<p>The Middle East and North Africa is the world&#39;s crossroads. It encompasses the Arabian Peninsula, the mountains of Iran, the plains of Turkey, the deserts of the Levant, the lands north of the Sahara and all coasts in between. The story of the region, as is so often the case of places stuck between foreign players, is the story of trade, exchange and conflict. The traditional powers of the region are Turkey and Iran &mdash; Saudi Arabia and Egypt are the current Arab powers &mdash; and their competition for influence over the region&#39;s weaker states makes the Middle East and North Africa an arena of violence and instability.</p>

The Middle East and North Africa encompasses the Arabian Peninsula, the mountains of Iran, the plains of Turkey, the deserts of the Levant, the lands north of the Sahara and all coasts in between.

Middle East and North Africa

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Libya

Morocco

Oman

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Tunisia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Western Sahara

Yemen

The Syrian Civil War

The Yemen Civil War

The Libyan Civil War

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The Saudi Survival Strategy

The Kurdish Struggle

Iran's Arc of Influence

Israel's Survival Strategy

The Difficulties of North African Reform

Egypt's Uphill Battle

The Battle for Mosul

Assessments

Ethiopia

Somalia

An illustration of the Ethiopian and Somali flags.

Military & Security

Politics

The countries’ commitment to negotiate maritime access reduces immediate conflict risks and could enable Ethiopia to secure leasing rights at Somali ports, but tensions will likely resurge if the two sides fail to finalize a deal.

Ethiopia and Somalia Crack Open the Door To Compromise on Maritime Access

Columns

On Geopolitics

United States

Russia

Rebel fighters celebrate in the streets of Homs, Syria, in the early hours of Dec. 8, 2024, after seizing control of the city.

Syria, the geopolitical proving ground for virtually every major regional power, may be hobbled and damaged after 13 years of civil war. But it still gets a vote in its destiny. 

Syria Sets Out Toward a New and Uncertain Future

Ukraine

Russian troops gather around their military vehicles in northeast Syria on Nov. 1, 2019. 

The collapse of Assad's government in Syria is a blow to the Kremlin's influence in the Middle East and its credibility as a security partner, which will further drive Russia to secure a resounding victory in Ukraine.

What Assad's Fall Means for Russia

An anti-regime fighter tears off a poster depicting Syrian President Bashar al Assad (left) and his brother Maher at the airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Dec. 2, 2024. 

With its proxy network weakened, developing nuclear weapons will become a more attractive option for Iran as it tries to rebuild deterrence against the U.S. and Israel.

Assad's Fall in Syria Deals Another Blow to Iran's Axis of Resistance

U.S.-Iran Relations

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

South Asia

Chart of stock market investment trading on blue background.

Economics

Economic coercion is becoming more prevalent in international politics, with certain countries leveraging their economic power to pursue political goals. 

Economic Power in International Politics

Snapshots

A military vehicle burns after it was hit by Syrian regime forces Dec. 7 in Syria's Hama governorate. After the regime's fall, competing rebel factions will vie to create a provisional government, a slow process prone to violence as foreign actors try to shape the postwar balance of power.

After the regime's fall, competing rebel factions will vie to create a provisional government, a slow process prone to violence as foreign actors try to shape the postwar balance of power.

Syrian Rebels Pushing to Damascus, Regime Facing Imminent Collapse

Ghana

South Korea

France

Protesters call for the ouster of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec. 6, 2024.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: An Impeachment Vote in South Korea, Syria's Government Wavers

Rebels patrol the streets of Hama after they captured the central Syrian city on Dec. 6, 2024. 

If and when al Assad's regime collapses, war-torn Syria will fragment into factional territories under a weakened rebel leadership.

What To Watch For as Syria's Government Barrels Toward Collapse

A fireball erupts from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 25, 2024.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

To consolidate its gains, Israel will keep conducting targeted strikes against Hezbollah under the guise of ceasefire enforcement, fueling more tit-for-tat exchanges that could ultimately reignite full-scale hostilities. 

