All Middle East
After Christchurch, Muslims ask: Are we safe in the West?The Christchurch attack has shaken Muslims around the world. It was preceded by increasingly Islamophobic rhetoric and hate crimes.
Artifacts and tears: Afghans confront emotional costs of warAfghanistan’s wars have inflicted a heavy cost on its people. A new center in Kabul seeks to preserve the memories of the lives lost.
First LookIsraeli election's upstart party turns cannabis into key issueThe fringe Zehut party's leader, Moshe Feiglin, was ousted from the ruling Likud party four years ago over his extreme far-right views. As he takes the election cycle by storm, his unusual liberal appeal could mask a more polarizing agenda.
Algeria protests: Finding a voice, youth seek more than token changeAlgeria protests: President Bouteflika is not seeking reelection, but the nation's youth is still demanding change. The Arab world is watching.
In Mosul's enduring rubble, fertile soil for an ISIS revival?Defeating ISIS has military and political parts. As the fight winds down in Syria, could Iraq's too-slow recovery revive pro-ISIS sympathies?
Flying first class? It’s good to be a falcon in Abu Dhabi.Falconry in the United Arab Emirates may seem like an extravagance. But it's rooted in the desert survival tactics of Bedouin nomads.
First LookIran's Rouhani visits Baghdad, calls for 'unity'Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made his first official visit to Iraq on Monday. Historically at odds, the two nations became strange bedfellows in the war against ISIS – a partnership Mr. Rouhani would like to expand now that the Trump administration has reimposed economic sanctions.
As politics around the world pull apart, can the center rally?Amid the polarization of the world today, some are increasingly calling for a return to the moderate middle. But centrism’s definition, popularity, and practicality all depend on where you are standing.
First LookAfter a generation of war, a slow return to normalcy in BaghdadBaghdad endured almost-daily bombings for 15 years after the 2003 U.S. invasion. But two years after the Islamic State's defeat, Iraqis are cautiously optimistic as street vendors return and concrete barriers have come down across the main commercial district.
Gaza youths shot at the border struggle to see the futureMany young Gazans who were motivated to protest against Israel at the border as a national act of heroism are now grappling with the enduring heavy cost of wounds they suffered facing live sniper fire.
As Turkey gears up for election, hostility at the vegetable tentA full larder means a happy voter? That’s one theory being used to entice Turks. But an American reporter visiting a produce market also encounters rancor, another part of the vote-getting pitch.
As Netanyahu rails against 'witch hunt,' some Israelis see end of an eraWhat does it mean for a democracy to have a leader indicted for corruption? That’s a question being asked in Israel, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a political survivor, heads to elections.
First LookUS closes consulate in Jerusalem, says no policy shiftThe move, which infuriated Palestinians when it was first announced in October last year, hands over the control of US diplomatic channels with the West Bank and Gaza to ambassador David Friedman, a longtime supporter for the West Bank settler movement.
New Arab military force to reckon with as 'Little Sparta' risesThe Middle East's leadership seems suddenly in flux: The Saudis have been humbled, and the US posture toned down. Can a tiny, wealthy emirate rebrand itself to fill the void and become a regional power?
First LookCorruption charges ensnare Netanyahu weeks before electionAfter two years of investigation, Israel's attorney general has recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted on several corruption charges, a momentous move that will likely turn Israel's election into a referendum on the prime minister.
First LookGaza Strip struggles to address burgeoning opioid crisisYears of blockades, conflict, and mass unemployment have fueled an underground illicit drug industry that is now spilling out as an opioid crisis in Gaza Strip. Treatment facilities say they lack the resources to properly help those wanting to be free of addictions.
First LookIran's foreign minister resigns as his nuclear deal verges on collapseIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif resigned Monday in a surprise move that leaves President Hassan Rouhani without one of his main allies in pushing for further negotiations with the West. Analysts say a negotiation-seeking foreign minister is falling out of favor in Iran.
Amid US talks with Taliban, Afghan women remain vigilantAs the US prepares to pull out of Afghanistan, many women are, unsurprisingly, worried they will face heightened risks and challenges. But our correspondent found a spirit of determined optimism too.
First LookIsraeli startups align with firms making lab-grown 'clean meat'Lab-grown meat is considered a solution to feeding the world's ever-growing population. After its early decades of meat rationing, Israel is quickly becoming a leader of the synthetic food frontier.
First LookFleeing Syria defeat, ISIS fighters slip into IraqSyrian coalition forces have stamped out the Islamic State, but hundreds of fighters are streaming across the border into Iraq, further destabilizing the country’s fragile security with attacks and extortion rackets that threaten to undo Iraq's “victory” over ISIS in late 2017.
