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.
‘Lion's Den’ sharpens West Bank conflict as Israeli elections loom
Israel’s ultra-right could boost Netanyahu; Iran returns as election issue, via Ukraine.
![West Bank](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-10/GettyImages-1244121350.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=ggMo15JM)
Iran nuclear talks on hold for now as US, EU focus on protests
MENA region is expected to suffer more than most from the global slowdown partly caused by the Ukraine war.
![Blinken Iran](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-10/GettyImages-1243961638.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=iYM101YJ)
US should balance response to OPEC+ oil cuts with other needs
Yet again, Iran lurks in background.
![OPEC](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-10/GettyImages-1243743917.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=blB4h2tP)
Will Iran's shift on IAEA help break deadlock in nuclear talks?
Iranian protesters shift tactics in response to government crackdown.
![Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), speaks during the IAEA's General Conference at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria on Sept. 26, 2022.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-09/GettyImages-1243515414.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=V6s9W2k_)
Syria still risks economic collapse, says UN envoy
Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, says that the country faces a ‘crisis of epic proportions for the Syrian people.’
![UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, holds a news conference on the creation of a constitutional committee for the country, at the United Nations offices in Geneva, on Oct. 2, 2019.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-09/GettyImages-1173061622.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=XfangKxZ)
Exclusive: Iran ‘must cooperate’ on nuclear probe, French envoy says
French Ambassador to the US Philippe Etienne tells Al-Monitor that France has spared no effort to reach an agreement in the nuclear talks.
![(from L) French President Emmanuel Macron (L), France's ambassador to the USA Philippe Etienne, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire arrive at the French Embassy to the Vatican in Rome on October 29, 2021 ahead of a meeting with US President. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-09/GettyImages-1236205747.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=oLIgOqSX)
Israel capitalizes on deadlock in Iran nuclear talks
Hezbollah and the Lebanon-Israel gas talks; US-Israel friction over report on killing of Shireen Abu Akleh; Al-Monitor Pro webinar to feature UAE Minister of the Future Al-Roumi
![ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-09/GettyImages-1242254827.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=buddcyMK)
Islamic Jihad looks to Hezbollah after disastrous Gaza war
Also: three dates to watch for in Iran nuclear talks.
![AFP via Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-08/GettyImages-1242711521.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=bD3Rxtrb)
Turkey’s economic crisis coincides with new diplomatic initiatives
Finding solutions: Turkey and the UN are pursuing diplomacy to end Ukraine war while Ankara is considering rapprochement with Syria and mending ties with Israel.
![Erdogan and Zelenskyy](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-08/erdogan_zelenskyy.jpeg?h=b12a4320&itok=9w0iWltF)
Did Hamas win Israel-Islamic Jihad war in Gaza?
Hamas, PIJ stir resistance in West Bank; Egypt steps up, again, as mediator.
![Hamas](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2022-08/GettyImages-1241548682.jpeg?h=a5ae579a&itok=QGIwhkTq)
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)