Topic: The Levant
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
All Content
-
Al Qaeda in Iraq and Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra make it official
The leader of Iraq's local Al Qaeda affiliate has claimed sponsorship of Jabhat al-Nusra, a militant group fighting alongside the Syrian rebels – confirming what everyone long suspected.
-
Rebel gains in Syria embolden Lebanese Sunnis
Sunnis in Lebanon are growing more outspoken about the most powerful faction in their country, the Shiite movement Hezbollah.
-
Mitt Romney wants to arm Syrian rebels: What are the risks?
Extremist elements, some affiliated with Al Qaeda, appear to be playing a growing role in the fight against the Assad regime, posing a challenge to proposals, such as Romney's, to arm the Syrian rebels.
-
Can a dying language revive Lebanon's Christian population?
Lebanon's Maronites used to play a crucial role in the region, but their power and sense of identity are waning. One organization hopes to reverse that by reviving their ancient language, Syriac.
-
Energy Voices What does Syria's lack of oil mean for US involvement?
Because of its small oil resources, Syria is in a non-strategic second-tier position, as far as the interests of the United States and its allies in the region are concerned, according to OilPrice.com.
-
Energy Voices Israel eyes gas reserves in contested waters
A reserve of at least 50,000 billion cubic feet of natural gas may lay untapped off the coast of Israel, according to OilPrice.com. The question is, who will claim it?
-
Opinion: Washington, get ready for more Iranian influence after Bashar al-Assad falls in Syria
After the fall of Bashar-al Assad in Syria, Iran will compensate for its lost ally by strengthening its influence in Lebanon alongside its affiliate Hezbollah – the Shiite militant group that now dominates the country. To prevent this, Washington must take a leadership role in the Lebanon.
-
Opinion: America's way out of dependence on Pakistan: Iran
America’s dependence on Pakistan is a key source of regional instability. The only way out is to find an efficient alternative supply route for NATO supplies into Afghanistan. The Chabahar Road through Iran provides that alternative – if Washington will consider its benefits.
-
Greek 'island of the blind'? More like 'island of welfare cheats'
On a Greek island, at least 600 are suspected of falsely claiming to be blind to get disability money. It's part of the rampant fraud that prompted Athens to halt payments to 200,000 last week.
-
Opinion: The danger that Saudi Arabia will turn Syria into an Islamist hotbed
A tentative UN-brokered ceasefire does not settle Western concerns over Saudi intervention in Syria. While the US and its allies are wary of seeing Syria become a sectarian battleground, the power brokers in Riyadh seem to have been hurtling toward it – with a form of state-sponsored jihad.
-
Bomb explodes near another security complex in Syria
The blast, possibly from a car bomb, killed two and wounded 30 in Aleppo, Syria. A series of bombs have targeted security installations in recent months as the regime battles an uprising.
-
A Line in the Sand
An unsettling history of British and French machinations in the Mideast.
-
US: Assad's Syria a 'dead man walking'
The State Department official, Frederic Hof, told Congress on Wednesday that Assad's repression may allow him to hang on to power but only for a short time.
-
Good Reads: Is the Palestinians' quest for statehood doomed? (video)
Mahmoud Abbas says he will seek the UN Security Council and General Assembly's recognition for a Palestinian state, despite opposition from the US – and the doubts of some Palestinians.
-
Opinion: How Saudi Arabia can contain Iran – and other benefits from Syria's turmoil
Saudi Arabia is facing its biggest foreign policy obstacle (and opportunity) yet – one whose outcome matters deeply to the US. How the kingdom handles Syrian turmoil will determine its leadership standing in the region and its containment of Iran.
-
Opinion: For Arab and Jew, a new beginning
After generations of strife, the holy land yearns for people with heart and vision to think in a different way, to heal in a new way, and to make real the vision for a just peace.
-
Opinion: US and Iran could become strategic allies – with India's help
Tighter sanctions and military threats haven't swayed Iran over its nuclear program. What the West really needs is genuine rapprochement – the kind that India is especially suited to facilitate.
-
Countries in the Middle East where the 'winds of change' are blowing
Those who said that "winds of change" were blowing through the Middle East were right. The past two months have seen a series of stunning political shifts that began with Tunisians' ousting of their former president in mid-January. Tunis and Cairo's cries, first of first anger and then of jubilation, have been beamed into living rooms across the region and are now reverberating along the North African coast, through the Gulf, and up into the Levant. Here is a look at where those "winds of change" are taking us. (Editor's note: This is an updated version of a story that originally ran on Feb. 2 and will be continually updated.)
-
Palestinian olive harvest plows on, despite tension with settlers
The annual Palestinian olive harvest dates to antiquity and continues today much the way it has for centuries – although in recent years, the presence of settlers has made the harvest more challenging.
-
How 'the Orient' moved eastward
A performance of 'Scheherazade' reminds the Monitor's language columnist just how fluid Western concepts of 'the exotic East' really are.
-
In fractured Lebanon, starting reconciliation at a young age
An organization helping teachers to promote conflict resolution in classrooms hopes the effort could blossom into a more peaceful national culture.
-
Ahead of Obama's Cairo speech, Arab leaders see window of opportunity for peace
King Abdullah II of Jordan, embraced by the West and his Arab allies, is emerging as a facilitator for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
-
Opinion: A reality check for Obama in Afghanistan
He's facing pressure to increase US troop levels there. Has Washington learned nothing from the Soviet experience?
-
Iraq: No haven for ancient world's landmarks
At Nimrud, decay is accelerating for 3,000 years of history.
-
Shebaa Farms: key to stability?
Claimed by Lebanon and occupied by Israel, it will get new attention as the two countries' last remaining major dispute if a Hezbollah-Israeli prisoner swap is successful.
Become part of the Monitor community