Middle Orient

Robert Ford, the last US ambassador to Syria, said the Jeddah summit will likely end with “nice promises” in front of the cameras but a different outcome in reality as normalization with Assad, overriding sanctions and the return of refugees face mounting hurdles. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad landed in Saudi …

The ‘springtime’ predicted by the opposition did not arrive in Turkey’s May 14 elections – and in the May 28 presidential run-off, the odds are stacked against them. “Spring will come again” was the motto of the opposition’s presidential candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. But Turkey’s twin elections on May 14 for …

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday officially took over the rotating presidency of the Arab League summit from Algeria as Syria’s attendance at the meeting was welcomed after years of isolation. Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf handed over the presidency to the Kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a meeting …

Iran and Russia agreed to build a railway between two Iranian cities as they continue to develop their trade relations despite US sanctions. Iran and Russia signed a major railway agreement on Wednesday. The deal is part of the International North–South Transport Corridor the two countries are developing with India …

The extension came as Erdogan prepares to face his rival in the presidential runoff election on May 28. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday that the Black Sea deal that allows Ukraine, the world’s top grain supplier, to export to world markets would continue. The extension grants Turkish strongman …

It was reported last week that Russian troops had retreated in Bakhmut due to a “severe shortage of credible combat units.” Moscow rushed to deny the news. While Westerners are rejoicing in every Russian setback, they should be careful what they wish for. The last thing the West needs is …

A photo Beijing released on March 6th of Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a seismic shock in Washington. There was the Secretary-General of the Chinese Communist Party standing between Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, and Saudi National Security Adviser Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban. They were awkwardly …

The Palestinian Authority (PA) wants the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders and punish them for speaking out against, or combatting, terrorism. Instead of demanding that ICC punish the terrorists — who are intentionally firing rockets at Israeli civilians — the PA is asking the …

A return to a parliamentary democracy system—the opposition’s most important electoral promise—is highly unlikely if Erdogan remains in power. This would be bad news for Turkey’s Western allies. After a dynamic and unfair campaign, the interim results of Turkey’s dual election send the two main presidential contenders to a second …

A Saudi national in al-Qassim was executed for forming and orchestrating a terrorist group and for being in contact with other extremist groups in the region with the aim of carrying out attacks within the Kingdom, the Ministry of Interior said. Yasser bin Mohammed al-Asmari was executed on Monday after …