Iraq’s Shiite militias that often serve as a proxy for neighboring Iran have taken a beating in Iraq’s election, while a Shiite cleric who set himself apart by taking a more nationalistic approach has emerged as Iraq’s strongest political figure. The results underscore growing...

For a man who has spent the last decade battling armed rebels, being shunned in international forums and watching a brutal civil war dismantle his economy, the past few weeks have been good to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. Senior officials from Lebanon appealed for his help with...

Several Arab countries have signaled they might be easing the isolation of Syria's Bashar Assad regime as a political solution to end the country's decadelong conflict seems out of sight. While Assad is still shunned by the West and Turkey, who blame him for a decade of brutal war in...

 Iraq closed its airspace and scrambled its air force Sunday as voters headed to the polls to elect a parliament that, despite widespread skepticism, some Iraqis hope will deliver reforms after decades of conflict and mismanagement. The vote was originally scheduled for next year but...