Al-Monitor Daily Briefing: Will Russian government shake-up impact Moscow’s Mideast policy?

If you have trouble reading this email, [view it in a browser](. [logo]( [fb_icon]( [twitter_icon]( EDITOR'S PICKS Thursday, January 16 | Daily Briefing [By: Maxim A. Suchkov on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020]( Russia / Mideast 1 [Will Russian government shake-up impact Moscow’s Mideast policy?]( The surprise resignation of the Russian Cabinet and a possible new role for Putin when his presidential term ends in 2024 raise questions about possible changes in Russian foreign policy. 2 [Iran's Rouhani takes on powerful Guardian Council as elections approach]( President Hassan Rouhani has criticized the conservative Guardian Council for disqualifying Reformist and moderate candidates from running the upcoming elections. Washington 3 [Intel: How many US troops do 2020 Democrats want to keep in the Middle East?]( Democratic presidential hopefuls started Tuesday’s debate by slamming President Donald Trump’s Iran policy and articulating their own vision for the future US force posture in the Middle East. Iraq 4 [Christians in Iraq welcome 2020 with confidence and desire for change]( Iraqi Christians hope 2020 brings them more security and national acceptance and brings Iraq more unity and stability. Egypt 5 [Egypt refuses to extradite Gadhafi-linked leaders to Libya]( Six former senior leaders affiliated with the late Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi can stay in Egypt despite Libyan efforts to have them returned for trial, the Egyptian Supreme Administrative Court has ruled. Culture 6 [Solidarity swells in Morocco after crackdown on free expression]( Moroccan journalist Omar Radi has been released pending trial in March, but other YouTubers, rappers and students remain in jail for criticizing the king and the regime. Israel 7 [Netanyahu — not Mr. Security, not Mr. Economy]( Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prefers that Israel’s growing deficit will not come up on the March election agenda. 8 [Why the UAE is paying for America’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai]( The UAE contribution comes after Expo 2020 Dubai organizers signed a $1 million lobbying contract to promote the world’s fair in the United States. Culture 9 [What, no connection? Internet outage further darkens life in Yemen]( Yemenis have long suffered a humanitarian crisis, but a severed wire makes it even worse when they can no longer connect. 10 [Tunisia goes into 'diplomatic coma']( Following the Turkish intervention in Libya and the Tunisian diplomatic silence in the face of the Libyan developments, Tunisians have launched a campaign calling on officials to break their silence and play an effective role in any mediation process aimed at putting an end to the Libyan conflict. Turkey 11 [Don't believe media buzz about Arab buying spree in Turkey]( The Turkish press often trumpets enormous flows of Arab money into Turkey, but the data paint a different picture. Iraq 12 [Abdul Mahdi urges Kurds to help rid Iraq of US troops]( Baghdad expects Iraqi Kurdistan to abide by its decision to remove foreign troops from the country, though Kurdish leaders say the US-led coalition is still helping to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State. 13 [Iran issues warnings after Europe triggers nuclear deal dispute mechanism]( A European decision to trigger a dispute mechanism in the Iran nuclear deal has been received with defiance, rage and threats in Tehran. STAY CONNECTED [fb_icon_footer]( [twitter_icon_footer]( [instagram_icon_footer]( [rss_icon_footer]( CONTACT US [Support & Contact]( [Advertise](mailto:advertise@al-monitor.com) NEWSLETTERS [Subscribe]( TERMS OF USE [Visitor Agreement]( [Privacy Policy]( © 2020 Al-Monitor. All Rights Reserved. If you no longer wish to receive these emails you may [unsubscribe or manage your preferences]( at any time. Al-Monitor · 1850 K St NW · Suite 1225 · Washington, DC 20006 · USA