Tension over the Helmand River has a long history. While violent clashes could have wider implications, there are also signs that Tehran can be pragmatic toward Kabul.

The de-escalation trend being driven by Arab states is undoubtedly an encouraging development for the region, but until the underlying root causes of instability are resolved, crises will continue.

The step-by-step approach to ending the crisis could possibly backfire, as happened in Lebanon with Hezbollah. Wider international support may help.

Six months after Iraq formed a new government, Iraqis have mixed views on al-Sudani's performance

Israel has been increasingly lethal, surgical, consistent, bold, and transparent in its military attacks on Syria

A breakdown of recent developments in the Middle East that give credence to the belief that the US is not as invested as it once was

The precedent for altering a country's name was set decades ago but the reasons for doing it can be very different

Three factors that limit optimism over the deal are Iran's radicals, China's unwillingness to play a more significant security role in the region and Israel's fear over Iran's nuclear programme 

Al Majalla obtains Damascus Documents which reveal how Iran founded Hezbollah in Lebanon in the 1980s

The fall out of Brexit at home, a lessening of western power and the diminishing importance of the Middle East to London and its western allies has seen the UK step back from the region