Opinion Today: a Middle East cheat sheet

How to understand Israel's conflict with Iran, and more.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story April 22, 2024 By Gus Wezerek Graphics Editor Nearly 10 years ago, Slate published one of my favorite graphics of all time: "The Middle East Friendship Chart." The diagram — an easy-to-read, color-coded matrix of smiling and frowning faces — showed whether various nations and groups in the Middle East were friends, enemies or frenemies. Slate I remembered Slate's chart this year, after America bombed the Houthis in Yemen. I'm not the closest follower of international affairs, and I didn't really know who the Houthis were or how they were connected to Israel's war against Hamas. So I thought it was time to make my own version of the Friendship Chart, updated to reflect current alliances and rivalries. The resulting diagram, which we published this weekend, was a collaboration with the Middle East expert Daniel Levy. He decided whether each relationship was hostile, supportive or complicated and wrote an essay contextualizing the exercise. The New York Times For my part, I didn't want readers to see the chart — an admittedly dense web ringed by faces that will be unfamiliar to some — and throw up their hands in confusion. So I've tried to play tour guide, pausing to discuss constellations that explain why, for instance, Israel is frosty toward Qatar or how Syria is bound to Iran. (I kept Slate's traffic light color scheme in a small homage.) I hope that readers like me, who don't know a lot about the Middle East, will use the chart to learn more about the region's shifting dynamics. But even for those who follow the region closely, Levy's analysis is full of insight. The project took a few months to finish; it was difficult to summarize decades of on-again, off-again alliances. Luckily, Levy, the president of the U.S./Middle East Project and a former Israeli peace negotiator, was more than up to the task. Read the feature: The New York Times A Cheat Sheet to the Middle East's Web of Friends and Enemies As the conflict between Israel and Hamas spills over, we sketched out a social network of the alliances and enmities at play. By Daniel Levy Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Here's what we're focusing on today: Editors' Picks Guest Essay The Far Right Wants to Take Over Europe, and She's Leading the Way Giorgia Meloni is the model for the continent's far right. By David Broder More From Opinion The Conversation Some of the 'Adults in the Room' Aren't Who We Thought They Would Be Who let the grown-ups out? By Gail Collins and Bret Stephens Guest Essay Liz Truss Is Coming for America She has seen the deep state up close and knows what needs to be done. By Tanya Gold What Toll Will the Trial Take on Trump? His brash demeanor has already been replaced by fatigue and frustration. By Patrick Healy Guest Essay An Octopus Took My Camera, and the Images Changed the Way I See the World "Saving the planet" is the wrong goal. By Craig Foster Guest Essay Why Aren't We Saving the Urban Forests? We have become so separate from the natural world that we don't feel safe in the presence of well maintained trees. By Margaret Renkl Guest Essay Mike Johnson Steps Into His Power Even As He Might Lose It Mike Johnson is overseeing an uneasy, unusual coalition that's getting critical matters done. The Freedom Caucus helped make it possible. By Brendan Buck Guest Essay Liz Cheney: The Supreme Court Should Rule Swiftly on Trump's Immunity Claim If delay prevents this Trump case from being tried this year, our system may never hold the man most responsible for Jan. 6 to account. By Liz Cheney Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Guest Essay Do Not Make Survival Even More Difficult for People on the Streets A ban on camping in public places faces a Supreme Court test. By Laura Riley Guest Essay Biden's Small Win — and Bigger Failure — in the Middle East In the last two weeks, the president worked to avoid an immediate disaster. But it's his own policies that have set the region on its current dangerous trajectory. By Trita Parsi Guest Essay Government Surveillance Keeps Us Safe A surveillance law referred to as Section 702 is needed to protect us from foreign threats. By Matthew Waxman and Adam Klein Guest Essay We Regulate a Tiny Fraction of the 12,000 'Forever Chemicals.' There's a Better Way. To reduce the risk PFAS pose, we need far more comprehensive mandates that test, monitor and limit the entire class of chemicals. By Kathleen Blackburn David French The Line Between Good and Evil Cuts Through Evangelical America Evangelicals, fundamentalists and Pentecostals are taking the church in very different directions. By David French Carlos Lozada Give Me Liberty or Give Me … What? Alex Garland's "Civil War" is not a vision of what might happen in America but a collage of what already has happened, some here and much elsewhere. By Carlos Lozada Guest Essay Passover's Radical Message Is More Vital Than Ever The Bible insists we turn our pain into understanding, love and empathy. By Shai Held Jamelle Bouie When Pregnant Patients 'Become Radioactive to Emergency Departments' Exceptions to abortion bans aren't worth the paper they're printed on. By Jamelle Bouie Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT letters Should Alcohol Labels Warn of Cancer Risks? Readers discuss whether the U.S. should follow the lead of Ireland and other countries. Also: Travel-related illnesses; affordable housing for immigrants. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Games Here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Opinion Today newsletter from The New York Times. To stop receiving Opinion Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018