Fw: Al-Monitor Daily Briefing: Congress sides with Cyprus against Turkey as eastern Mediterranean heats up

EDITOR'S PICKS Wednesday, December 18 | Daily Briefing     Turkey 1 Congress sides with Cyprus against Turkey as eastern Mediterranean heats up Congress just passed two bills siding with Cyprus in its territorial and natural gas dispute with Turkey.   North Africa 2 Algerians skeptical of the military state's new civilian figurehead The protest movement that took down Abdelaziz Bouteflika is keeping the pressure on his replacement, Abdelmadjid Tebboune.   Israel 3 Could Israeli legal system force Netanyahu to resign? Faced with the cases against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and the Supreme Court justices will be unable to ignore the precedent that booted indicted politicians.   4 Mideast rivalries plague fledgling Muslim summit in Malaysia Tensions between Riyadh and Tehran are dogging a summit set to debut this week in Kuala Lumpur.   Washington 5 Intel: Pentagon renews calls for US allies to join Syria fight Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters traveling in Europe on Monday that the United States needs to continue to grow the 81-nation counter-Islamic State coalition in Syria to ensure the defeat of the militant group.   Iran 6 Rouhani heads to Japan as Abe seeks US-Iran deal Iran's president has embarked on a trip that will take him to Japan, a host that has been scrambling to mediate some Tehran-Washington rapprochement at a critical time for the Iranian economy.   Israel 7 Israelis from Russia: A voyage from atheism to religion Despite the secular campaign by Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman, and despite their atheist upbringing, a significant number of Jews who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union have become religious.   Syria 8 Will Turkish lira save economy in Syria's opposition-held areas? As Syria's currency plunges against the dollar, the opposition's Syrian Interim Government plans to replace the Syrian pound with the Turkish lira in the areas it controls.   Culture 9 The Istanbul Archaeological Museums return, piece by piece A vast plan to restore and revitalize Turkey's first modern museum, the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, established in 1869, remains a partial work in progress, but the completion of the first phase has produced a visitor friendly and engaging environment.   Culture 10 Lebanese migrant workers celebrate despite turmoil A celebration of solidarity and resilience held for migrant workers in Beirut, amid economic crisis and political turmoil.   11 Intel: Why Democrats failed to repeal a key military authorization As US lawmakers vote on a compromise to fund the government this week, one thing is conspicuously absent in the spending bill: a provision Democrats added to repeal the 18-year-old military authorization that serves as the legal basis for counterterrorism operations throughout the Middle East and across the globe.   Culture 12 Archaeology's Trojan War: The artist who took on Schliemann Osman Hamdi, a 19th-century Ottoman painter whose works sold at record prices earlier this year, also saved artifacts from being smuggled out of Turkey by foreign archaeologists.     STAY CONNECTED CONTACT US Support & Contact Advertise NEWSLETTERS Subscribe TERMS OF USE Visitor Agreement Privacy Policy         © 2019 Al-Monitor. All Rights Reserved.