middle east news

Dr. Dina Esfandiary, Senior Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group, discusses the latest round of indirect talks between Iran and the US about the Iran nuclear deal; Iran’s policies in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen; and how Iran is managing its ties with Russia and China following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Daniel Shapiro, former US Ambassador to Israel and Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council, discusses what to expect from US President Joe Biden’s trip next month to Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia; whether the US and Israel are in sync on the Iran nuclear deal; the prospects for Israel-Saudi normalization and Israel-Palestinian peace talks; and scenarios for Israel’s fall elections, including the possible return of Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister.

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Stephen Kalin, Wall Street Journal Middle East Correspondent based in Riyadh and Dubai, breaks down the issues around US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia and the region, including Iran, Yemen, Israel normalization, and global energy security….and how Saudi Arabia is managing the windfall from higher oil prices.

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Hadley Gamble, Anchor for CNBC’s Capital Connection from Abu Dhabi, discusses US President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to the Middle East; why Saudi-Israel normalization may be a ‘matter of time’; the fate of the Iran nuclear deal; why Turkey is holding out on Sweden and Finland’s NATO bids; the global food crisis and the consequences of the Ukraine war; and some good news trends in regional markets.

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Violence against women in Turkey is an extremely big problem. The government's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention to combat violence against women is making matters a lot worse. The government's claims that existing legislation should be enough doesn't stack up because the laws are not being fully implemented says Human Rights Watch Turkey director Emma Sinclair-Webb.

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Elizabeth Hagedorn, Al-Monitor State Department Correspondent, and Andrew give their takes on US Iran Envoy Rob Malley’s testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, why the Iran nuclear deal still has a pulse, the turnaround in US-Saudi relations, and US President Joe Biden’s upcoming travel to the Middle East.

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It’s often said that the Kurds are the world’s largest nation without a state. Yet, in the Middle East they play an outsized role, helping Western powers advance their security goals sometimes at the cost of their relations with their own allies such as Turkey. Giran Ozcan explains why the United States needs to think of the Kurds as a standalone policy issue in its own right.

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Mirza Dinnayi, 2019 Aurora Prize Laureate for Awakening Humanity & Founder of House of Coexistence in Sinjar, explains how and why Sinjar has become a regional dispute involving Turkey, Syria and Iran, as well as Iraq; the culture, history and geography of the Yazidi community; the impact of the ISIS genocidal campaign; why Yazidis seek some autonomy within Iraq; and more!  

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Al-Monitor columnist Daoud Kuttab discusses the background to the confrontations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and what comes next, whether Hamas is gaining in the West Bank, Palestinian perceptions of the Israeli Arab Raam Party, and more!

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Steve Clemons, Founding Editor At Large of Semafor, discusses why the Russia-Ukraine war has not boosted Biden’s ‘Trump-level’ popularity; reasons for American fatigue with global security commitments; the missing ‘realists’ and anti-war Democrats in Congress; why some Middle East elites may perceive an ‘America on crutches;’ the challenges of managing US-Saudi ties; the barriers to a US-Iran nuclear deal; why bipartisanship in the Senate still has a pulse; an update on the new global media company Semafor; and much more.

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Turkey was at the forefront of an international campaign to name and shame the perpetrators of the 2018 murder in Istanbul of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Ankara has just dropped a case to try 26 Saudi officials who allegedly took their orders from Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohamed bin Salman. The consensus is thatAnkara did so to fix relations with Saudi Arabia and the powerful crown prince who it once sought to pull down.  

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Al-Monitor columnist Kadri Gursel discusses the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Turkey’s economy and domestic politics; why Turkey is well-positioned as mediator between Kyiv and Moscow; why the purchase of the S-400 was ‘a consequence of distress’ and ‘doomed to fail;’ Turkey’s policies toward Syria and the Kurds; whether Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman can bury the hatchet; why the 2023 elections will be a ‘remarkable example’’ for Turkey’s democratic transition; and more!

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Elizabeth Hagedorn, Al-Monitor State Department Correspondent, and Andrew discuss the terrorist attacks in Israel; the Middle East reaction to the Ukraine war; the prospects for an Iran nuclear deal; and the wars in Yemen and Syria.

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Abdulaziz Sager, chairman and founder of the Gulf Research Center, discusses the challenges to US-Saudi relations; why he does not necessarily expect an Iran nuclear deal to lead to progress in Yemen; why de-listing the IRGC as a terrorist group could embolden Iran in the region; how the Gulf is balancing relations among the US, Russia, and China; why a state solution remains Saudi Arabia’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and more. 

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is set to have cascading effects in Syria, where the Kremlin has been propping up the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Faced with crippling sanctions and major setbacks in its campaign in Ukraine, Russia may soon be unable to devote the kind of resources to Syria that helped Assad wrest back huge chunks of rebel-held territory. 

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Mark Fitzpatrick, Associate Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, explains why the Iran nuclear agreement, while not ‘ideal’, remains a good one for the US, the region, and nuclear nonproliferation; why lifting the terrorist designation on the IRGC may be a ‘false issue’; why the remaining US citizens imprisoned in Iran should be part of the final package; and more.

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Dimitri Simes, President and CEO of the Center for the National Interest and Publisher of its foreign policy magazine, The National Interest, discusses the prospects for a diplomatic solution in Ukraine; the risks of miscalculation and escalation for both Russia and the West; why Russia’s stance on the JCPOA emboldens Tehran; how China could come out a winner from the crisis; and more!

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Samuel Charap, senior political Scientist at RAND Corporation and top expert on Russia and Ukraine, discusses Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Western response; what Russia learned, or didn’t learn, from Russia’s military intervention in Syria; what Putin expects from China, India and the Middle East; why Russia still backs an Iran nuclear deal; whether and when Russia might consider cyber or nuclear weapons; why those advocating regime change in Russia should be careful what they wish for; and why the lack of diplomatic offramps so far foreshadows a more ominous future for Russia, Ukraine and the international system.

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The murder last month of a transgender woman in Iraqi Kurdistan by her brother in a so-called honor killing underlines the impunity faced by the LGBT community in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and beyond. Community activists say the government does nothing to protect them and that security officials who are responsible for their safety are among those who endorse violence against them. Zhiar Ali a leading advocate for the community was forced to flee to Europe after facing repeated threats. With no laws to protect him and hostility against LGBT people deeply engrained they face an uphill struggle. But they won’t give up.

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Dr. Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Sudan, discusses the role of UN diplomacy, as well as the impact of the October 25, 2021 coup and the Ethiopian civilian war on Sudan’s transition.

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