Globally, more than 33 percent of the world's population live in countries with limited or no press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders. With this in mind, please consider that some media outlets that appear on these pages are controlled, heavily restricted, or influenced by the state, political, or other narrow interests. Therefore, when assessing reports in these pages, it is important to consider the degree to which the media outlet is genuinely independent. Freedom House also offers useful media freedom reports as well as an interactive global map for press freedom.
- Arab League wants US Guarantees in Exchange for Endorsement for Israel-Palestinia Talks Al Jazeera.
- EDITORIAL. Popular Sentiment in UK Drifts Away from Israel The Jerusalem Post.
- Gaza Rocket Ends Quiet Year for Israel's Ashkelon Al Arabiya News Channel. United Arab Emirates.
- Iraqi Insurgents Plant Al-Qaeda Flag in Baghdad The New York Times.
- Israel Believes Abbas Will Bide Time on Direct Talks Until Settlement Freeze Nears End Haaretz. Israel.
- OPINION. A Woman’s View of Egypt Sanna Negus. The Daily Star. Lebanon.
- OPINION. Russia-China-Iran Axis: A Pie in the Sky Amir Taheri. Asharq Alawsat. England.
- Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, Syria’s Assad Declare United Support for Lebanon's Stability The Daily Star. Lebanon.
- Syria and Saudi Leaders in Beirut to Defuse Tension BBC.
- US: Iran Sanctions Starting to Bite The Jerusalem Post.
- Abbas Debates Palestinian Peace Talks with Arab League BBC.
- Abbas Resisting Direct Talks with Israel, Despite Obama Pressure Haaretz. Israel.
- Al-Qaeda Claims Attack on Al Arabiya’s Iraq Offices Al Arabiya News Channel. United Arab Emirates.
- Arab League Endorses Direct Talks The Jerusalem Post.
- Assad To Attend Summit in Lebanon Al Jazeera.
- Egypt: FM Aboul Gheit, PM Nazif Meet Palestinian President Abbas Egypt. OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
- Hague: Iran’s Isolation to Increase if It Refuses to Talk about Its Nuclear Program
British Foreign Secretary Hague Comments on New EU Sanctions against Iran United Kingdom. SPEECH. - Yemeni President Saleh: Houthi Rebels Should Surrender to Peace, Security and Stability Yemen. OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
- Mubarak: Egyptian Government Committed to Enhance Social Justice
Egyptian President Mubarak Addresses Nation on Anniversary of July 23 Revolution Egypt. OFFICIAL STATEMENT. - Clinton: US-Egypt Partnership a Cornerstone of Stability, Prosperity in the Middle East
US Secretary of State Clinton Commemorates Egypt’s National Day United States. SPEECH. - Aboul Gheit: Islamic Countries Must Be Active in Establishing Stability in Afghanistan
Egyptian FM Aboul Gheit Addresses Kabul Conference Egypt. OFFICIAL STATEMENT. - Ahmadinejad: US, NATO, Pakistan, Israel behind Terror Attacks in Southeast Iran Iran. OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
- Egypt: President Mubarak Receives Israeli PM Netanyahu, Palestinian President Abbas Egypt. OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
- Israel: Cabinet Decides to Take Steps to Block Illegal Migration Israel. OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
- Israel: Foreign Ministry Releases Updated Report on Gaza Operation Investigations Israel. REPORT.
- Israeli Chief of Staff Ashkenazi: Hizbullah Takes Advantage of Civilians to Attack Israel Israel. OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
- Yemeni President Saleh: No Development in the Presence of Terrorism Yemen. OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
- Israel: IDF, Government Officials Brief EU Representative Ashton on Gaza Policies Israel. OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
- Yemen: Saleh Marks 32nd Anniversary of Being Elected President Yemen. OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
- FM Mottaki: Iran Replies to Vienna Group in Writing Iran. OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
- Oren: Hamas Calls for the Destruction of the Jewish People Worldwide
Israeli Ambassador Oren Speaks at the Aspen Ideas Festival Israel. INTERVIEW. VIDEO. - UAE Official: A Nuclear Iran Worse than Fallout from a Preemptive Strike
Emirati Ambassador Al-Otaiba Speaks at the Aspen Ideas Festival Yousef Al-Otaiba and Jeffrey Goldberg. The Aspen Institute. PANEL. AUDIO. - A Year Later: Suppression Continues in Iran Iran Human Rights Documentation Center. US.
