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 Erdogan and Assad soon meet to bury the hatchet?
Erdogan’s opportunism, Putin’s weakness, Iran’s distraction, Israel’s vigilance all complicate Syrian endgame.
![Erdogan Putin](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2023-01/GettyImages-1177642463.jpg?h=ee4937ee&itok=N8k4KZ_9)
Will Biden, Netanyahu find common ground on Iran in 2023?
EU Foreign Policy Chief meanwhile says ‘no alternative’ to JCPOA to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon.
![DEBBIE HILL/AFP via Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-12/GettyImages-514445400.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=oMO1wJ3k)
Can Biden afford to give up on Iran nuclear deal?
US envoy's latest word is Iran is 'not interested,' but the EU reaffirms support for the JCPOA while an IAEA team comes to Iran.
![Iran nuclear](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-12/GettyImages-1240894790.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=j6zCk_ul)
Iran looms large over Iraqi PM’s reform agenda
Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s government is seeking a fast start amid uncertainty in Iran.
![Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani addresses Middle East Research Institute Workshop on ‘Iraq’s Immediate Priorities’ in Baghdad, Dec. 7, 2022.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-12/thumbnail_PHOTO-2022-12-09-19-39-09.jpeg?h=1d34674f&itok=_IoYoboB)
Turkey’s leveraging of Syria, Ukraine crises frustrates US, Europe
Erdogan disregards appeals by US for restraint in Syria and demands further concessions from Stockholm for agreeing to Sweden’s NATO admission.
![Erdogan](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-12/GettyImages-1444999693.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=7Y3CvlcD)
US again tries to thwart Turkish invasion of northern Syria
Erdogan says military operations are "just beginning" against Syrian Kurdish groups, while teasing possibility of talks with Assad.
![Syria protest](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-11/GettyImages-1245084241.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=TU9oPZWq)
US partners in Middle East avoid taking sides against China
Also: cryptocurrency takes spotlight in Abu Dhabi and Gargash outlines UAE approach to foreign policy.
![MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-11/GettyImages-1241932173.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=CtAFYbPE)
With US elections over, new run at Iran nuclear deal is possible
By backing the Israel-Lebanon border agreement, Iran shows it is ready to move with the right guarantees.
![Iran nuclear](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-11/GettyImages-1383556461.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=O155WWN0)
Netanyahu unlikely to upset US ties over Iran, Lebanon
Lion's Den fighters shift attacks from Nablus to Hebron; Palestinian startups get warm welcome in Dubai.
![Israel election](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-11/GettyImages-1244422349.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=8Z_gpHcE)
Are Iran’s protests different this time?
Protesters hope to bring change, maybe even to the regime, but it's not yet visible.
![Maja Hitij/Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-10/GettyImages-1435948605.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=TotViB2A)
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)