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The article explores China's political and economic influence in the Middle East as of 2019. It is reported that China has the power to reshape regional markets as local governments increasingly reorient their economies to take advantage of Chinese outreach. Other topics discussed include the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud's 2017 visit with Chinese president Xi Jinping to explore joint ventures, the Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) and how Middle East suppliers including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman are among the fastest-growing sources of energy for China.

The article discusses the alleged persecution of Christian minorities in Turkey under the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling political party Justice and Reconciliation Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP). The impact that political Islam has on the putative persecution of Christians in Turkey is discussed.

The article examines foreign relations between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and discusses the impact the relationship has within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It covers the UAE's national security efforts since its creation in 1971 and how Saudi Arabia has viewed the UAE as a competitor within the GCC in both politics and economics.

The article discusses the Kurdish independence referendum held September 25, 2017 and examines the lack of international support as well as opposition from the Iraqi, Iranian, and Turkish governments. Topics covered include the overwhelming support among voters for Kurdistan's Independence, the resignation of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) president Masoud Barzani, and the political party Gorran.

The article examines the state of sociopolitics in the Middle East in the aftermath of the Arab Spring and focuses on the likelihood a Palestinian state would not develop into a failed state. It discusses the concept of a failed state and how these political conditions exist in the Arab territorial nation-state system created after World War I. The article goes on to cover Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's claims that the Palestinian Authority has failed.

The article discusses Russia's relations with the Middle East during the 21st century and its intervention in the Syrian Civil War on behalf of the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, including Russian President Vladimir Putin's role in Russia-Middle East relations and the role that Russia's efforts against terrorism play in its Middle East relations. The impact that Russia's relations with Western countries and the U.S. has on its actions in the Middle East are discussed.

The article discusses the possible terrorist threat that returning jihadist members of the terrorist group the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) pose to Western countries, following ISIS's potential defeat in Iraq and Syria. An overview of Western government policies towards members of ISIS seeking to return to the West is provided.

The article suggests and discusses methods, to be used by the U.S. government, of vetting Muslims to prevent Islamists from entering the U.S., within the context of the U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on Muslims entering the U.S. An overview of in-person entrance interviews of Muslims, including interview questions about Shari'a law and the social conditions of Muslim women, is provided.

The article discusses the increasing authoritarianism of the Islamist Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his tenure throughout the early 21st century, including the impact that attempted July 15, 2016 coup d'etat had on authoritarianism in Turkey. The role that military officers and members of the Gülen movement played in the July 2016 coup, including the possible role that Muslim preacher Fetullah Gülen played in planning the coup, is discussed.

The article discusses Saudi Arabia's economic plan for 2030 known as "Vision 2030" to increase economic growth through privatization and reducing government reliance on oil revenue. The relationship between Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi religious doctrines and its attempts in modernizing the country, including in regard to the country's cultural values, is discussed.

The article discusses religious intolerance towards Christians in the Islamic Gulf States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including the Saudi Arabia's government's ban on non-Islamic religious practices in the country. An overview of Christian migrant workers in Gulf States, including Christians from India and the Philippines, is provided.

The article discusses the Russian President Vladimir Putin's policy of intervening in Syria's Civil War on behalf of the Syrian President Bashar Assad, referencing the history of Russian foreign relations from 1991 through the mid 2010s. The role that Russia's involvement in the Ukrainian Conflict in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine plays in Russian intervention in Syria is discussed.

The article discusses the Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's governance of Turkey, including his calling for November 2015 elections soon after the political party Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP) was defeated in June 2015 elections. An overview of Turkey's conflict with its Kurdish population is provided.

The article discusses the social and legal aspects of wearing the burqa in Europe, including the European Court of Human Rights' (ECHR's) decision to uphold France's law banning of the burqa. An overview of claims that the banning of the burqa derives from Islamophobic sentiments is provided. The relationship between the burqa and human rights is discussed.

