The brutal reaction to the ‘You Stink’ protest shows the Lebanese government knows citizens’ frustration goes far beyond an inadequate garbage-disposal system.

The self-proclaimed Islamic State has given President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a convenient cover to crack down on Ankara’s long-time nemesis: Kurdish rebels from the Kurdistan Worker’s Party.

Now that Iran has struck a deal with the P5+1 negotiators over its nuclear ambitions, Tehran is turning its attention to brokering a lasting peace in Syria.

Lebanese citizens feel helpless in a society in which corruption becomes the only means of survival.

Beyond Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the self-proclaimed Islamic State, a third moderate way can still exist for Syria if the Southern Front is empowered.

The focus on security and economic benefits at the expense of reform has contributed either to sustaining autocratic regimes or, ironically, to increasing instability across the Middle East.

Gaps in the international coalition’s approach as well as deep sectarian divisions in Iraq and the shifting strategies of the Syrian regime and its allies are allowing the Islamic State to continue to exist and expand.

As long as the Syrian conflict drags on, the self-proclaimed Islamic State will remain a reality and attract more sympathizers around the world.

A year after declaring a “caliphate,” self-proclaimed Islamic State fighters are claiming attacks in Kuwait and Tunisia.

The rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has prompted Iran and Russia to rethink their strategies in the region in order to protect their interests.