Skip to main content
Al Monitor

Al Monitor

Newspaper | United States | Centre-Left

Engagement Insights

494.29 score
329
Discussions
311
Participants
319
Total Votes
1260
Articles

Discussions from Al Monitor

Geopolitics

How can leaders better understand the needs of people affected by conflict when making their plans?

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dawoud Abu Alkas CAIRO/GAZA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Palestinians in Gaza said on Monday Donald Trump's touting of a deal aimed at disarming Hamas and ending the war was out of touch with their worsening reality, after Israel killed 18 people in one of the deadliest days since a ceasefire last year. The U.S. president on Thursday declared "a major milestone" towards implementing the Gaza peace plan agreed last October, saying that Hamas would disarm and Israel would withdraw in phases

United States
Join Discussion
Geopolitics

How should the government balance military spending on missiles with other community needs?

The Pentagon announced a $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon on Monday for Tomahawk missiles amid reports of a shortfall due to the war with Iran. Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the contract will "accelerate Tomahawk missile delivery to our warfighters at unprecedented speed." "Guaranteeing our naval and joint forces have the lethal firepower they need to deter aggression and protect the homeland is paramount," Cao said in a statement. "The Department is utilizing every available tool to meet the demands of our current operations."

United States
Join Discussion
Geopolitics

How should we support families facing challenges in areas with conflict?

By Pesha Magid QUSRA, West Bank, Aug 17 (Reuters) - He watched from thousands of miles away on a security camera feed as militant Israeli settlers encircled his West Bank house, fearing he could lose his home forever amid increasing Israeli seizures of Palestinian property in the occupied territory. Loui Ridi, a Palestinian American living in Toledo, Ohio, owns one of three homes that have been under Israeli settler siege for nearly a week in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, a case that has drawn U.S. condemnation

Palestine
Join Discussion
Geopolitics

What should the international community do about the nuclear materials found in Syria?

UN inspectors this week visited several undeclared Assad-era Syrian nuclear sites for the first time — including some used to store nuclear material. Why it matters: The inspections by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi and his team came after diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration, first reported by Axios, that produced understandings with both Syria and Israel. It marked the first time the IAEA was given full access to suspicious nuclear sites in Syria. Flashback: The Assad regime had developed a secret nuclear program centered on the clandestine Al-Kibar reactor. After Israel bombed the reactor in 2007, the Syrian nuclear program was mostly destroyed. But several research-and-development and storage sites remained, though they were mostly inactive.After the fall of the Assad regime, the IAEA signed an agreement with the new Syrian government giving it access to Al-Kibar and several other sites connected to Syria's past nuclear activity.One facility that Israel and the U.S. have been closely monitoring the past two years is known as "Site 99."Two Israeli officials said the Assad regime stored nuclear material there that was part of the Al-Kibar nuclear reactor project. Driving the news: At a press conference with Grossi on Tuesday, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said his government sent a letter to the IAEA on July 17 disclosing the nuclear material and inviting UN inspectors to visit the site. Grossi said IAEA inspectors visited the Al-Kibar nuclear reactor site in Deir Ez-Zor and "observed ongoing excavation activities" taking place in coordination with the IAEA. Grossi said he and his team visited an undeclared location outside Damascus where "several tons of natural uranium metal" were stored. They also visited a location "where large quantities of graphite are stored," material that is also related to past nuclear activities at Al-Kibar. What they're saying: "We agreed with the Syrian government that th

Global
Join Discussion
Geopolitics

What should be done to improve safety for migrants traveling by boat?

TUNIS, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Eleven bodies have been recovered by Tunisia's coastguard after a boat carrying Tunisian migrants sank at the weekend en route to Italy, with three others still unaccounted for, the National Guard said on Sunday. Coastguard, military and civil protection teams, backed by two helicopters, continued to search for the missing. The boat, which set off early on Thursday with 15 mostly young people on board, sank off the Tunisian coast, and so far only one person was rescued alive, the head of a migrant rights group said on Saturday

United States
Join Discussion
Geopolitics

How might the U.S. increasing economic pressure on Iran affect its relationships with other countries?

DUBAI, Aug 20 (Reuters) - A threat by U.S. President Donald Trump to impose unprecedented economic warfare and isolation on Iran could have implications for countries that trade with it. Trump warned of economic consequences for any country that supports Iran. Here are some of Iran's main trading partners in recent years: CHINA China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, could face additional pressures from the U.S. over its purchases if Trump follows through on his promise

Global
Join Discussion
Geopolitics

What steps can we take to better protect aid workers in dangerous areas?

By Emma Farge GENEVA, Aug 19 (Reuters) - A record number of humanitarian workers were attacked last year, driven partly by increased use of armed drones, the United Nations said on Wednesday, calling the trend "appalling". Some 907 aid workers were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2025 versus 833 the year before, according to the Aid Worker Security Database, a platform funded by Canada and Australia that compiles major security incidents affecting aid workers. Of those, 350 were killed, down slightly from a record 387 in 2024

Global
Join Discussion