Will the Hezbollah-Israel Truce Collapse?

A child tapes a stick holding a Hamas flag during a demonstration in support of Palestinian resistance in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Jan. 12, 2024. 

Hamas' impending expulsion from Qatar will force the group to either relocate its Politburo or disperse its senior leaders across multiple countries, either of which would carry challenges.

With Its Welcome Worn Out in Qatar, Hamas Seeks a New Home Base

The incoming U.S. Trump administration is considering a spectrum of military options such as moving additional U.S. military assets to the Middle East, supplying additional advanced weapons that Israel could use against Iran's nuclear program, and even preemptive strikes against Iran's nuclear program, The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 13.

U.S., Iran: Incoming Trump Administration Considering Military Strikes Against Iran's Nuclear Program

An anti-Hezbollah newspaper in Lebanon, Nidaa al-Watan, said some of Syria's former al Assad government officials, including intelligence officers, fled to Lebanon thanks to support from Hezbollah, The Times of Israel reported on Dec. 13.

Lebanon, Syria: Former al Assad Government Officials Reportedly Flee to Lebanon

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Ethiopia and Somalia had agreed on a joint declaration to resolve their bilateral dispute over Ethiopia's maritime port deal with Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland, the Washington Post reported Dec. 11.

Ethiopia, Somalia: Ethiopia And Somalia Agree Joint Declaration to Deescalate Tensions Over Sea Access 

Hamas conceded to two major Israeli demands in ceasefire negotiations that would enable the Israeli military to remain in Gaza temporarily after the ceasefire takes effect, and Hamas also provided a list of hostages that it would release under the ceasefire, The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 11. 

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Hamas Concedes to Two Major Israeli Demands in Latest Ceasefire Proposal

The Israel Defense Forces said it had withdrawn from Lebanon's town of Khiam along the Israel-Lebanon border near the Golan Heights as part of its November ceasefire with Lebanon's Hezbollah, The Times of Israel reported on Dec. 12.

Israel, Lebanon: IDF Withdraws From Town in Southern Lebanon as Ceasefire Broadly Holds

The United Nations would consider removing Syria's leading militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Shams, or HTS, from its terrorist list if the group forms an inclusive provisional government, The Guardian reported on Dec. 10.

Syria: United Nations Willing To Reconsider HTS' Terrorism Designation

The U.S.-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, withdrew from Deir el-Zour, Syria, as provisional government forces took control of the city, and fighters loyal to the provisional government said they would continue to advance in the countryside against the SDF, Al Jazeera reported on Dec. 11.

Syria, Turkey: SDF Withdraws From Deir el-Zour as Signs of Turkish-Led Offensive Mount

Syria's former rebel leader Mohammed al-Bashir was appointed provisional prime minister until March 1, 2025, marking the first formal appointment of the post-al Assad government after the regime fell to rebel forces on Dec. 8, The Times of Israel reported on Dec. 10.

Syria, Israel: Syria's New Leaders Appoint Caretaker Prime Minister Amid Israeli Airstrikes

Middle East and North Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Iran: Incoming Trump Administration Considering Military Strikes Against Iran's Nuclear Program

Lebanon, Syria: Former al Assad Government Officials Reportedly Flee to Lebanon

Ethiopia, Somalia: Ethiopia And Somalia Agree Joint Declaration to Deescalate Tensions Over Sea Access

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Hamas Concedes to Two Major Israeli Demands in Latest Ceasefire Proposal

Israel, Lebanon: IDF Withdraws From Town in Southern Lebanon as Ceasefire Broadly Holds

Syria: United Nations Willing To Reconsider HTS' Terrorism Designation

Syria, Turkey: SDF Withdraws From Deir el-Zour as Signs of Turkish-Led Offensive Mount

Syria, Israel: Syria's New Leaders Appoint Caretaker Prime Minister Amid Israeli Airstrikes

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