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.
The art of the deal in Helsinki – the next chapter
More than 11% of internally displaced people have returned to areas retaken by Syrian government forces this year.
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The art of the deal in Helsinki
A win-win on Syria is there for the taking by leveraging Putin’s relationship with Iran.
![U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam November 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Silva TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1E7D8D2110](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2018/07/RTS1JGGR.jpg/RTS1JGGR.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=hF-7yEW6)
Rouhani goes on offense against critics, shady interests and ‘culture of opacity’
Iranian president presses ahead with anti-corruption agenda in response to political dissent and widening protests.
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Is Israel going easy on Hamas?
Israel plays it safe in Gaza while giving priority to its northern border; Hamas looking for a friend in Moscow; Israel’s nuclear ambiguity.
![Israeli soldiers walk past an Iron Dome rocket interceptor battery deployed near central Gaza Strip, southern Israel October 31, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC173427FF50](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2018/07/RTS1HUWH.jpg/RTS1HUWH.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=-I52TVtc)
Turkey’s Kurdish policies provoke backlash everywhere
The US-Turkish deal on Manbij sparks a Damascus opening to Syrian Kurds; Iran scolds Turkey on PKK operations in Syria; the HDP faces violence and an “uneven” playing field in elections; Iran is caught in the middle between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
![A tank belonging to Turkish soldiers and Ankara-backed Syrian Arab fighters is seen in the Kurdish-majority city of Afrin in northwestern Syria after they took control of it from Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) on March 18, 2018.
Turkish-backed rebels have seized the centre of Afrin city in northern Syria, Ankara said, as they made rapid gains in their campaign against Kurdish forces. A civilian inside Afrin said that rebels had deployed in the city centre and that the Kurdish People's Protection Un](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2018/06/GettyImages-933534016.jpg/GettyImages-933534016.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=Gv4WvVlG)
Iran coy on support for Turkish assault on PKK in Iraq
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s offensive appears linked to Turkish elections and Iraqi politics; Is Turkey staying or going in northern Syria? Putin and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri discuss Syrian refugees.
![Turkish army tanks and military personal are stationed in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo - S1BEUGNIHMAA](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2018/06/RTSRWAS.jpg/RTSRWAS.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=R5sNYIY8)
Israel squeezes Abu Mazen as West Bank simmers in solidarity with Gaza, Jordan protests
Hamas seeks to seize opening to expand protests to the West Bank; Crest Media announces partnership with North Base Media to manage Al-Monitor.
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Trump missing piece in Putin’s Syria plan
The Russian president needs the United States to stabilize Syria, but expects sanctions relief in return.
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New Iraqi government will again require Iranian blessing
While Iran may not be the winner in Iraq’s election, it will likely remain the final broker.
![Iraqi supporters of Sairun list celebrate with portraits of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, after results of Iraq's parliamentary election were announced in Baghdad, Iraq May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1278A66440](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2018/05/RTS1R9OK.jpg/RTS1R9OK.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=6BcoQvSi)
What did Putin mean by withdrawing 'foreign armed forces' from Syria?
Netanyahu leaves his troubles behind.
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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)