The reason Erdogan champions press freedom abroad Defending Al Jazeera’s right to report becomes a double-edged sword for Erdogan, who suffocates free media in Turkey and struggles to remain friends with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Iran cracks down on Salafists in wake of Tehran attacks Iranian authorities have rounded up a large number of terror suspects in Kurdish areas following the June 7 attacks in Tehran. Iran
Turkey’s main opposition changes focus from 'secularism' to 'justice' Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s impressive march from Ankara to Istanbul shows one thing: The CHP is no longer the “state party” that it was throughout the 20th century. Turkey
Ankara's offer to Moscow: Give us Afrin for Idlib As the situation in northern Syria heats up, the future of Idlib and Afrin depend on strategic bargaining between Ankara and Moscow. Syria
New political alliance unites Iraqi religious and secular parties In a sudden development, the Sadrist movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr and the National Coalition led by Ayad Allawi announced the formation of a political alliance in the upcoming elections. Iraq
As Mosul battle nears end, Iraqi Christians wary of return Despite the liberation of the Ninevah Plains, very few Iraqi Christians have returned to their historical homeland, while the majority of them refuse to return due to security concerns. Iraq
Israeli legal brass hound Olmert as ex-PM's release approaches Despite the efforts of Israel's state attorney to prevent his early release, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will walk out of prison on July 2, memoir in hand. Israel
Israel 'playing with fire' on Hamas prisoner issue Israel hopes that by canceling family visits of Hamas prisoners, the organization will be pressured into advancing a prisoner exchange deal. Palestine
Netanyahu dictates agenda in meeting with US envoys Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the one dictating the agenda in his meetings with US envoys Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt. Palestine
Egypt strikes two revolutions from history textbooks Egypt's Ministry of Education is omitting the January 25 and June 30 revolutions from school history textbooks after a question in the official exams stirred controversy. Egypt
How Cairo plans to solve its street vendor problem Gov. Atef Abdel Hamid supports an innovative idea to deal with the suffocating spread of vendors in Cairo’s streets and the resulting violent clashes with police. Egypt
New UN Libya envoy faces long road to peace The newly appointed UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, must review all previous steps and policies his predecessors made to avoid repeating their mistakes as the war and chaos continue to weigh heavily on Libya. Libya
Abbas' Gaza sanctions fit into peace project Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' increasing pressure on Hamas in the Gaza Strip is widely seen as less about reconciliation and more as a step toward a regional settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Palestine
The real reason Hamas is flirting with dismissed Fatah leader Amid reports about Hamas meeting with dismissed Fatah leader and former opponent Mohammed Dahlan in Cairo, questions arise about the lack of transparency and the results of these meetings. United Arab Emirates
Washington talks fail to secure breakthrough in Qatar crisis Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been huddling with Gulf diplomats all week, to no avail. Gulf
Corker hold puts Saudi arms deal at risk Congressional aides say the Senate Foreign Relations chairman’s threat to block arms sales to the Gulf until the Qatar crisis is resolved could have a wide-ranging impact. Saudi Arabia
