Since the Islamic State (IS) group declared its caliphate in Raqqa and Mosul in 2014, Iran has remained insulated from the regional threat posed by the jihadist group. However, the recent attack in Tehran on 7 June raises concerns over the potential for IS to establish a presence in Iran, and carry out further attacks, writes Erin Drake.
Even though certain international sanctions targeting Iran have been lifted since January 2016, the IRGC's involvement in strategic economic sectors continues to represent a compliance challenge for foreign investors, writes Hamish Kinnear.
Ezra Cohen discusses why politicians in Israel continue to engage in acts of corruption despite the success of legal authorities in uncovering and punishing these crimes.
Bouteflika's re-election, while unsurprising, represents a missed opportunity for Algeria, where longstanding policies aimed at suppressing civil unrest are threatened by political and economic instability, writes Albert Arbuthnott.
The Fatah-Hamas rapprochement could have a positive effect on security, but residual fault lines may make cooperation short-lived, writes Noemi Casati.
Despite the speed and success of ISIS's recent advance, its reliance on the support of aggrieved Sunni groups means it is unlikely to make significant inroads into Southern Iraq over the coming weeks. Showcase attacks targeting Shi'a religious sites remain more likely in the short term, writes Noemi Casati.
A full-scale election audit has restarted and, while further disruptions are likely, indications are that a new Afghan president will be appointed by the autumn. A clear mandate to govern is vital to the country's stability but continues to elude both candidates. If the final result is not accepted, the country faces political paralysis, disaffection…
Libya is paralysed by fighting between militia groups, and the new government faces an uphill struggle in preventing a slide into chaos, writes Tom Crooke.
The security vacuum in North Africa's Sahel region has long been a haven for various criminal and Islamist militant networks, whilst other extremist groups are known to operate around Libya and Algeria's coastal regions. The rise of Islamic State threatens to add a transnational dimension to the intent of these groups, writes Tom Crooke.
Tunisia's fledgling government faces a challenging political, security and economic landscape and will need to combine pragmatism and compromise to realise the country's ambitions, writes Albert Arbuthnott.
Recent demonstrations in the town of Ma'an have highlighted the threat of domestic extremism, but Jordan's most effective response to this threat may lie less with the security apparatus, and more with the state's capacity to address socio-economic marginalisation in the country's south, writes Julian Karssen.
The recent intensification of activity by the Islamic State in Libya has prompted fears of a recurrence of the group's rapid expansion across Iraq and Syria. However, Libya's armed factions are not likely to accommodate a repeat performance by the extremist group, writes Julian Karssen.