Monitoring the Middle East
Why The Christian Science Monitor is sharing its Middle East coverage for free
Why this, why now
As the past month has proven, it is hard to take your eyes off the Middle East.
Just when you think you have a handle on where the region is heading, it finds a way to surprise you, confound you, or revert to stubborn historical cycles.
Conflict is inevitable until it isn’t, invincible strongmen collapse overnight, allies fall out over an imagined snub and today’s arch enemies are tomorrow’s best friends.
After a few weeks of an imperfect truce, Iran and the U.S. appear to be back at war. A president who has promised no more Middle East wars is now at the helm of one of the most disruptive regional conflicts in recent memory. Renewed American strikes on Iran. Iranian strikes on Arab states. and a closed Strait of Hormuz. The “facts on the ground” are in perpetual motion.
But in the Middle East, along with everywhere else across the world, we at The Christian Science Monitor do more than just report the news.
Our stories, which you can now read free of charge here on this Substack channel, go beyond reprinting the dueling statements of leaders at war, listing death tolls, or repeating the musings of DC-based pundits.
On the ground, across the Middle East, we actively look for shifts in thought, explain how actors shaping the headlines see the world, and highlight those vital trends of progress.
We endeavor not just to tell you what is happening, but why it is happening, and what may come next. Along the way, we elevate voices often unrepresented in mainstream news: average people in extraordinary times.
They include bereaved Syrians grappling with forgiveness and justice, Israeli peace activists facing a societal backlash, Gazans building a library from rubble, and an Iranian university student caught between a regime he despises and American missiles overhead. We focus on humanity by exploring common challenges and universal values. This is the cornerstone of Monitor journalism, along with solid analysis.
With a combined eight-plus decades living and working across the Middle East, our editors and reporters strive to provide timely reporting while doing justice to the peoples and communities of the region who have opened up to us their hearts and homes.
You’ll find a new story in your inbox each week, and we welcome you to come back to this Substack page to find more stories from our team covering the region.
Scott Peterson, the Monitor’s Middle East Bureau chief, author and Iran expert
Taylor Luck, Amman-based Senior Middle East Correspondent, reporting from the Gulf, Levant, and across the Arab world
Dominique Soguel, writing on Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Kurdish issues.
Dina Kraft, veteran correspondent on Israel and the Palestinians territories
Howard LaFranchi, The Monitor’s Diplomacy Correspondent
Ghada Abdulfattah, The Monitor’s Gaza-based correspondent
Be part of a community of people who share your interests.
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As the Middle East undergoes a once-in-a-generation shift, we at The Christian Science Monitor invite you to join us as we explore a region full of potential and changing in the most unexpected ways.