What comes next in the Saad Hariri affair? De-escalation or a new crisis in the Middle East?

Once the Assad regime and its allies consolidate their hold on Syria, the focus could once again shift back to Israel.

The short answer: not much.

Turkey’s post-coup purges have come to a head with the trial of 11 human rights activists on terrorism charges.

Abe cruises to a new supermajority in Japan, Raqqa falls to the Syrian Democratic Forces, and Kenyans head back to the polls for a tense presidential rerun.

Russia wants to protect its economic interests in Iraqi Kurdistan, but not at the cost of disrupting other key alliances in the MENA region.

This outline explores the regional forces and core interests motivating Turkey’s foray into the Syrian civil war.

The blowback against Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence referendum was swift as it was fierce, with every neighboring state piling pressure on Irbil to back down.

Daesh’s wanton destruction of cultural relics helped fray the national fabric of countries like Syria and Iraq. It’s now up to the international community to help mend them.

The Astana Talks go in search of a long-term ceasefire for the Syrian civil war, Kenya prepares for a rerun of its presidential elections, and the Chinese economy loses some steam.