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
IS massacre leaves families of victims stunned The families of 1,700 military cadets slaughtered at Camp Speicher on June 11 have received little or no attention from Iraqi authorities. Iraq
The Islamic State's social media strategy The Islamic State is using social and other media to recruit followers and scare its enemies into submission. Iraq
Can Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE form Arab security alliance? With the Islamic State (IS) out to change the regional order, Gulf states ought to establish a security alliance to prevent this from happening. Saudi Arabia
Amid regional instability, Turkey focuses on domestic agenda Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party are engrossed in the transition to a presidential system, but unrelenting developments in the Middle East will leave Ankara facing major regional problems. Syria
IS emerges from radical Islamic jurisprudence The Islamic State and other radical groups found their religious underpinnings in the heart of Islamic teachings. Iraq
Why Islamic State has no sympathy for Hamas The Islamic State does not regard fighting Israel as legitimate and calls instead for first "purifying" the Islamic world, including challenging Hamas. Palestine
What made Abbas change position on Gaza war? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas surprised many, including his Palestinian critics, when he publicly expressed support for armed resistance against Israel in Gaza. Palestine
New moves by Saudi Arabia, Qatar signal drive for cease-fire Regional capitals are seeing intense diplomatic activity, while regional powers and Washington agree on the need to end the war in Gaza as soon as possible. Qatar
Will foreign investment in Turkey return to pre-crisis levels? Foreign direct investment is rising in Turkey and expected to reach $16 billion by the end of the year and eventually the pre-2008 crisis level of $20 billion. Turkey
Did nostalgia for Islamic caliphate become a reality? The Islamic State has exploited ideological tendencies of Salafist jihadists to establish its "Islamic caliphate." Iraq
Did Shiite fatwa save Baghdad from 'Islamic State'? Iraqi Shiites have rallied to defend the capital from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), with few visible signs of Iranian fighters. Iraq
Iraq’s ambassador to US: war with ISIS 'acid test' of US-Iraq ties Lukman Faily, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States, says that in light of the urgency of the Iraq crisis, “we will not be in a position to choose our partners and whoever is available to help us in our survival war, then we will take that.” Saudi Arabia