- Iraq Is Defenseless Ted Galen Carpenter. CATO Institute. United States. OPINION.
- The Implications of Israel’s Relationship with Gaza Martin S. Indyk. The Brookings Institution. United States. INTERVIEW. VIDEO.
- White House Presses Congress to Weaken Iran Sanctions James Phillips. The Heritage Foundation. United States. OPINION.
- A Good Day for Good Cop Diplomacy
European Diplomacy Led to Deal for Sanctions on Iran Richard Gowan. European Council on Foreign Relations. Germany. OPINION. - Risk and Opportunity in the New Middle East Paul Salem. Carnegie Middle East Center. Lebanon. OPINION.
- Russia-Iran Relations: Is There a Change? Zvi Magen. The Institute for National Security Studies. Israel. OPINION.
- Sanctions Will Not Curb Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions Ray Takeyh and Suzanne Maloney. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. OPINION.
- Time for a US Middle East Peace Plan? Khalil Shikaki. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. INTERVIEW.
- Real Clear World: Arabs, Israel and Strategic Balance George Friedman. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. OPINION.
- Sanctions Won’t Stop Iran’s Nuke Program Justin Logan. CATO Institute. United States. OPINION.
- Security Council’s Muddled Message to Iran James M. Lindsay. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. OPINION.
- The Egyptian Government Accepts Some Recommendations of the UN Human Rights Council in Feb. 2010, Extends Emergency Law in May 2010 The Forum of Independent Human Rights Organizations. Egypt. REPORT.
- The Gaza Crisis Shibley Telhami. The Brookings Institution. United States. EVENT TRANSCRIPT.
- The Lengthening List of Iran Sanctions Greg Bruno. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. BACKGROUNDER.
- The Real Threat
GCC Nations Concerned about Population Growth Jon B. Alterman. Center for Strategic & International Studies. United States. OPINION. - The Source of Failure:
Israel’s Public Diplomacy and the Intelligence Community Hirsh Goodman. The Institute for National Security Studies. Israel. OPINION. - UN Sanctions on Iran: Far from Crippling James Phillips. The Heritage Foundation. United States. OPINION.
- Hamas Outreach:
Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood in Crisis Cole Bunzel and David Shenker. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. United States. POLICY BRIEF. - Taking Tehran’s Temperature: One Year On Milani, Sick, Sadjadpour, and Inskeep. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. PANEL. VIDEO.
- Can the Peace Process Be Saved? Dunne, El-Khodary, and Barkey. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. PANEL. VIDEO.
- The Arab Media Reaction to the Raid on the Gaza Flotilla Hady Amr. Brookings Doha Center. Qatar. REPORT.
- Turkey Says Good Bye to Israel and the West Efraim Inbar. The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Israel. OPINION.
- Egypt and Gaza’s Islamic Jihad: A Steady Deterioration in Relations Hani Nasira. The Jamestown Foundation. United States. OPINION.
- Friends No More?
The Consequences of Israel’s Disastrous Act of High-Seas Piracy for Turkish-Israeli Relations Marc Axel Herzog. The Foreign Policy Centre. United Kingdom. OPINION. - Obama Needs to Support Egyptians as Well as Mubarak Michele Dunne and Robert Kagan. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. OPINION.
- 2010 RevCon: Final Results and Implications for Israel Emily B. Landau. The Institute for National Security Studies. Israel. OPINION.
- After the Gaza Flotilla: Policy Challenges and Options Michael Singh. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. United States. POLICY BRIEF.
- Hamas Gains the Most from Israeli Raid Taghreed El-Khodary. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. INTERVIEW.
- The Flotilla Fiasco: A View from Cairo Mirette F. Mabrouk. The Brookings Institution. United States. OPINION.
- The Gaza Flotilla Raid and Its Aftermath Aliriza, Flanagan, and Malka. Center for Strategic & International Studies. United States. INTERVIEW.
- What Exactly Is the Blockade of Gaza? Yousef Munayyer. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. BACKGROUNDER.
- Can’t We All Just Get Along?
