Michael Scollon is a senior correspondent in RFE/RL's Central Newsroom in Prague.
A common enemy -- the Islamic State extremist group -- has emerged as the catalyst for closer ties between Russia and the Taliban in the fight against terrorism. And to move the relationship to a new level, Russia says it plans to de-list the Taliban itself from its terror blacklist.
Tehran is making a major push to increase trade and political ties to African states, giving it new routes to bypass sanctions and confront global adversaries. But its involvement in African hotspots has led to concerns that Iran really seeks to cash in on instability.
Should Iran choose to escalate its showdown with Israel, it has many arrows in its quiver -- including the element of surprise, more sophisticated weaponry, and even the threat of activating its nuclear weapons program.
As Israel and Iran engage in a dangerous game of one-upmanship that threatens to plunge the Middle East into a broader conflict, Arab countries have shown that resolving the Gaza war and maintaining regional stability is their highest priority.
The Taliban says it has finalized plans to block or restrict access to Facebook. Afghans who depend on it as a means to circumvent school bans and the Taliban's dominance of media say any attempts to curtail Facebook would be the "final nail in the coffin" for free speech in their country.
Russian politicians, pro-Kremlin pundits and media, and online voices and bots have fed the notion that the attempt by the suspected gunmen involved in the Moscow attack to flee to Ukraine cast doubt on whether they were really members of Islamic State.
For decades, Afghans have sought refuge in neighboring countries to flee poverty, humanitarian crises, and war. Now they are increasingly being forced back to their home country as physical barriers are erected to keep them there.
Iran's involvement in the Syrian civil war has boosted Tehran's influence in Damascus and across the Middle East. But with success has come new complications that Tehran must enter into its calculations as it works to maintain its footprint in Syria.
There is little room for negotiation between the United States and Iran to settle their dangerous disputes in the Middle East. Analysts explain why Washington and Tehran are not about to sit down and work out their differences amid rising tensions.
As the U.S. mulls how to respond to a drone strike by an Iran-backed militia that killed U.S. troops in Jordan, Iran has said it does not want war but is ready for one if directly attacked.
The Taliban is known for a lot of things, but its affinity for Western -- and now communist -- hair fashion isn't one of them. In its latest rules, the hard-line Islamist group has warned barbers in Afghanistan not to provide haircuts that make their customers look like the "infidels."
Missiles are flying in Yemen, and so are the warnings of more to come between a U.S.-led coalition and the Iran-backed Huthi extremist group.
In missile strikes this week, Iran showed the lengths it will take to strike its enemies. But the attacks, which targeted extremists and an alleged spy base in neighboring states, do not mark a change in Tehran's tried and true strategy of letting proxies directly take on its biggest foe, Israel.
Despite Iran's backing for and weapon supplies to the Huthi rebel group in Yemen, analysts say the two maintain enough separation to prevent Tehran from being drawn into a wider Middle East conflict and for the Huthis to act with independence.
Iran keeps its struggling economy afloat with the help of a "dark fleet" that ferries illegal oil shipments to China. But the clandestine trade comes with huge risks, leaving Tehran vulnerable to wildly fluctuating oil prices, Chinese demand, and ongoing international sanctions.
As the Iranian authorities vow a harsh response in revenge for the deadliest attack in Iran since the Islamic Revolution, many Iranians are questioning whether Tehran's focus on policing hijab compliance and the military involvement abroad have left citizens exposed to dangers at home.
The West's engagement with the Taliban has seen a revival due to the urgent need to deliver humanitarian aid to crisis-stricken Afghanistan. But engagement does not mean recognition of a government steadfast in its refusal to reverse its policies on women and human rights.
Afghans are being forced to return to their home country in huge numbers at the onset of winter, testing the limits of humanitarian aid efforts that were already struggling to stave off starvation and homelessness.
Afghans who fled to Pakistan after the Taliban seized power in their home country more than two years ago and are on the path to immigration to the United States are facing arrest and deportation despite being flagged for protection.
An Iranian newspaper's publication of a classified document outlining the state's plans to deploy thousands of "volunteers" to enforce the country's hijab law has revealed a cover-up over responsibility for the intrusive squads of women harassing commuters.
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