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
Van Hollen Discusses Middle East, 'Unintended Consequences' in Syria Representative Christopher Van Hollen, ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, discusses the Middle East in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor. Syria
Hamas Slams Qatar, Arab League On Peace Plan Hamas, the PFLP and Islamic Jihad have angrily rejected Qatar's land-swap offer to Israel, Mohammed Suliman reports. Palestine
Israel’s Strategic Reset Israel is reconsidering its new strategic approach to the region in the context of US policies toward Iran, Syria, Egypt and Israeli-Palestinian peace, writes Ben Caspit. Egypt
Syria’s Chemical Weapons, Israel and Hezbollah The US statement about Syrian chemical weapons; Israel weighs in; the debate within Hezbollah about Syria. Israel
Hugo Chavez’s Mixed Legacy in the Middle East The late president of Venezuela won the support of large numbers of Arabs for his anti-Israeli positions, but his stock dropped after the Arab Spring and his continued backing of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, writes Ali Hashem. Regional
Iraq, Arab States Should End Sectarian Rhetoric, Policies Mustafa al-Kadhimi writes that there is common ground for Iraq to rebuild its relationships with its Arab neighbors, if all parties can cease sectarian rhetoric and agendas. Iraq