The Disjointed State of Egypt’s Opposition Parties Shadi Hamid. Brookings Doha Center. Qatar. OPINION. - Defusing the Gaza Flashpoint Bruce Riedel. The Brookings Institution. United States. OPINION.
- From Friend to (Almost Certainly) Foe
Turkey Involves Itself in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Ely Karmon. International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. Israel. OPINION. - Iran: One Year Later Karim Sadjadpour. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. OPINION.
- Israel as a Strategic Liability? Anthony H. Cordesman. Center for Strategic & International Studies. United States. OPINION.
- Old Players and New in the Bahraini Elections Abdellah Al-Derazi. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. OPINION.
- Why Talk to Iran? Charles A. Kupchan. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. OPINION.
- A Two-State Solution Requires Palestinian Politics Michele Dunne. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. REPORT.
- Deterring a Nuclear Iran:
The Devil in the Details Kenneth M. Pollack. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. REPORT. - Israel’s Gaza Flotilla Fiasco Max Boot. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. OPINION.
- Terrorism in Yemen Kashif Mumtaz. The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad. Pakistan. OPINION.
- The Revolutionary Guards’ Looting of Iran’s Economy Ali Alfoneh. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. United States. ESSAY.
- ‘Peace Flotilla’ Activists Assault Israeli Personnel, Reap Propaganda Victory James Phillips. The Heritage Foundation. United States. OPINION.
- Iran Caught Cheating Again: Pyroprocessing for Pyromaniacs? James Phillips. The Heritage Foundation. United States. OPINION.
- Israel and the Free Gaza Flotilla:
A Catalogue of Mistakes Avi Issacharoff. European Union Institute for Security Studies. France. OPINION. - Israel Was Right
Israel Has the Right under International Law to Board Gaza-Bound Ships Leslie H. Gelb. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. OPINION. - Israeli Raid Exacerbates Regional Tensions and Threatens Peace Process Brown, Dunne, Ottaway, & Salem. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. OPINION.
- Stormy Seas off Gaza for Israel Steven A. Cook. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. OPINION.
- Israel’s Nuclear Opacity and New Challenges S. Samuel C. Rajiv. Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses. India. OPINION.
- The Hizbullah Trial in Egypt: A War of Words in the New Middle East Cold War Chris Zambelis. The Jamestown Foundation. United States. OPINION.
- Ending the Gaza Blockade Muriel Asseburg. openDemocracy. United Kingdom. OPINION.
- How Insurgencies End Ben Connable, Martin C. Libicki. RAND. US. REPORT.
- Are the Kurds Still Kingmakers in Iraq? Denise Natali. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. OPINION.
- Obama’s New Beginning with the Muslim World—One Year On Marina Ottaway. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. OPINION. VIDEO.
- Fifth Columns in the Gulf?
Perception of Iranian Influence Driving Fears in the Middle East Frederic Wehrey and Dalia Dassa Kaye. RAND Corporation. United States. OPINION. - In Defense of Defense
Netanyahu’s Strategy May Reflect Israel’s Bitter Experiences with Peace Processes Shmuel Sandler. The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Israel. ESSAY. - Hizballah’s Coalition Partner Meets President Obama David Schenker. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. United States. OPINION.
- Lebanon’s Evolving Relationship with Syria:
Back to the Future or Turning a New Page? Mona Yacoubian. U.S. Institute of Peace. United States. POLICY BRIEF. - Muqtada Al-Sadr Calls for a New Role for the Jaysh Al-Mahdi Militia in Iraq Rafid Fadhil Ali. The Jamestown Foundation. United States. OPINION.
- Parties, Movements, and Prospects for Change in Egypt Amr Elshombaki. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. OPINION.
- The Nuclear Fuel Deal: A Gift to Iran? Ephraim Asculai and Emily B. Landau. The Institute for National Security Studies. Israel. OPINION.
- Iran-Turkey Nuclear Swap Deal S. Samuel C. Rajiv. Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses. India. OPINION.
- Iran: The Limits to Sanctions Richard N. Haass. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. OPINION.
- Iran: Carrots and Sticks Sharon Squassoni. Center for Strategic & International Studies. United States. INTERVIEW.
- Iran’s Sketchy Uranium Deal Michael A. Levi. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. OPINION.
- Iran’s ‘New Deal’ on Its Nuclear Stockpile: A Real Turkey James Phillips. The Heritage Foundation. United States. OPINION.
