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 Nuclear Talks Need Reset
The P5+1 and Iran should reset the agenda to include a compromise statement on Iran’s right to enrichment, a roadmap for the lifting of UN, EU and US sanctions, and urgent discussion of regional security matters, including Syria.
![Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili attends a news conference after the talks on Iran's nuclear programme in Almaty April 6, 2013. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator said on Saturday there was some distance between the positions of Tehran and world powers but its disputed uranium enrichment could be a subject for confidence-building cooperation.
REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov (KAZAKHSTAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTXYAPZ](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/04/1-RTXYAPZ.jpg/1-RTXYAPZ.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=5aveY98O)
Hope for US-Iran Talks; Egypt in Crisis
Signs of a possible breakthrough in nuclear talks with Iran in Almaty; Egypt’s crisis deepens with reports of torture by the Muslim Brotherhood; Al-Monitor’s Pulse Pages now available in Arabic, Hebrew and Turkish.
![Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during the 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran, August 30, 2012. REUTERS/Hamid Forootan/ISNA (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/03/1-RTR379UE.jpg/1-RTR379UE.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=ycRelyAg)
Obama Calls for Peace Talks Without Conditions
Obama called on Palestinians to begin talks with Israel despite settlement activity; Iraq is on edge; and it's unclear if a Kurdish initiative and Netanyahu’s apology represent new trends in Turkish foreign policy.
![U.S. President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One at the airport in Amman March 23, 2013. Obama marvelled at the sights of Jordanís ancient city of Petra on Saturday as he wrapped up a four-day Middle East tour by setting aside weighty diplomatic matters and playing tourist for a day. REUTERS/Majed Jaber (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXXUHD](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/03/1-RTXXUHD.jpg/1-RTXXUHD.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=ixZzeiLe)
Kerry to Assad, Opposition: 'Come to the Table'
US Secretary of State John Kerry calls on Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to “come to the table” to begin negotiations; the bitter springs of Tunisia and Egypt; and Gaza Salafists fight in Syria.
![Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (L) meets Senator John Kerry, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in Damascus February 21, 2009. REUTERS/Sana (SYRIA) - RTXBW2Q](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/03/kerry%20assad.jpg/kerry%20assad.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=NyEv7fE3)
The Iraqi and Turkish Fault Lines
The Syria war spreads to Iraq; Turkey is increasingly divided over Prime Minister Erdogan’s Syrian policies; and Secretary of State John Kerry’s trip to the region includes progress toward a political solution in Syria.
![Iraqi police stand guard during foot patrol at Rabia, near the main border between Iraq and Syria March 2, 2013. Clashes between the Syrian army and rebels at a border post brought the civil war close to neighbouring Iraq, where troops fired warning shots into the air, residents, officials and a Reuters reporter said. Insurgents seized control of half of the northeastern Syrian town of Yaarabiya, including a border post with Iraq, in a battle with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad on Friday and earl](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/03/1-RTR3EHUX.jpg/1-RTR3EHUX.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=UT7mRjob)
Hagel, Syria, the P5+1 and Iran
The Senate confirmed Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense as the United States announced $60 million in non-lethal aid to the Syrian Opposition Council; Israel, Iraq and Lebanon continue to be concerned about the regionalization of the war in Syria; and Iran puts Syria in play after the P5+1 meetings.
![U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (2nd L) holds his first meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General John M. Paxton, Jr. (L), U.S. Army General Martin Dempsey (4th R), General of the Army Ray Odierno (3rd R), U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jon Greenert (2nd R) and U.S. Army General Frank Grass (R) in a briefing room called "The Tank" at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, March 1, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) -](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/03/1-RTR3EGNH.jpg/1-RTR3EGNH.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=Gz7m_MO9)
No Conditions on Syrian Dialogue
Al-Monitor’s coverage and analysis of the demonstrations in the West Bank, the role of Hezbollah in Syria, and the urgency of starting negotiations between the Syrian government and the opposition without conditions.
![Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets International peace envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus December 24, 2012 in this handout photograph released by Syria's national news agency SANA. Brahimi met with Assad in Damascus on Monday to discuss a solution to the country's 21-month-old conflict. Brahimi told journalists after the meeting that he discussed the situation in Syria overall and gave his views on how to solve the crisis. He said conditions in the country were still poor. REUTERS/Sana (S](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/02/1-RTR3BVMI.jpg/1-RTR3BVMI.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=l4jMAdNU)
Kerry Calls for 'Negotiated Outcome' in Syria
Al-Monitor’s coverage and analysis of the upcoming visits by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry to the Middle East, Kerry’s call for a negotiated outcome in Syria and Tunisia’s worsening crisis.
![WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 13: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh shake hands during a joint press conference at the State Department February 13, 2013 in Washington, DC. Kerry and Judeh met privately to discuss efforts in Syria and on the Middle East peace process among other issues. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/02/161624219.jpg/161624219.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=6p-Zr8pi)
Week in Review: US Resets Diplomacy in Middle East
Al-Monitor’s coverage and analysis of a newly assertive US diplomacy toward the peace process, Iran and Syria.
![U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) shake hands after the president announced Kerry's nomination as Secretary of State to succeed Hillary Clinton, at the White House in Washington December 21, 2012. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3BTVQ](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/02/1-RTR3BTVQ.jpg/1-RTR3BTVQ.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=ehMLmAAT)
Week in Review: Turkey Terror Attack; Syria Political Solution
Al-Monitor’s coverage and analysis of the terrorist attack on the US embassy in Turkey and the possibility of a new opening for a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
![Sheikh Moaz Alkhatib, President of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces and U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden (R) meet for bilateral talks during the 49th Conference on Security Policy in Munich February 2, 2013. Senior U.S., Russian and U.N. officials, along with the leader of the Syrian opposition, were all expected in Munich on Saturday, providing a rare opportunity for talks to revive efforts to end the civil war in Syria. REUTERS/Michael Dalder(GERMANY - Tags: MILITARY](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/02/alkhatibbidenmunich.jpg/alkhatibbidenmunich.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=4eRV3YsX)
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)