Thousands of Syrian refugees spilled into Turkey as a violent government crackdown unfolded over the weekend.  The crackdown was carried out by elite Syrian troops in reaction to reports of dozens of military defections in the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour.

At least twenty people lay dead at the Israeli border at Golan Heights after Israeli troops opened fire on more than one thousand Syrian protesters who stormed the border. Officially the demonstrations were being held to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Arab defeat in the Mideast war. It was the second outbreak of deadly violence in the border region in the past month. But both Israeli officials and anti-regime activists in Syria are calling the border protests a sham and media stunt, instigated to draw attention away from the hard-handed government shutdown of protests within Syria.

It's been another tumultuous week in the Middle East. Another Day of Rage is planned today in Syria, and European governments are meeting to discuss possible sanctions. Meanwhile, human rights activists claim that the four anti-government protesters in Bahrain—who were sentenced to death on Thursday over the killing of two policemen—did not receive a fair trial. And in Morocco, at least fifteen people were killed and more were injured after a suicide bomber attack in a popular restaurant. Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, speaks with us about the news coming out of the Middle East.

Despite promises of reform from both the Syrian and Yemeni governments, demonstrations — and serious bloodshed — rage in both countries. NATO continues to support the rebels in Libya while some U.S. Senators call for Gadhafi's ouster. Marcus Mabry, editor-at-large of the International Herald Tribune, looks at protests throughout the Middle East and NATO's role in Libya. Middle East turmoil has also led to rising oil and gas prices in the U.S. Oil companies are set to release their earnings this week and Charlie Herman, economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC, looks at rising oil profits and potential price gouging investigations.

During the unrest sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa, social networking sites have become forums for pro-revolutionary forces to gather information and support for their causes. But while the rebels and their supporters have gained ground, they’ve had to contend with pro-government forces staking their claim in the virtual sphere as well.

Nicholas Kristof, columnist for The New York Times and Mina al Oraibi, Washington D.C. Bureau Chief for the Arab-language newspaper Asharq al Awsat talk about the view of the U.S. government shutdown from the Arab world. As revolutions have spread throughout the Middle East this year, American politicians have had a lot to say about the importance of democracy in the region. But today, as the U.S. government teeters on the brink of a shutdown, do these words ring hollow to Arab revolutionaries? What would a shutdown look like to the countries fighting for democracy in the Middle East?

Oil prices are solidly back over the $100 dollar per barrel. Political unrest in the Middle East has kept oil rising for the past months followed by concerns that Japan, the world's third largest economy and a nation that imports 60 percent of its fuel, would be reducing its oil usage, knocked oil futures back down briefly last week. But Monday, oil futures for April rose by more than $1 hitting $102.96 a barrel in trading on Wall Street.

Qatar has sent fighter jets by way of Greece in order to back allied forces in the military action to enforce a U.N. mandated no-fly zone over Libyan air space. It is the first Arab nation to provide military support to the coalition effort and a reminder that Qatar is an economic and political force in the region. The small peninsular country has garnered considerable influence throughout the world by creating key and conflicting allies while managing to attract investment from the West. It's site of the 2022 World Cup, and home to the Al Jazeera news network, which has been instrumental in reporting the wave of change happening in the Middle East.

Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Recently, women in the Middle East and North Africa, have been standing up and pushing for democratic change and equal rights. What lies ahead for women in these countries as they grapple with forming new, more democratic, governments?

Whether or not to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya is becoming a hot issue in Washington. Many lawmakers like Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), are calling for a no-fly zone, as rebels in Libya face rough times against the better equiped Libyan armed forces. Callie Crossley, host of The Callie Crossley Show on WGBH in Boston, looks at what we can expect next in the Libyan crisis this week.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who appears to be on his way out, is getting his share of satirical punches on the viral video circuit. A video mocking Gadhafi has gone viral, getting over 650,000 hits on YouTube, and has been met with postive reviews from the Arab community, especially in Libya. Here's the twist — the video was made by a Jewish Israeli, Noy Alooshe, a journalist, musician and internet buff.

