Unsolved political issues in the Middle East leave barren soil for economic and social green shoots.

Donald Trump’s unconventional approaches may be just what are needed.

The euphoria of 2011 may have disappeared, but the youth of the Middle East have not forgotten.

President Trump’s deadline to decide on America’s role in the Iran Deal is drawing close.

Frustrated expectations in the Middle East and a lack of economic opportunities are destabilising.

The Middle East lacks the frameworks needed to capitalise on green shoots of change.

Al-Qaeda is positioned to reclaim the pre-eminent position in the violent Salafi-jihadi struggle.

A motion in parliament last week gave a crucial voice to a community’s suffering.

A stroll down the petty side of Middle East conflicts.

Recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a risky move at a time of so much volatility in the Middle East.

Saudi meddling in neighbouring Yemen has again come unstuck.

Rare access to Yemen's badlands reveal the human and economic cost of the conflict.

The naval blockade of Yemen has entangled a careless Australia.

Riyadh’s man in Beirut is gone but seemingly not in some careful Saudi plot.

The Palestinian economy lacks the foundational assets required for effective and sustainable growth, even with substantial aid disbursements.

The EU States recognise that changing the approach taken by UNIFIL would risk making their troops a target of violent resistance.

Far from dragging Qatar into the fold as intended, the rift between Qatar and its neighbours is likely to continue to expand.

Supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Lebanese government does mean tacitly accepting the presence of Hizbullah, a designated terrorist group in Europe and the US.

If Saudi Arabia can't make Doha dance to its tune, then Riyadh runs the risk of further reducing regional states' confidence in its leadership capabilities.

Qatar’s support of political Islamist groups is key to understanding the current diplomatic crisis and role of Al Jazeera.

Lebanon this year has been basking in a rare calm, and there appears to be a distinct apathy about when elections will be held.

China has tried to bypass regional strategic and ideological divides by both preserving its ties with Iran and getting closer to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel.

Regardless of whether Australian forces are enlisted in any anti-Iran campaign, there is a risk that our troops, aircraft or ships in the Middle East may find themselves targeted in any Iranian retaliation.

It remains to be seen whether this new phase of ties between the Gulf states and Israel can expand beyond the informal and the unofficial level.

In the unprecedented chaos that is the Trump presidency, the apparent swing back towards Saudi Arabia seems abnormally normal.

Erdogan was forced to concede on almost everything, even withstanding Trump’s repeated mispronunciation of his name during the press conference.

The bomb attacks on Coptic churches in Egypt highlights the occasional focus by Islamist groups on Christian targets in the Middle East.

The world should expect that Syria will continue to use its remaining chemical weapons against its populace, whenever it chooses and with relative impunity.

The more heavily populated areas are either under Syrian government or Islamist opposition control who won't be parties to ceasefires that aren't to their advantage.

Its structural economic problems and expanding jihadist influence could spell trouble for long-term stability.

The talks are being moderated by Syrian government ally Russia, in the capital city of a former Soviet republic, without US involvement, at a time when military conditions on the ground put the ball firmly in Russia’s court.

It would serve no western interests to leave Assad with no option but to look to Iran and Russia for ongoing support.

After 29 months without a Lebanese president, a parliamentary vote has finally delivered one, in the form of Michel Aoun.