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
New coach pledges facelift to Egypt's national soccer team Javier Aguirre tells Al-Monitor that his main challenge is to raise the morale of his team after their defeat in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Egypt
Russia, Turkey continue tug of war over Idlib despite the agreements As the first deadlines of the Russia-Turkey deal on Idlib draw near, the two countries each seek to push their own agenda while avoiding large-scale conflict. Syria
What happened to Jamal Khashoggi? The disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi from the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul highlights, once again, the House of Saud's division on the war in Yemen and the crown prince's decision-making. Saudi Arabia
How dating app helps gay community speak out on discrimation Grindr, the primarily gay and bisexual dating application, has changed the gay, bisexual and queer community in the Middle East and North Africa and is now being used as a resource. Lebanon
Intel: Why the Trump administration suddenly cares about Iran’s poor environmental record United States
Violence abates during tentative truce in Tripoli After violent clashes rocked Tripoli, Libyan officials are calling on the United Nations to assume a military role to mediate between rival militias. North Africa
“Made in Jordan”: Are consumers buying it? The “Made in Jordan” campaign has been trying to instill a sense of pride in locally produced goods with the long-term goals of boosting industry and decreasing unemployment. Jordan
Congressional fight against human shields stops at UN Despite bipartisan agreement on sanctioning Hamas and Hezbollah for their use of human shields, not all lawmakers are willing to take the battle to the UN. Palestine
Iraq offers to mediate between Trump, Iran Optimistic about its new government but concerned that brewing tensions between the United States and Iran could negatively impact Iraq, a senior Iraqi diplomat offered that Iraq could mediate between the nations. Iraq
Intel: What Iraq is doing to avoid being caught in tug of war between US and Iran The Iraqi embassy in Washington is working overtime to avoid getting caught up in the feud between the United States and Iran. Iraq
Diyarbakir book fair returns after 4-year hiatus Diyarbakir’s book fair, one of the main cultural events of the region, had been stopped due to security reasons in 2015. Now that it is back, thousands of residents from Diyarbakir and region came to pick up a book or two. Turkey