Turkish bodyguards take Washington by force

After assaulting a deputy in Ecuador, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s bodyguards this time terrorize the media and protesters in Washington.

Syria

How united is the GCC?

While Gulf states may all be united under the Gulf Cooperation Council name, their individual policies on foreign intervention vary greatly.

Saudi Arabia

Who opposes Syrian Kurdish self-rule?

Five years into the Syrian war, Syrian Kurds declare a federal region in the north of the country, which was quickly rejected by Assad’s regime and the Syrian opposition.

Syria

Will the Russians be able to help Lebanon get a new president?

Russia’s withdrawal from Syria and the goodwill it generated in Arab circles, may allow it to play the role of mediator in Geneva and to help Lebanon fill its presidential vacuum.

Saudi Arabia

The making of an Islamic State terrorist

The father of an Islamic State jihadi told Al-Monitor about his son's journey from being a teenager trying to escape a small criminal gang in the Netherlands to joining the terror organization in Syria.

Syria

US 'encouraged' by momentum in Syria peace talks

As the partial Syria cease-fire holds for a month, the United States and Russia expressed cautious optimism that they have found agreement on ways to move the Syria peace process forward.

Syria

Iran optimistic after Syrian forces retake Palmyra

The recapture of Palmyra by the Syrian government has Iranian officials and media optimistic about the direction of Syria’s civil war.

Syria

Why Turkey's high unemployment rate may mean more terror attacks

The youth unemployment rate in Turkey’s conflict-torn southeast has shot up to nearly 25% in some areas, offering fertile ground for recruitment to Kurdish and Islamist terrorist groups.

Syria

Will Syrian Kurdish self-rule succeed?

Syrian Kurds believe their proposed self-rule system will work in predominantly Kurdish-populated areas, but will face stiff opposition elsewhere.

Syria

How Turkey's Syrian refugees are getting by

Some 85% of Syrians in Turkey who live outside the refugee camps are forced to accept meager wages due to their continued lack of work permits.

Syria

Kerry notes 'beneficial reduction' in Syrian violence

Syrian cessation of hostilities holding at one month as Islamic State loses ground; Massoud Barzani says United States is turning a “blind eye” to Syrian Kurdish ally’s links to the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Iraq

MP says Iran shuttered embassies over lack of funding

According to one Iranian parliamentarian, financial issues were behind Iran's closing of a number of embassies, for which the Foreign Ministry has long complained of a lack of funding.

Saudi Arabia