Yesterday was among the deadliest days of protest in Libya, with Al Jazeera reporting there may have been more than two hundred deaths on Monday alone. Government forces and militiamen beseiged the capitol, dropping small bombs from planes and firing live rounds at protestors. Early Tuesday morning, Libya's state television showed Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, in a short appearance, dismissing rumos he had fled the country. Meanwhile, Libyan opposition leaders are calling upon the international community, particularly the United States, to take a stronger stance against the Gadhafi regime.

Yesterday afternoon former President Bill Clinton said in a statement: “The world is watching the situation in Libya with alarm. The government of Libya has a responsibility to respect the universal rights of the people, including the right to free expression and assembly.” The EU, Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and other European figureheads made similar condemnations. But it's not always as simple as tyranny against democracy, is it? Lybia is a country in which the West is invested. 

Protests continued to rage across the Middle East throughout the weekend. While the Bahraini government withdrew its military from the capital and allowed peaceful demonstrations, Libyan security forces continued to fire on protestors in Benghazi and Tripoli. Human Rights Watch estimates that the Libyan government has killed at least 223 protesters since political unrest began six days ago. But in a nationally-televised address, the son of Libyan ruler Col. Moammar Gadhafi, Seif al-Islam al-Gadhafi, claimed that the death toll was greatly exaggerated and that Libya was on the brink of civil war. Will Gadhafi hold onto power? What's next for Bahrain? And how will the Obama Administration respond?

Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya: Friend or foe? That question is getting harder to answer, as crackdowns on protests in the Middle East by U.S. allied governments blur the lines. Just in December, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Bahrain for its progress on the road to democracy. Today, the State Department reaped criticism for their weak stance against the police violence that has left at least six dead. But how will the U.S. realign itself, should Shiite protestors topple the government in Bahrain — a strategic partner that guarantees military access to the region? And what about Yemen, an ally against terrorist forces in the region? What will the new U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East look like after the wave of change is over?

Verifiable updates have been hard to come by in Libya, where more protests have been reported over the past several days. There is a notable absence of independent journalists reporting from there because of iron-clad restrictions on the press and on the Internet. Protests were reported by ex-patriots around the world who have contacts in Libya. The protests were aimed Libya’s ruler, Moammar Gadhafi, who has been in power for 41 years. What is situation in the North African country today, and what does it say about Gadhafi's rule? 

With protesters in Egypt successfully overthrowing President Hosni Mubarak, following successful protests in Tunisia, we take a look at Yemen. That country has seen protests all weekend — not from the opposition but from the youth of the country, who have organized primarily via text messaging. Noel King, managing producer for The Takeaway, looks at why the U.S. should be keeping a close eye on what's happening in Yemen, as well as in Iran. 

It’s day 16 of protests in Egypt and demonstrators say they won’t let up until President Hosni Mubarak steps down. Ultimately, the activists on the streets are demanding free and fair elections and a commitment to a democratic government. We’ve talked in depth about the intersection of democracy and Islam in the Middle East, and the challenges of trying to blend the two ideals. But in Southeast Asia, Muslim nations like Indonesia and Malaysia have relatively successful democracies. What makes democracy in those populous Muslim countries work?

As political unrest spreads across the Middle East, analysts here in the United States wonder whether and how U.S. policy has influenced the protestors. How does the U.S.’s increasing role in the Middle East since 9/11 — in Afghanistan, Iraq and in the Israel-Palestine conflict — relate to the current political instability in the reigon?

Egypt will likely dominate the headlines all week, with everyone waiting to see if President Hosni Mubarak will cede to the wishes of the protesters and step down. Calli Crossley, host of The Callie Crossley Show on WGBH in Boston, looks at what's ahead this week for the people of Egypt and its government. Charlie Herman, economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC in New York, looks at the potential impact the uprising in Egypt could have on the price of oil, and on how it could impact trade on the Suez Canal.