Analysis
Since 2012, the Week in Review keeps you ahead of the curve with in-depth analysis of the trends in the region, based on Al-Monitor’s world class reporting.
Will the Taliban welcome al-Qaeda back to Afghanistan?
Afghanistan's economy is hanging by a thread; Iran makes the best of the Taliban; the "resistance" finds inspiration; five must reads on Afghanistan.
![Taliban, imam at Kabul mosque](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2021-08/GettyImages-1234774798.jpg?h=827d3341&itok=rWuDPT6j)
Israel's coalition government holds to center
Two months in, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid remain both partners and rivals as the new government passes a budget, grapples with COVID-19 and Iran and seeks to strengthen already warm ties with the Biden administration.
![AFP via Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2021-08/GettyImages-1234635946.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=7I3klruB)
Raisi ready to support ‘any diplomatic plan’ that lifts sanctions on Iran
Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister is ready to "send a message" to Iran in response to drone attack on Israeli-managed ship that killed two.
![Raisi at swearing-in](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2021-08/GettyImages-1234485804.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=eyAbB37g)
Middle East economic outlook hinges on vaccinations
Five countries to watch: Tunisia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Oman.
![A nurse stands by the CIRA-03 robot prototype built as part of a self-funded project to assist physicians in running tests on suspected COVID-19 coronavirus patients.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2021-07/GettyImages-1231875467.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=fEpYHb_D)
How water has become a flashpoint in the Middle East
Al-Monitor reporting shows the increased risks and relevance of water security for Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia; Iran and Iraq; and Israel and Jordan.
![Muweis canal of Nile River in northern Egypt](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2021-07/GettyImages-1233269977.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=CAYPXl41)
Whither the Iran nuclear deal? Ask Raisi
Rouhani has transfered JCPOA file to Iran’s new hard-line president, who just might close the deal.
![ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2021-07/GettyImages-1233574156.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=_u5ASjjM)
Egypt to Security Council: Ethiopian dam an ‘existential threat’
Foreign minister says potential disruptions from dam could be like a "malignant plague" for Egypt.
![aerial view of Nile in northern Cairo outskirts](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2021-07/GettyImages-1233179910.jpg?h=827d3341&itok=1zktc4Xi)
Is UN last diplomatic stop in Nile dam dispute?
Egypt makes case to Security Council that without an agreement, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam threatens peace and security in the region.
!["It's my dam" sign at Ethiopia campaign rally](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2021-07/GettyImages-1233483287.jpg?h=b2c59e98&itok=Br9HB5fK)
Can Abbas survive summer of Palestinian discontent?
Following killing of a political dissident, the Palestinian president’s hold on power continues to weaken, while support for Hamas is growing.
![Nizar Banat's body carried](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2021-06/GettyImages-1233645962.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=T-ZuE_Ky)
Apathy shadows Iran vote but that doesn’t mean change won’t follow
Even if hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi wins, reviving the nuclear deal with the West could gain traction.
![Supporters of Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi hold posters of him during an election campaign rally in the capital Tehran, on June 10, 2021.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2021-06/GettyImages-1233375243.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=d561Sl_8)
Pagination
Netanyahu, regional leaders hedge on possible Trump win in November
The Israeli prime minister is under pressure to deliver on a cease-fire during his Washington visit next week; Biden can’t heal Democrat divisions over Israel and the Gaza war.
![JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2024-07/GettyImages-1230516369.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=-Zxq4qmm)
Lebanon FM warns of 'devastating’ regional war if Israel escalates campaign against Hezbollah
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Lebanon's top diplomat, Abdallah Bou Habib, adds that security in the south ultimately depends on a strong Lebanese army and an agreement on the border – not war.
![BERLIN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 15: Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib speaks to the media following talks with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on December 15, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The two diplomats discussed mutual measures to prevent the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict from expanding to other regions, among other issues. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2024-07/GettyImages-1857491748.jpg?h=9855f42d&itok=rgoJZYYE)
US, Iran guarantors of shaky deterrence between Israel and Hezbollah
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is not ready to go to the mattresses over the killing of another senior commander on Wednesday, and Iran doesn't want a war while it favors the threat of confrontation as a deterrent.
![A portrait of Musa al-Sadr sits amid the rubble of a destroyed building in the heavily damaged, Hezbollah stronghold town of Aita al Chaab on June 29, 2024 in Aita al Chaab, Lebanon. Hezbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been trading cross-border fire since the October 7 attacks, with the conflict escalating in May when the group launched a missile-carrying drone against Israel for the first time. The conflict intensified in June when Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones at Israeli m](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2024-07/GettyImages-2159834748.jpg?h=4296c093&itok=iuOsSvRF)
G42-Microsoft partnership in Kenya 'just the beginning,' says UAE trade minister
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi discusses momentum in UAE trade with the US, the benefits of economic diversification and Africa’s priority in UAE trade policy.
![Indonesian President Joko Widodo (L) listens to a speech by United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi (R) during the inauguration of the newly built floating solar power plant on the water that can generate 192 mega watts of peak electricity in cooperation between the Indonesian government and Masdar from the UAE, at Cirata Reservoir, West Java, on November 9, 2023. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP) (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2024-06/GettyImages-1771551969.jpg?h=1dfc45c8&itok=YsgRPZu4)