AL-Monitor

07/05/2025

A protracted court case challenging the outcome of the leadership vote for Turkey's main opposition party appears aimed at weakening the party from within, analysts warn — a strategy that could help Erdogan move forward with sweeping political changes. https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/07/erdogans-long-game-how-chp-court-case-could-cripple-turkeys-opposition

07/05/2025

Britain reestablishes full Syria ties as FM visits Damascus

Britain reestablished full diplomatic relations with Syria on Saturday, more than a decade after cutting ties, as Foreign Secretary David Lammy met the country's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus.In 2011, Britain was among the first countries to acknowledge rebel groups as the official Syrian g...

07/05/2025

After Israel war, Iran reopens airspace to domestic, international flights

Authorities opened all airports on Friday except for those at Isfahan and Tabriz.

07/05/2025

NEW: At Brazil summit, BRICS welcomes new Middle East members as divisions continue

A year after joining at the Kazan summit, Iran, Egypt & the UAE attend their first BRICS summit hosted outside Russia — as KSA continues to weigh whether to join.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/07/brazil-summit-brics-welcomes-new-middle-east-members-divisions-continue

07/05/2025

NEW: How Iran’s Afghan expulsions signal new era in national security policing
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/07/how-irans-afghan-expulsions-signal-new-era-national-security-policing

07/05/2025

NEW: Erdogan’s long game: How CHP court case could cripple Turkey’s opposition

Analysts say the protracted trial over the CHP’s 2023 leadership vote is less about overturning results than draining the opposition’s energy ahead of key political battles. https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/07/erdogans-long-game-how-chp-court-case-could-cripple-turkeys-opposition

07/05/2025

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday said a multi-billion-dollar mega-dam on the Blue Nile that has long worried neighbouring countries is complete and will be officially inaugurated in September.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday said a multi-billion-dollar mega-dam on the Blue Nile that has long worried neighbouring countries is complete and will be officially inaugurated in September.The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), launched in 2011 with a $4-billion budget, is co...

07/05/2025

As Yerevan edges closer to the West, regional power struggles and domestic unrest threaten to derail the Armenian leader’s strategy, Amberin Zaman writes

As Yerevan edges closer to the West, regional power struggles and domestic unrest threaten to derail the Armenian leader’s strategy.

07/05/2025

As Yerevan edges closer to the West, regional power struggles and domestic unrest threaten to derail the Armenian leader’s strategy,

As Yerevan edges closer to the West, regional power struggles and domestic unrest threaten to derail the Armenian leader’s strategy.

07/05/2025

As the Middle East emerges from the shockwaves of the Iran-Israel war, one of its key players is making no secret of its pivot toward the East

Egypt — whose president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has visited Russia and China over the past five years but not Washington — is once again looking to China to boost its economy.

07/05/2025

Syria’s new leadership unveiled a new national emblem with drones, holograms, and fireworks.
What does this flashy rebrand really mean?

The new national emblem is another step in the removal of symbols from the Assad dynasty, which ruled the country for more than five decades.