The Takeaway: Would Hamas complicate US plans for reset with Palestinians? Also: the back story on the spat between Israel and Jordan; Gulf post-COVID economic trends; Turkey’s Kurds; Egypt and Somalia; and more! Originals
Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Palestinians receive first batch of vaccines through COVAX More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestine
Should Lebanon Amend The Taif Accords? Mohammad Harfoush analyzes the history of the Taif Accords and asks whether they should be amended given the current political climate. Lebanon
Iraqi Kurds Press Ahead With Pipeline Plans Despite protests from Baghdad, the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq is moving ahead with plans to develop the infrastructure for an oil pipeline to Turkey, reports Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
US Seeks To Be 'Great Power,' Not a Superpower Clovis Maksoud analyzes US President Barack Obama's inaugural address. Lebanon
Bibi, King of Swing! Some parts of the press dubbed him King Bibi, but these elections are a resounding vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, writes Ben Caspit. Israel
Is Iranian Hyperinflation a Mirage? Djavad Salehi-Isfahani suggests that the conventional wisdom of so-called Iranian hyperinflation caused by crippling Western sanctions deserves a closer look, as there is lack of connection between devaluation, printing of money and inflation in Iran. Guessing wrong on the impact of sanctions can be costly for US policy. Iran
Egypt’s Revolution, Two Years On Bassem Sabry analyzes Egypt’s progress on the two-year anniversary of the revolution that led to the removal of Hosni Mubarak from power. Egypt
Whispers of Change In Turkey's Syria Policy Tulin Daloglu reports on how, beneath the rhetoric of Turkey's hard line on Syria, there are signs that Ankara might be willing to call on Syria's opposition to show greater flexibility in dealing with the Syrian government. Syria
Turkey Seeks 'Interdependence' With Iraqi Kurdistan Turkish officials seek to set the record straight that Ankara seeks interdependence with, not independence for, Iraqi Kurdistan, writes Tulin Daloglu. Iraq
Patriots in Turkey: Defensive, Offensive or Symbolic? Semih Idiz analyzes the various rationales for NATO’s deployment of Patriot missiles to Turkey and their possible consequences. Turkey
Israel's Elections Linked to Its Arab Policies Historically, there has been a close relationship between Knesset elections and the way in which Israel has conducted its regional foreign policy towards the Arabs, writes Jean Aziz. Israel
Lebanon Analysis of Israel Highlights Rewards, Risks The Israeli elections hint at potential for cooperation in the gas sector but also problems, writes Nasser Chararah. Lebanon
Iraqi Forces Confront Al-Qaeda Militants The Iraqi army is conducting military operations against al-Qaeda militants in western Iraq, with concerns that these groups are coordinating with terrorist groups in Syria, reports Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
