Syria's draft constitution: Separation of powers, territorial unity and Islamic jurisprudence After more than a week of uncertainty amid violent clashes and Israeli strikes, Syria's interim president has signed a constitutional declaration. Syria
US green lights $95 million in aid for Lebanon’s army The Trump administration made an exception to its foreign assistance freeze for a $95 million aid package headed to Lebanon's armed forces. Lebanon
Canceled Syrian justice workshop sparks repression fears: What to know Syrian civil society organizations condemned the sudden cancelation of a planned workshop on transitional justice in Damascus, calling it an act of oppression reminiscent of the Assad era. Syria
Lebanon’s government wins confidence vote ahead of Aoun’s visit to Saudi Arabia The Lebanese parliament gave their backing to the new government's ministerial statement, which excluded acknowledgement of Hezbollah, days before President Aoun is set to visit Saudi Arabia. Lebanon
Interview NATO deepens engagement with Iraq as US prepares to withdraw Commander of NATO Mission Iraq Lucas Schreurs
Baghdad sends delegation to Erbil to resolve disputes Baghdad sent a delegation, headed by President Barham Salih, to the Iraqi Kurdistan region to discuss the budget, oil and other contentious issues. Iraq
Will PMU allow parliament to appoint its leaders? Some Iraqi parliamentary blocs are working to mandate that parliament appoint the leaders of the Popular Mobilization Units. Iraq
Iraqi opposition parties form shadow government Some Iraqi political forces are poised to form a shadow government, but other Iraqi groups say the effort is a fool's errand. Iraq
Amendments to Iraqi provincial elections law spark controversy Large political blocs in the Iraqi parliament voted for a new law organizing provincial elections for 2020 that gives the blocs an advantage over smaller groupings. Iraq
Debate arises as Egypt prepares to establish new Senate As Egypt’s parliament prepares to vote on a bill to establish a new Senate, some say it would be beneficial for the country, while others believe it would add more financial burdens on the state. Egypt
Egypt's Sisi taking his time picking vice president Egyptians are speculating about why the president has yet to appoint a vice president to fill in for him if necessary. Egypt
Why this political movement is turning its back on the Iraqi PM Ammar al-Hakim's National Wisdom Movement, which once supported Adel Abdul Mahdi for the premiership, has turned against the prime minister, organizing protests against his government. Iraq
Egypt plans single cash transfer system for combating poverty Egypt plans to launch a new social protection system to help the poor, which would include merging a social security safety-net plan with the program known as Takaful and Karama. Egypt
Shiite militias react angrily to decree integrating them into Iraqi forces Pro-Iran Shiite militias in Iraq reacted with displeasure to the prime minister's decree to integrate the Popular Mobilization Units into the Iraqi military forces, but the majority of the PMU are pledging allegiance to Baghdad. Iraq
NGOs will watch, work with new Palestinian government Nongovernmental organizations will help evaluate the new Palestinian government, its transparency and its efforts to improve communication with the public. Palestine
A century of Lebanese documents preserve shifting identities The exhibition “Identity Papers” uses old government documents and artworks to show how identity is created, informed and changed by official papers. Lebanon
Lebanon’s interior minister pushes for prison reform amid calls for radical change Unless broad, structural reforms to the administration of prisons and military detention centers are passed in conjunction with changes to the criminal justice process itself, the reforms announced by Lebanon’s interior minister so far will likely only have a moderate impact on the penal system. Lebanon
