Ethnic/Religious Minorities

A police speed boat patrols the port as oil tankers and high speed crafts sit anchored at Muscat Anchorage near the Strait of Hormuz on March 30, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Analysis

Hostage to Hormuz, can Gulf rewire future energy flows to bypass Iran’s chokepoint?

As the US-Israel-Iran war disrupts around 20% of global oil supply, experts point to opportunities and challenges facing a renewed push to develop alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A Hezbollah flag is seen in a destroyed car after an Israeli airstrike in Nabi Chit (Al-Nabi Shayth), Lebanon, on March 26, 2026. In the first week of March, the Israeli army carried out an unsuccessful nighttime commando operation there to recover the remains of Ron Arad, a pilot missing since 1986, triggering airstrikes and destruction in the area that forced residents to flee their homes. (Photo by Fabio Bucciarelli / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Displacement and dissent: Hezbollah’s war with Israel splits Lebanon’s Shiites

The renewed Israel war against Hezbollah in Lebanon has divided the Shiite community, with some still backing the group as resistance against Israel’s expansionist vision and others refusing to pay the price of foreign conflicts.

Karim Safieddine

By Karim Safieddine

In Beirut, reporting on politics

Displaced families set up tents along Beirut's waterfront in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 10, 2026, after fleeing recent Israel-Hezbollah hostilities.

Lebanon scrambles to contain tensions over displacement as Israel ups threats

Displaced Shiites are facing growing resentment from host communities in areas outside of Hezbollah’s control in Lebanon amid uncertainty over their return to southern Lebanon, where Israeli attacks and advances signal a potential ground invasion.

Rabbi Daniel Walker and King Charles III view floral tributes during a visit to Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Oct. 20, 2025, in Manchester, England.

UK, Netherlands probe Iran links to plots targeting Jewish sites: What to know

British authorities said two men had spied on the Jewish community in London for Iran, and synagogues were recently targeted in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Latest News

Analysis

Turkey cautious but unfazed by US plan to mobilize Iranian Kurds against regime

A group of Peshmergas of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) walks during military training near one of their bases in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on March 1, 2025.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Which 6 Kurdish groups could join the war in Iran?

A picture from the formation of the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan on Feb. 22, 2026.

Amid chatter of local uprisings, eyes turn to Iran's minorities: What to know

Osama Al Maqdoni / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Syria begins prisoner exchange with Druze militia in south: What to know

Suwayda

Will Uighurs upend Turkey-China relations?

Ankara’s angry outburst over the alleged death of a renowned Uighur folk musician while in Chinese detention has exposed the weakness of Turkey’s claims of defending the minority and its dire need to maintain good relations with Beijing.

Yazidis divided over selection of new leader

After the death of the spiritual leader of the Yazidi sect in Iraq and the world, differences come up over the selection of his successor.

Will Palestine finally recognize local evangelicals?

In light of the growing influence of Christian Zionism in the West, the Palestinian leadership is revisiting recognition of evangelicals in the Palestinian territories and engaging local evangelicals to speak with Western Christians about support for Israel and the Palestinian movement.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC196AEB3320

Erdogan: Turkey to expel Kurds from Manbij if no one else does

Erdogan vows that Kurdish militia members will be removed from Manbij, one way or another; Greek prime minister visits Ankara; jailed CHP legislator ends hunger strike, but Kurdish woman continues hers despite being released.

Mourners carry a coffin during the funeral of Coptic Christians who were killed in an attack, in Minya, Egypt November 3, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC193E912290

Places of worship for Egyptian Copts closed after protests

Sectarian-related acts of violence continue in Egypt, particularly in Minya governorate, with extremists causing security forces to close a place of worship for the Copts.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - DECEMBER 26: (ISRAEL OUT) Miri Regev, Israel's Minister of Culture and Sport waves during a discussion to vote on the dissolution of the Israeli Parliament in the Knesset on December 26, 2018 in Jerusalem, Israel. Party leaders in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, which has a thin majority, decided to dissolve the government and call for elections in April, eight months earlier than required by law. (Photo by Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

Why Israel’s culture minister defended Haifa’s Christians

Christians in Haifa demanded that the McJesus sculpture be removed from the Haifa Museum of Art, but they certainly did not ask for provocative Culture Minister Miri Regev to intervene.

Najaf Shiites launch solidarity initiative with Sunni areas

Religious figures from Najaf have developed an initiative for dialogue and cooperation with the Sunni provinces liberated from Islamic State.

Changes expected in Palestinian Knesset representation

There appears to be a good chance that the Joint List will not be the only party vying to represent the interests of Palestinian citizens of Israel in April elections for the next Knesset.

Christians rejoice as Egypt forms committee to combat sectarianism

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced the formation of a committee tasked with fighting sectarianism, a move widely welcomed by both Christians and Muslims in Egypt.

Activist’s murder in Tunisia attests to racism’s grip

Tunisia’s new law against racism needs substantial backup in the form of cultural change.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I gives presents to Greek Orthodox faithful after they swam into the Golden Horn during the Epiphany day celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey January 6, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1371622270

Patriarch grants Ukrainian Church independence at Istanbul mass

The spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox faithful recognized a new national church of Ukraine, marking a historic split with Moscow amid a broader geopolitical dispute.

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man looks at his watch as he stands near tracks of the light rail in Jerusalem October 18, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC13C8690D70

The Israeli ultra-Orthodox paradox: earning little, feeling rich

The ultra-Orthodox population in Israel is considered poor by economic measurements, but its members do not feel poor in part due to their consumption habits and solidarity networks.