In the Middle East, Shared Interests Are Turning Former Foes Into Friends -- For Now

Relations between the Middle East's most powerful countries -- including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran -- are in a remarkably more harmonious place compared with years past. But while this has made the region more peaceful, old wounds still risk reopening. In recent years, diplomatic ties across the Middle East, North Africa and the Arab world have significantly improved. Saudi Arabia and Iran's rapprochement agreement in March 2023 after a seven-year break in diplomatic ties was the most notable recent example among several similar cases across the region. Although the drivers for these rapprochements are diverse and many sore spots and conflicts persist in the region, they are all part of a broader trend of improved relations across the Middle East....