Foreign Policy Magazine’s The Cable Friday outlined an “array of technical, diplomatic, security, and financial challenges” faced by the U.S. and its allies as they struggle to meet a December 31 deadline, set by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), for putting beyond use Syria’s most dangerous chemical weapons....

Egypt may be preparing to declare the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, amid escalating efforts by the Islamist group and its supporters to derail passage of a new constitution aimed at facilitating a political transition from the current interim army-backed government to an elected one. The Brotherhood rejected the new constitution, which...

Speaking at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters that the Obama administration is seeking to reassure Jerusalem not just regarding Iran but also regarding “threats to Israel’s security [in]… the final status negotiations process” between Israelis and Palestinians. But neither peace nor prosperity are possible without...

U.S. officials are struggling to assure Middle East allies that the financial relief provided to Iran under the recently agreed Geneva interim agreement is relatively limited, and that – per the National Journal – “key sanctions would remain in force against Iran’s disputed nuclear program” during the agreement’s six-month period. After meeting...

The Associated Press yesterday conveyed reports from Iranian state media describing an arrest sweep conducted by the country’s Revolutionary Guard, in which at least 16 anti-government activists were arrested. The IRNA news agency quoted a prosecutor explaining that the arrested had confessed to their crimes – cooperating with the West – under...

Turkish figures are scrambling to halt a slide in Ankara’s regional stature and in the domestic position of its ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, amid new polls showing declines in how people inside and outside Turkey view the country and the AKP. Hurriyet Daily News reported today that the percentage...

Analysts, diplomats, and journalists are continuing to pile on concerns regarding structural asymmetries in a recently signed agreement between the P5+1 powers and Iran, with attention increasingly turning toward how the imbalances between what Iran got and what Iran gave up may disadvantage the United States and its allies heading...

The Palestinian leadership today rejected a proposal presented by Secretary of State John Kerry designed to boost peace talks between them and their Israeli counterparts. “The Palestinian side rejected them because they would only lead to prolonging and maintaining the occupation,” the official said. Abbas was not immediately available after the Ramallah talks...

The Associated Press (AP) late on Wednesday provided an overview of a security plan that Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to present to Jerusalem this week in an effort to boost U.S.-backed Israeli-Palestinian talks. The proposal will mark the first time that Kerry, who was to arrive in Israel late Wednesday,...

The New York Times today outlined the range of motives for, and the potential cascade effects of, the overnight assassination of Haj Hassan Hilu Laqis, a top Hezbollah figure who the outlet noted was “variously described as running the group’s sophisticated telecommunications network and working to procure strategic weapons.” The Times emphasized both...