<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

Snapshots

A Yemeni man about the alleged Houthi-linked hijacking of an Israeli ship in the Red Sea at a newsstand on Nov. 20, 2023, in Sanaa, Yemen. 

Military & Security

The Iran-backed rebel group's escalating harassment of military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea may eventually force the U.S. and Israel to respond by attacking Houthi targets in Yemen.

Houthi Maritime Attacks Risk Bringing the Gaza War to Yemen

United States

People wave flags and cheer as a helicopter with Israeli hostages released earlier by Hamas lands at a medical center on Nov. 26, 2023, in Petah Tikva, Israel.

Politics

Fighting in Gaza will likely resume once Hamas runs out of hostages to exchange, which could see Israel-U.S. ties fray if the former doesn't heed the latter's calls to minimize civilian casualties.

How Much Longer Will Israel and Hamas Keep Extending Their Truce?

Assessments

China

Europe

Russia

COP28 President-Designate and the UAE's Special Envoy for Climate Change, Sultan al-Jaber (front row, fourth from left) -- poses for a group photo along with U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and other participants in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on May 3, 2023, in Berlin, Germany.

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

This year's U.N. conference will highlight disparities between the developed and developing world on climate ambitions, as well as individual countries' differing priorities.

What To Watch For at the COP28 Climate Summit

Kenya

OPEC headquarters on June 3, 2023, in Vienna. OPEC+ will meet Nov. 26 to decide whether to deepen production cuts.

Social Issues

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

The Weekly Rundown: Climate Negotiations at COP28, OPEC+ Meets Following an Oil Sell-off

Palestinians receive bags of flour at the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) distribution center in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on Nov. 21, 2023. 

The two sides are reportedly finalizing a deal to release hostages and suspend fighting, though its terms suggest that the halt in major combat will be temporary.

What to Make of Hamas and Israel's Pending Cease-Fire

Columns

On Geopolitics

A photo taken on Nov. 4, 2023, shows a wall dividing the West Bank (right) from Israeli settlements (left) in Al-Ram, West Bank.

Anything resembling lasting peace in the Gaza Strip will require a future plan for the other Palestinian territory: the West Bank, which, in many respects, is a far more complex puzzle.

The Path to Peace in Gaza Runs Through the West Bank

A photo taken on Nov. 5, 2023, shows a man working at a printing factory in southern Israel that recently resumed business following Hamas' Oct. 7 assault. 

Economics

While the Israeli economy is well-positioned to ride out longer-term challenges, a prolonged or expanded conflict, delayed U.S. aid, and renewed domestic unrest could still hinder growth.

How Will the Gaza War Impact Israel's Economy?

A photo taken on Oct. 11, 2023, shows an aerial view of buildings destroyed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza City.

The Israeli government will face increasing pressure to reinstate the Palestinian Authority's control over Gaza. But in doing so, it may destabilize itself and pave the way for early elections.

For Israel, Meeting the PA's Demands for Governing Gaza May Trigger a New Political Crisis

Liberia

Madagascar

Spain

U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet Nov. 14, 2022, in Bali, Indonesia.

The Weekly Rundown: Xi and Biden at APEC, a Saudi Summit on Gaza

U.S.-China Relations

On Security

The street in the Schaerbeek area of Brussels on Oc. 17, 2023, after the suspected perpetrator of a fatal terrorist attack in the Belgian capital was shot dead. Even if the IDF succeeds in largely destroying Hamas, it will come at a large cost -- in reputation, protest and, in all likelihood, terrorist backlash for years to come.

Even if the IDF succeeds in largely destroying Hamas, it will come at a large cost -- in reputation, protest and, in all likelihood, terrorist backlash for years to come.

Considering the Future Terrorist Threat From the Israel-Hamas War

Israel and the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas resumed fighting after each side accused the other of violating the cease-fire, The Times of Israel reported on Dec. 1.

Israel, Gaza: Cease-Fire Collapses, Fighting Resumes

The Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas pledged to release 10 more hostages, including an American, in exchange for a one-day extension of its cease-fire with Israel, The Times of Israel reported on Nov. 30.

Israel, Gaza: Hamas Buys Cease-Fire Extension With 10 More Hostage Releases

The Israeli shipping company Zim announced on Nov. 27 that it is rerouting its ships away from the Red Sea due to an increased threat of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels, The Maritime Executive reported on Nov. 28.

Yemen, Israel: Cargo Companies Reroute Traffic Due to Yemen Threat

Saudi Arabia won the vote to host the 2030 World Expo, and Saudi officials said they would spend $7.8 billion on the event, The New York Times reported on Nov. 28.

Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Will Host 2030 World Expo, Bolstering Vision 2030

Qatar's Foreign Ministry and the White House said Israel and the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas had agreed to another two-day extension of the current cease-fire, Reuters reported on Nov. 27.

Israel, Gaza: Negotiators Extend Cease-Fire in Return for More Prisoner Exchanges

The Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas indicated that it wanted to extend its cease-fire with Israel in exchange for more releases of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages, AP reported on Nov. 26.

Israel, Gaza: Cease-Fire Holds Amid Possible Extension

U.S. forces struck Iran-linked militia targets in Iraq on Nov. 20 and 21, killing at least nine militants, in response to two ballistic missile attacks that targeted U.S. forces at al-Asad air base in western Iraq, AP reported on Nov. 21. 

Iraq: U.S. Strikes in Iraq Kill Iran-Backed Militants

Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day cease-fire that ends on Nov. 27 in exchange for the release of 50 Israeli hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners, as well as increased humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, The New York Times reported on Nov. 22.

Israel, Gaza: Israel's Cabinet Officially Agrees to Four-Day Cease-Fire With Hamas

Middle East and North Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Israel, Gaza: Cease-Fire Collapses, Fighting Resumes

Israel, Gaza: Hamas Buys Cease-Fire Extension With 10 More Hostage Releases

Yemen, Israel: Cargo Companies Reroute Traffic Due to Yemen Threat

Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Will Host 2030 World Expo, Bolstering Vision 2030

Israel, Gaza: Negotiators Extend Cease-Fire in Return for More Prisoner Exchanges

Israel, Gaza: Cease-Fire Holds Amid Possible Extension

Iraq: U.S. Strikes in Iraq Kill Iran-Backed Militants

Israel, Gaza: Israel's Cabinet Officially Agrees to Four-Day Cease-Fire With Hamas

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