MENA

Summary: The 2020 U.S.-Taliban agreement and subsequent U.S. troop withdrawal established conditions for a lasting war between the Taliban and Afghan government. Both too weak to dominate, there is no end in sight.

Allowing the sale of lethal drone-compatible facial recognition technology to Israel would facilitate human rights abuses, make the US complicit, and open a Pandora’s box that can’t be closed.

Even as actors in Libya’s civil war push for an end to hostilities, the entrenched economic and geo-political interests of international actors seem to preclude lasting peace. Unless the international community rethinks its priorities, a diplomatic solution may not be possible.

Recent comments made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have stoked fears that Turkey might pursue nuclear weapons. So why would Turkey need nuclear weapons, and how serious was Erdogan?

For decades, the safe transportation of oil from the Persian Gulf has been a major security concern for the United States. But there are reasons for the U.S. to reevaluate whether it truly needs to invest military resources in protecting it.

Managing Editor Mike Sexton spoke with The Intercept's Murtaza Hussain about the recently released Iran Cables investigative piece -- and what they tell us about the region's future.