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.
Iran Quds commander pays respects at Talabani's tomb as Kirkuk crisis escalates
Qasem Soleimani in Iraqi Kurdistan; Turkey looks to Syrian tribes for allies; UN Syria envoy seeks to build on cease-fire progress with "realism."
![Iraq's Kurdish Regional Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani prays in front of the coffin of former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani at Sulaimaniya Airport, Iraq October 6, 2017. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed - RC19229B2540](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/10-1/RTS1FCWH.jpg/RTS1FCWH.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=aqGT4HeZ)
Can Putin stop Erdogan from shutting down Iraqi Kurdish pipeline?
In a visit to Tehran, Turkish president coordinates next steps with Iranian leaders; Cengiz Candar on the loss of former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani; Al-Monitor receives prestigious Online Journalism Award for explanatory reporting.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on next to European Council President Donald Tusk and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC1D608EC340](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/10-1/RTX3AHAF.jpg/RTX3AHAF.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=V9SdRlWZ)
Putin boxed in by Iran, Turkey on Iraqi Kurdish referendum
The Russian president could find himself at odds with Iran if he misplays a weak hand.
![Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, September 28, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1FB3502600](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/10-1/RTS1EBPP.jpg/RTS1EBPP.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=yxWVfLGP)
Aoun calls for 'Levantine common market,' safe return of Syrian refugees
Lebanon's president outlines a regional approach to combating poverty and extremism; Mahmoud Abbas nears moment of truth regarding Dahlan’s role in Fatah-Hamas talks.
![Lebanese President Michel Aoun addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 21, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - HP1ED9L14P27I](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/09/RTX3HC0G.jpg/RTX3HC0G.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=WEy0lZOh)
Trump, Netanyahu risk being party of two in opposition to Iran nuclear deal
US and Israeli leaders may find themselves, rather than Iran, isolated in questioning a solid international consensus on Iran, as attention turns to Syria.
![RTX3795J.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/09/RTX3795J.jpg/RTX3795J.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=9DljmL3p)
Is Saudi Arabia 'ready to turn page' on Iran?
A shifting regional landscape may force a reset in Riyadh and Tehran; armed groups backed by the United States and Turkey battle outside Aleppo.
![Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir gestures during a news conference after an extraordinary meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in Riyadh January 9, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - GF20000088982](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/09/RTX21N8L.jpg/RTX21N8L.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=1hcMdL2w)
Iran plays Hamas card
Iran's improved relations with Turkey, Qatar and Hamas send a message to the region.
![The son of senior Hamas militant Mazen Fuqaha sits on the shoulders of Hamas Gaza Chief Yehya Al-Sinwar during a memorial service for Fuqaha, in Gaza City March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1570813F60](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/09/RTX32YI6.jpg/RTX32YI6.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=IUACHG1g)
What Iran-Qatar reset means for Syria
Iran adds another “Sunni” power to its regional network; Turkey ponders next moves in Idlib; Israel presents the “big picture” on Iran in Washington and Sochi, Russia; Akiva Eldar on Israel’s silence over Charlottesville.
![A view shows buildings in Doha, Qatar, June 9, 2017. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon - RTX39V40](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/08/RTX39V40.jpg/RTX39V40.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=P_pTzL06)
Turkey, Iran step up coordination in Syria
Once unthinkable, an emerging consensus is developing between Ankara and Tehran in Syria, as Washington and Moscow try to keep pace; Iraqi Kurdish sources signal that it could be possible to delay a Kurdish independence referendum for a “short time.”
![x-default](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/08/wir0821.jpg/wir0821.jpg?h=125a58ae&itok=8G2v-XFy)
Is Barzani backing away from independence referendum?
Iraqi Kurdistan's president expects "guarantees and alternatives" from Washington; Hamas diplomatic surge with Iran and Russia.
![Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani (C) sits during his meets with clerics and elders from the cities of the Kurdistan region in Erbil, Iraq August 9, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTS1B1DI](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/08/RTS1B1DI.jpg/RTS1B1DI.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=RLvtTFoL)
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)