- Progress or Setback—Brazil and Turkey’s Engagement on Iran James M. Acton. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. INTERVIEW.
- Breaking Yemen Apart: Al-Qaeda Exploits Social Divisions to Further Its Agenda Sarah Phillips. The Jamestown Foundation. United States. OPINION.
- The Euro Crisis and Ramifications for Israel Nadav Kedem. The Institute for National Security Studies. Israel. OPINION.
- What Kind of Relations Does Egypt’s Islamic Group Seek with Cairo’s Al-Azhar? Hani Nasira. The Jamestown Foundation. United States. OPINION.
- Women’s Rights Gain Focus in Saudi Arabia Jafar Alshayeb. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. OPINION.
- A Far-Away Country in Need of Help
Western Nations Must Provide Yemen with Economic Assistance Christopher Boucek. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United Sates. OPINION. - 2010 NPT RevCon: Opening Bids and Conflicting Agendas Emily B. Landau. The Institute for National Security Studies. Israel. OPINION.
- Friction in the Gulf: The Disputed Islands and Iran’s Push for Regional Hegemony Yoel Guzansky and Emily B. Landau. The Institute for National Security Studies. Israel. OPINION.
- Islamist Shortcomings Amr Hamzawy. Carnegie Middle East Center. Lebanon. OPINION.
- Indirect Path to Peace in the Middle East? Nathan Brown. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. INTERVIEW. VIDEO.
- Iran and the NPT RevCon 2010 S. Samuel C. Rajiv. Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses. India. OPINION.
- Iran-US Faceoff at UN Ray Takeyh. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. INTERVIEW.
- The USFP and the Moroccan Monarchy: The Power of Patronage Maati Monjib. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. OPINION.
- Al-Qaeda in Yemen—Evolving Threats Danielle Sheldon. International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. Israel. REPORT.
- Previewing Egypt’s Upcoming Elections Amr Hamzawy and Michele Dunne. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. EVENT. VIDEO.
- Regime and Periphery in Northern Yemen
The Huthi Phenomenon Salmoni, Loidolt, and Wells. RAND Corporation. REPORT. - A Second Letter to Clinton from the Working Group on Egypt Carothers, Abrams, Katulis, Malinowski, Dunne, Kagan, Carpenter, Bork and Calingaert. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. OPINION.
- Egypt – Succession and Political Reform: Monarchs of the Nile Maha Azzam. Chatham House. United Kingdom. OPINION.
- How to Talk and How Not to Talk to Syria:
Assessing the Obstacles to and Opportunities in a Future Israeli-Syrian-American Peace Negotiation Itamar Rabinovich. The Brookings Institution. United States. POLICY BRIEF. - Report on the Israeli Colonization Activities in the West Bank & the Gaza Strip Applied Research Institute — Jerusalem. REPORT.
- Terroracracy
How Iran Legitimizes Its Domestic and Foreign Policies Tahirih Danesh and Wahied Wahdat-Hagh. The Foreign Policy Centre. United Kingdom. ESSAY. - The Ghosts of Negotiations Past
How Palestinians Are Applying Past Lessons to the Current Peace Process Khaled Elgindy. The Brookings Institution. United States. POLICY MEMO. - The Prospects for Security Cooperation in the Persian Gulf Bart Hesseling. EU Institute for Security Studies. France. ESSAY.
- The Trilateral Iranian Nuclear Agreement: Shell Games, International Style Rouzbeh Parsi. EU Institute for Security Studies. France. ESSAY.
- Tipping the Balance: A Regional Approach to Yemen’s Economic Challenges Chatham House. United Kingdom. EVENT SUMMARY.
- The Dilemma of ElBaradei in the Egyptian Polity Issaka K. Souare and Muna Abdallh. Institute for Security Studies. South Africa. OPINION.
- Iranian Naval Exercises Display Advancements in IRGC Armed Capabilities Nima Adelkhah. The Jamestown Foundation. United States. OPINION.
- Iraq: A Compromise PM? Rachel Schneller. Council on Foreign Relations. United States. INTERVIEW.
- Why Not Start with a Nuclear-Test-Free Zone in the Middle East? Pierre Goldschmidt. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. United States. OPINION.

