Middle East

Israel’s Three Gambles

Can Israel get away with its attacks on the Syrian regime?

BY DANIEL BYMAN, NATAN SACHS | MAY 7, 2013

Red-Line Follies

Sorting the mistakes from the fiascos on Syria.

BY DAVID ROTHKOPF | MAY 6, 2013

How Syria Ruined the Arab Spring

Hopes for peaceful change have been replaced by sectarian animosity and unending bloodshed.

BY MARC LYNCH | MAY 3, 2013

Slouching Toward Damascus

In Syria's implosion, Secretary of State John Kerry already faces a defining task. How hard is he prepared to push against Obama's weary realism? 

BY JAMES TRAUB | MAY 3, 2013

Time to Talk

What Michael Singh gets wrong about "next steps" with Iran.

BY AMB. WILLIAM H. LUERS | MAY 3, 2013

Yemen's Power Wedding

When the sons of Yemen's most powerful tribal leaders tie the knot, it's not only a marriage -- it's a chance for a show of strength that nobody in Sanaa can ignore. 

BY ADAM BARON | MAY 2, 2013

The Inmates Have Taken Over

Images of life inside the walls of Lebanon's infamous Roumieh prison.

MAY 2, 2013

Beirut's Bastille

The free-for-all inside Lebanon's most notorious prison.

BY SULOME ANDERSON | MAY 2, 2013

What Was Obama Thinking?

How the administration backed itself into a corner on Syria.

BY BARRY PAVEL | MAY 1, 2013

Hawking Something

The Syria interventionists want us to go to war. They're wrong.

BY MICAH ZENKO | APRIL 30, 2013

A Friend in Need

As Syria implodes, the United States and its allies need to help Jordan help itself.

BY JOSEPH P. HOAR | APRIL 29, 2013

The Driver

An exclusive look inside the mysterious death and life of the world's most dangerous terrorist not named Osama bin Laden.

BY MARK PERRY | MAY/JUNE 2013

36 Mustaches (and a Few Beards) That Explain Why There’s No Peace in the Middle East

A brief history of the Middle East, as told through facial hair.

BY J. DANA STUSTER | APRIL 29, 2013

Assad’s Chemical Romance

How the Syrian dictator’s cynical and clever chemical weapons strategy outfoxed Obama.

BY JOSEPH HOLLIDAY | APRIL 26, 2013

The One-Man Show

Secretary of State John Kerry thinks he can singlehandedly solve the world's most intractable problems. But will President Obama even let him try?

BY JAMES TRAUB | APRIL 26, 2013

Intervention Escalation

Alleged chemical weapons use by Syria is pushing the United States into doing something. But Russia, China, and Iran might have something to say about that.

BY JAMES F. JEFFREY | APRIL 24, 2013

YaLa Young Leaders

How a Facebook organization could transform the Middle East.

BY AARON DAVID MILLER | APRIL 24, 2013

The Ugly Choice in the Middle East

Permanent chaos, or a new generation of strongmen? Take your pick.

BY DAVID ROTHKOPF | APRIL 23, 2013

Bashar's War

For the Syrian regime's faithful mouthpieces, victory is always around the corner.

BY SAM HELLER | APRIL 23, 2013

The Slow Death of Palestinian Democracy

With Salam Fayyad's forced resignation, President Mahmoud Abbas has eliminated his political rivals in the West Bank.

BY JONATHAN SCHANZER | APRIL 19, 2013

The Middle East's Kings of Cowardice

Why are the Gulf's leaders so afraid of a few jokes?

BY MARC LYNCH | APRIL 18, 2013

It's Time to Act in Syria

American values and interests are at stake in stopping the country's slow-motion destruction.

BY DENNIS ROSS | APRIL 18, 2013

The Outsider

Meet Sayed Kashua, Israel's most popular writer, comedian, critic -- and Arab.

BY DEBRA KAMIN | APRIL 12, 2013

Fault Lines, Not Red Lines

Why the earthquake near Iran's dated and unproven nuclear reactor at Bushehr should scare you.

BY ALI VAEZ | APRIL 10, 2013

Welcome to the Islamic State of Syria

Al Qaeda makes it official: The terror group is trying to extend its medieval rule from Baghdad to Damascus.

BY BRIAN FISHMAN | APRIL 10, 2013

The Most Powerful Woman in Israel

Movers and shakers in Jerusalem have learned one simple lesson: Don't cross Sara Netanyahu.

BY NERI ZILBER | APRIL 9, 2013

Obama’s Empty Words

If you think Israelis doubt the American president's commitment to peace, try talking to some Palestinians.

BY DALIA HATUQA | APRIL 8, 2013

Don't Call It a Shuttle

John Kerry arrived in the Holy Land in his latest attempt to jumpstart talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Here's how he can get the peace process off life support.

BY AARON DAVID MILLER | APRIL 8, 2013

A Weapon of Minor Destruction

How Eric Harroun, the American jihadist in Syria, was duped by the FBI into incriminating himself.

BY ROBERT YOUNG PELTON | APRIL 4, 2013

The Ayatollah in His Labyrinth

The competing forces in Iran's political system are poised to collide in this summer's presidential election.

BY ABBAS MILANI | APRIL 4, 2013