In a region where things are often predictable, recent events in the Middle East have been highly unusual and will have far-reaching consequences.

If people in Saudi Arabia were asked to give their opinion of the best government service, the Absher app would probably be named by many of its 11 million users, who include about 5 million women.

The demonstrations in Tehran in 2009 came as an unforeseen surprise, not because the Iranian regime had no opponents at home but because the demonstrators who threatened the regime came from within the regime itself.

An extensive, accelerated diplomatic move toward a solution to Syria’s crisis has been noticeable since the fall of Aleppo. Several agreements have been signed, the political process has been divided into three phases, and dates and venues have been confirmed for negotiations.

The first day of the New Year was not expected to be different from any other day in 2016: Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of Syrian people will continue to spend gloomy winter nights in the cold, with little food and blankets.