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.
Time to close deal with Iran
An agreement with Iran would be a win, if not a breakthrough, for US interests and allies in the Middle East. (Updated)
![U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at a news conference at the end of the Iranian nuclear talks in Geneva November 10, 2013. Kerry said on Sunday that world powers had come closer during negotiations with Iran in Geneva to a deal on reining in its nuclear programme and that "with good work" the goal could be reached. REUTERS/Jason Reed (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX157AB](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/11/RTX157AB.jpg/RTX157AB.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=xAIb5iM2)
Iran nuclear deal key to political solution in Syria
Despite significant progress in the Geneva nuclear talks over the weekend, time may be short, given the opposition of Israel and some in Congress, with implications for Syria.
![European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton listens as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) speaks during a news conference at the end of the Iranian nuclear talks in Geneva November 10, 2013. Zarif and Ashton said on Sunday they hoped Iran and six world powers would reach an agreement when they gather again in 10 days, adding that the latest round of talks on Tehran's nuclear programme was something all delegations can build on. REUTERS/Jason Reed (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS) - R](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/11/RTX1578V-1.jpg/RTX1578V-1.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=ewmJYRke)
The Al-Monitor Debate on Gulf Cities
The Wall Street Journal reports on the Al-Monitor debate on Gulf cities; former Israeli, Palestinian negotiators differ on whether Palestinians should recognize Israel as a Jewish state; hope for Syrian bishops' release; a new Al-Monitor design.
![A general view of Dubai's cityscape September 25, 2013. A stampede by competing apartment buyers in Dubai this week may have obscured signs that Dubai's latest real estate boom is more restrained than the last one, which pushed the government close to default. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: REAL ESTATE BUSINESS CITYSCAPE) - RTX145A9](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/11/1-RTX145A9.jpg/1-RTX145A9.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=L3z0fnBV)
Syria’s Race Against Time
UN-Arab League Joint Representative Lakhdar Brahimi presses for Geneva II, while Saudi women are on the road again.
![U.N. envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi (R), is welcomed by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari after arriving at Baghdad International Airport October 21, 2013. International envoy for Syria Brahimi was in Baghdad on Monday to discuss dates for peace talks aimed at ending the war in Syria. Brahimi said no date had yet been set for the long-delayed conference. International efforts to end the 2-1/2 year conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people have stuttered. But a deal last month for Syria to get r](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/10/Zebari-Brahimi-RTX14IM7.jpg/Zebari-Brahimi-RTX14IM7.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=5umc_W5D)
Is Saudi Arabia Holding Up The Geneva II Conference on Syria?
While Turkey may be shifting its Syria policy in response to domestic and international pressure, Saudi Arabia appears to be digging in to oppose the trend toward a diplomatic solution.
![A U.N. vehicle returns to a hotel where experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are staying, in Damascus October 11, 2013. The global chemical weapons watchdog charged with overseeing destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile during a civil war won the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a relatively small organisation with a modest budget, dispatched its experts after a sarin gas attack killed more t](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/10/1-RTX1478Q.jpg/1-RTX1478Q.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=2xIbqXny)
The Iranian Trend And Geneva Nuclear Talks
Al-Monitor’s coverage of Iran as negotiations commence this week in Geneva with expectations of progress on the nuclear file, and implications for Syria and the region.
![Iran's President Hassan Rohani (C) walks next to delegate members after speaking in a High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament during the 68th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 26, 2013. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX140O5](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/10/1-RTX140O5.jpg/1-RTX140O5.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=nIUvT1qG)
Syrian Islamist Forces Gain in Aleppo
Divisions among Syrian opposition groups may be hindering Geneva II.
![A view shows damaged buildings in Aleppo's Karm al-Jabal district October 6, 2013. REUTERS/Nour Kelze (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3FNSO](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/10/1-RTR3FNSO.jpg/1-RTR3FNSO.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=Z5Mdc36J)
UN Resolution Opens New Chapter in Syria Conflict
A UN Security Council resolution has recast the Syria conflict as a matter for international diplomacy, not US unilateral action.
![Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Syrian Opposition Coalition Chairman Ahmed Assi al-Jarba during the United Nations General Assembly at the Waldorf Astoria in New York September 24, 2013. REUTERS/Joshua Lott (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13YF3](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/09/Kerry%20Jarba.jpg/Kerry%20Jarba.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=P70Y64-U)
Rouhani Heads to New York, Offers Help On Syria Talks
Al-Monitor’s analysis and coverage of what to expect at the UN General Assembly this week.
![Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2nd L) shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani (L) during a meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, September 13, 2013. Rouhani said on Friday that he wanted a swift resolution to a dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme, which Western states fear is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (KYRGYZSTAN - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/09/1-RTX13JW3.jpg/1-RTX13JW3.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=-r-HDNvf)
Obama’s Syria Policy Has Potential For Breakthrough on War
Al-Monitor’s analysis and coverage of US policy toward Syria.
![U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) speaks next to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as they answer questions from the media, following meetings regarding Syria, at a news conference in Geneva September 14, 2013. The United States and Russia have agreed on a proposal to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons arsenal, Kerry said on Saturday after nearly three days of talks with Lavrov. REUTERS/Larry Downing (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX13KRV](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/09/Kerry-Lavrov-Sept-14-Geneva-RTX13KRV.jpg/Kerry-Lavrov-Sept-14-Geneva-RTX13KRV.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=hLroj2Ud)
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)