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
Will Russian government shake-up impact Moscow’s Mideast policy? The surprise resignation of the Russian Cabinet and a possible new role for Putin when his presidential term ends in 2024 raise questions about possible changes in Russian foreign policy. Russia
Iran’s next moves depend on US Iran is likely to choose a measured response to US actions, as long as Washington does the same in return, while at the same time trying to increase US costs of staying in the region. United States
Pakistan seeks to mitigate US-Iran tensions Pakistan, wary in part of tensions between Washington and Tehran negatively affecting the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, has offered to mediate between the United States and Iran after the recent round of violence between them. Saudi Arabia
Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar push Democrats left on Iran war powers The Congressional Progressive Caucus has been instrumental in setting the Democratic agenda to push back against President Donald Trump’s Iran policy. Yemen
Young Middle Easterners turning on to podcasts Young people in the Middle East are turning to podcasts to generate wide-ranging and in-depth conversations on politics, events and other topics of personal interest. Palestine
Turkish-Russia partnership in Libya likely to be to Moscow’s advantage Analysts say any Turkish-Russian “partnership” in Libya could end up working more to Moscow’s advantage than Ankara’s, as was the case in Syria. Syria
Nasrallah calls for regional action against US military The head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, called for expelling US troops from the region in response to the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, adding that US military assets will be targeted. Lebanon
What Iran lost with Soleimani’s killing The top military commander’s influence went beyond his military prowess, and will be something that no successor can likely replicate. Iraq
Could Congress' latest Syria sanctions bill backfire? The congressional bill will exacerbate the economic situation in Syria and ultimately increase Syria’s dependency on Iran. Syria
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
Palestine seeks economic relations with Oman A Palestinian ministerial delegation is preparing to visit Oman early next year as part of efforts to sever economic ties with Israel, but some analysts wonder what benefits are to be gained by either party. Oman
Should Jewish refugees from Arab countries be compensated? An Israeli-government project estimates that Jews who fled Arab countries and immigrated to Israel left behind $150 billion in property, and the prime minister has been authorized by law to seek compensation for it in any peace deal. Iraq
