A thaw in Turkey’s relations with Egypt? Gulf Cooperation Council reconciliation may have set in motion Ankara’s desire for a reset with Cairo. Egypt
Biden's deputy secretary of state nominee OK'd by Senate committee The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved moving Wendy Sherman's nomination to the full Senate, with some Democrats and Republicans who had disagreed with her on the Iran deal voting to confirm her anyway. United States
Biden's CIA nominee stresses China over Iran during Senate hearing Ambassador William Burns said that China is the biggest challenge for the United States, but that Iran and Russia cannot be overlooked. Regional
Post-COVID Mideast economies look to the Gulf and Egypt The region took a hard hit from the pandemic, and it’s far from over, but Egypt and Saudi Arabia are managing better than expected. Regional
WHO says lack of masks, distancing contributing to virus spread in Middle East The WHO's regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean also said the number of infections in the area could be higher than reported. Regional
How Biden will roll back Trump’s ‘America First’ legacy on foreign aid Early foreign aid priorities for the new administration will include restoring aid to the Palestinians and potentially Yemen. United States
WHO regional director says COVID-19 threat far from over, despite vaccine progress In a lengthy interview with Al-Monitor, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Ahmed al-Mandhari warns the coronavirus "remains a cause for concern," as he discussed his organization’s efforts to help the countries of the region cope with the pandemic. Gulf
Egyptian, Iranian leaders criticize French president over comments on freedom of expression French President Emmanuel Macron angered many Muslim leaders when he defended images of the prophet of Islam after a Parisian teacher was beheaded for showing such images. Egypt
Would Mideast leaders prefer Trump or Biden to deal with Iran? Whoever wins the election, a new Iran deal would require a regional consensus and some tough diplomacy with Putin. United States
Middle East’s chronic woes exacerbate COVID impact, IMF says Also: Israelis back Trump, Palestinians (kind of) tilt toward Biden. Regional
For Arab youth, the future is in the Gulf The most recent Arab Youth Survey shows the United States is gaining ground on Russia and China as perceived "allies." United Arab Emirates
Trump mum on refugee admissions despite pleas from Congress The administration has drastically reduced the number of refugees resettled annually in the United States. United States
The Takeaway: Normalization deals don’t ‘repair damage’ of Trump policies, says US senator Democrat Chris Van Hollen takes apart Trump policies in Middle East; Al-Monitor gets the scoop on the art of the deal in Sudan; Turkey’s militarized foreign policy; the gold standard for nuclear power in the Middle East. United States
Turkey more diplomatically isolated than ever in Arab world Many analysts believe that Ankara’s meddling in the Arab world’s affairs has contributed to pushing some of these regimes toward Israel. Gulf
Egypt rallies Arab League to counter Turkey's regional policies Egypt called on Arab countries to adopt a unified policy to deter the Turkish interference in the Arab region, especially in Libya, Syria and Iraq. Egypt
Biden endorses lower troop levels in Iraq, fight against IS in interview Joe Biden told Stars and Stripes he wants to stop "forever wars" but keep some troops in Iraq and Syria. His opponent, Donald Trump, also pledges to withdraw more troops. United States
