited to the GCC party, the UAE appears to be spoiling for the role of party pooper. Saudi Arabia
Oil trail reveals Turkey funding Syrian Kurdish rivals Through oil, Turkey is helping to indirectly subsidize the very same Syrian Kurdish administration that it's seeking to crush. Syria
Intel: Pentagon looks to continue Saudi air force training despite shooting The Pentagon awarded a $15 million contract to a Virginia-based company to provide English-language training to Saudi Arabia’s air force at an air base in Riyadh, just hours after a Saudi national killed three people at a naval installation in Florida on Thursday. Saudi Arabia
Intel: How Florida base shooting could threaten US-Saudi training programs President Donald Trump’s outraged allies in Congress are calling on the United States to reevaluate its training programs for Riyadh after a Saudi national killed three and wounded two others in a shooting at a Florida naval base on Friday. Saudi Arabia
Russia’s 'multilayered pie’ policy on Libya For all the uncertainty surrounding Russia's presence in Libya, there are some policy drivers to be watched. Turkey
Turkish-backed forces loot Ras al-Ain Some residents of Ras al-Ain braved the ongoing chaos there to check on their houses, but found them destroyed or confiscated by opposition and pro-Turkish factions. Syria
Turkey joins top tier in human development, UN says Government spending on health care and a long-term economic expansion helped Turkey achieve "very high human development" for the first time, according to a new UN report — but a shaky recovery from a currency shock last year could exacerbate inequality in the coming years. Turkey
China looks to boost its influence in Yemen China is capitalizing on its ties with the various actors in Yemen's civil war to play a bigger role in investing in a post-conflict Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Turkey’s Kurdish sweep backfires President Erdogan’s Syria plan has had unintended ramifications: Saudi Arabia and the UAE are now cozying up to the Kurds, the Kurds are uniting, and the Russians are guiding the solutions on the ground. Syria
Iraq struggles with corruption as massive protests rage Iraq outlines the measures it is trying to take against corruption as criticism mounts against the government from within and without. Iraq