The article discusses the role that natural gas development plays in Israel's relationships and alliances with countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region, including its relations with Greece and Cyprus. Turkey's relationship with Israel and Cyrus, including Turkey's improving relations with Israel, is discussed.

The article discusses social order and politics in Tunisia following the country's 2011 Arab Spring Protests, including the secular Tunisian political party Nidaa Tounes' (Tunisia Calls') competing in elections against the Islamist political party Ennahda. An overview of the Tunisian Constitution, including its protection of civil liberties and women's rights, is provided.

The article looks at Turkey's foreign and military policy in the Middle East, offering evidence that its government under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is quietly supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and analyzing why it motivated to do so. It says that the Turkish government seeks the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad so that a Sunni-led regime can take power in Syria. It describes how Turkish policy toward ISIS has shifted over time, in part in response to ISIS's raid on the Turkish consulate in Mosul, Iraq. Topics include a joint U.S.-Turkish effort to support the Free Syrian Army opposition group, evidence of Turkish arms shipments to ISIS, and the views of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.

The article looks at the attitudes of Sunnis in Lebanon toward the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group, expressing the view that support for ISIS among the country's Sunnis is stronger than suggested in public opinion polls and analyzing several factors underlying that support. It says that Shiites have gained power relative to Sunnis in Lebanon beginning in the 1980s, leading Sunnis to view favorably any anti-Shiite forces in the region, including ISIS. It also cites disaffection with the Lebanese state, a wish to see the Islamic caliphate re-created, and admiration for ISIS's strength as factors attracting Sunnis. Topics include indications of ISIS's presence in Sunni neighborhoods in Beirut and Tripoli, Lebanon, and the Hezbollah political party and militant group.

The article examines the so-called Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 in relation to Morocco. According to the author, Morocco did not experience much in the way of protest or calls for changes in government in 2011. The author discusses the July 2011 national referendum in Morocco which contained constitutional reforms and argues that such steps helped solidify Morocco's standing among Western countries as a place where modernity has mixed favorable with tradition and pluralistic tolerance. The author states that this has been accomplished despite similar social and political circumstances that characterize other countries in the Middle East. He states that Moroccan king Mohammed VI and the Moroccan government have been proactive in response to calls for democratic reform.

The article examines the military policy of the government of Yemen, specifically a 2009 campaign called Operation Scorched Earth. According to the article, the campaign endeavored to put down an uprising of Huthi fighters in the Yemeni province of Sa'da, beginning in 2004. The article examines the political and social philosophy of the followers of Hussein al-Huthi, whom the article identifies as a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The article also discusses the role played by Saudi Arabia following a November 2009 Huthi attack of a Saudi border post. The article describes the 2004 uprising, examines Saudi Arabia's alleged desire to lessen the influence of its own Shiite population, and analyzes Saudi Arabia's reaction to the influence of the Iranian government in the region.

Recent years have witnessed the rise of irregular but frequently intensive opposition to U.S. global preeminence by Russia and China. In their own ways, and in pursuit of their own interests, each of these authoritarian governments has established an informal alliance with the Islamic Republic of Iran. For its part, the Khamenei regime in Tehran continues to view the United States as the "Great Satan" and works against American interests by engaging in international terrorism, aiding in attacks on U.S. and coalition personnel in lraq and Afghanistan, working to derail any resolution of the lsraeli-Palestinian dispute, and most of all by seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. There is a long history of conflict between Russia and Iran, so why is Moscow now warmly regarded by the lslamist regime, and why does Moscow, in turn, court Tehran? Furthermore, what explains Ivan's new alliance with China? Has a new axis, opposed to the United States and Europe, formed, and if so, what are its roots and ramifications? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Chinese government's global infrastructure development strategy Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China's growing economic and political activities and influence in the Middle East (Levant). It notes that China is the Middle East's largest foreign investor. Topics include China's investment in Syria and China-Turkey relations. The Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB), the 21the Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR), and the revival of Chinese imperialism are also mentioned.