Middle East crises loom in background as NATO leaders gather in Washington While this year's summit is expected to focus largely on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's military support for Russia and Turkey's strategic balancing act with Moscow are expected to weigh on NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Washington Pulse
US, Israel hold second virtual meeting on Rafah Biden administration officials have denied offering to green-light an Israeli invasion of Rafah if Israel holds off on retaliating against Iran. Washington Pulse
One year on Sudan’s war: 14,700 killed, 8.6M displaced, 4.9M face starvation As the war in Sudan enters its second year, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day with no prospects of an imminent end of the hostilities. North Africa Pulse
State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war. Washington Pulse
Can Saudi Arabia afford a stimulus? Oil-revenue-dependent Saudi Arabia still has $490 billion in reserve assets, but its massive foreign and domestic commitments and a long-term declining demand curve for oil could spell trouble down the road. Saudi Arabia
Russian FM puts politics above economics on GCC tour Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has kicked off his tour of the Gulf, reflecting Moscow's ambition to capitalize on its regional recognition as a great power. Gulf
Turks fire back as Trump ends preferential trade status The United States removed Turkey from its list of countries that enjoy tariff-free access to the US market, a decision criticized by the Turkish government. Turkey
Moscow looks to boost support for Syria campaign with traveling exhibit As the Russian public's enthusiasm for the Syria campaign wanes, Moscow has sought to rally support for its Syria successes by hosting a traveling exhibit of war spoils. Syria
Jordanian trail-blazer empowers women through kickboxing Lina Khalifeh began learning martial arts for fun, but helping a friend showed her it can do much more. Jordan
US shifts weapons from Iraq to Syria The Pentagon rerouted millions of dollars’ worth of weapons and vehicles from Iraq to Syria in the second half of 2018. Iraq
Yemenis divided over Mideast peace deal, Iran The controversy that ensued after a photo emerged of Yemen's foreign minister sitting next to the Israeli premier in Warsaw indicates that Arab states may be further divided by stances on Iran and a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal. Saudi Arabia
Will Algerian protesters accept ailing president’s offer for reforms? Against a background of growing dissent, Algeria’s ailing president has confirmed his intention to run in April’s elections; however, whether a commitment to reform and a fresh vote within the year, delivered by proxy, will be enough to quell protest remains uncertain. Algeria
Iranian forum looks to address so-called 'sexual crisis' An Iranian media group is sponsoring a series of talks on the taboo subject of sex to deal with the so-called sexual crisis in the country. Iran
Iraqi artists keep up pottery tradition Iraqi pottery craftsmen fear that their ancient craft will disappear, even though this art is now picked up in academia. Iraq
'No money, no marriage' sparks dueling social media campaigns After young Egyptian men launched a campaign to boycott marriage due to the unfulfillable demands of prospective brides' parents, women countered with a campaign of their own in defense of their families. Egypt
American University in Cairo celebrates centennial with gift of art The American University in Cairo kicked off its centennial year by rededicating its original campus as a cultural arts center. Egypt