A thaw in Turkey’s relations with Egypt? Gulf Cooperation Council reconciliation may have set in motion Ankara’s desire for a reset with Cairo. Egypt
Biden's deputy secretary of state nominee OK'd by Senate committee The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved moving Wendy Sherman's nomination to the full Senate, with some Democrats and Republicans who had disagreed with her on the Iran deal voting to confirm her anyway. United States
Biden's CIA nominee stresses China over Iran during Senate hearing Ambassador William Burns said that China is the biggest challenge for the United States, but that Iran and Russia cannot be overlooked. Regional
Post-COVID Mideast economies look to the Gulf and Egypt The region took a hard hit from the pandemic, and it’s far from over, but Egypt and Saudi Arabia are managing better than expected. Regional
Are Egyptian-Saudi disputes just a passing crisis or a decisive storm? Egyptian-Saudi squabbles over Syria and Yemen have gone viral, and some worry that this will have a lasting negative effect on the relationship between Cairo and Riyadh. Saudi Arabia
Russia's Mideast role hot topic in final Clinton-Trump debate The release of Democratic emails to WikiLeaks may have been less about helping a Republican candidate Russians see as unpredictable and more about fending off US interference in Russia's 2018 presidential election. Syria
Is Iran shifting its policy toward Saudi Arabia? The increasingly tough rhetoric by the administration of President Hassan Rouhani toward Saudi Arabia may herald the beginning of a paradigm shift. Gulf
Why Iran and Saudi Arabia will jaw-jaw but not war-war Despite increasingly tough rhetoric and a breakdown in diplomatic relations, neither Iran nor Saudi Arabia appears to be looking for a new fight. Gulf
What it would cost Abbas to reconcile with Dahlan Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is being pressured by a group of Arab states to reconcile with former Fatah member Mohammed Dahlan and by Qatar not to do so. Qatar
How new alliance among Iraq's Kurds might actually deepen divisions The recently formed alliance between Gorran and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan has raised the ire of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, deepening divisions in Iraqi Kurdistan. Iraq
Is Mohammed bin Salman gaining upper hand in Saudi Arabia? Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed's visit to Washington this month has some observers believing he might be the man behind all the major decisions in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Has 'Bibi, the Magician' lost his magic? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has uncharacteristically made one misstep after the other. Palestine
How will Palestinians resolve internal divisions? In an interview with Al-Monitor a few days after her release from an Israeli prison, Khalida Jarrar, a member of the PFLP and PLC, talked about ways to solve the Palestinian dispute and electing a new president. Palestine
From Cairo to California: Meet the Arab world’s super-agent By establishing talent agency CAT, Egyptian producer and film director Amr Koura hopes to bridge the cultural gap between the Arab world and the West. Near East
Lebanese web shows get Netflix treatment Despite limited financial resources, the web series genre is growing in popularity in Lebanon, especially among youths. Lebanon
Egypt hopes to make the most of its return to pan-African group Egypt’s acceptance into the Pan-African Parliament is seen as a positive step, but it might not deliver as much as Egypt wants. Egypt