The United States regretted its inability to take part in the talks on Afghanistan in Moscow this week. The Russian side was pinning hopes on a meeting of the exclusive Troika Plus (US, China, Russia and Pakistan) followed by a gathering in an expanded format known as the ‘Moscow format’ …

In country after country around the world, people are rising up to challenge entrenched, failing neoliberal political and economic systems, with mixed but sometimes promising results. Progressive leaders in the U.S. Congress are refusing to back down on the Democrats’ promises to American voters to reduce poverty, expand rights to …

Abstract: Six themes emerge from a close examination of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces’ (ANDSF) collapse in 2021: the ANDSF collapse was months—if not years—in the making; the United States did not give the ANDSF everything they needed to be independently successful; the ANDSF did put up a …

Abstract: Iran-backed militias have been scrambling to recover after the loss of their patriarchs Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on January 3, 2020. Attempts to preserve a top-down, Iran-directed system of command have met resistance, both from independent-minded upstarts like Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and the fragmenting powerbases within Kata’ib …

The Saudi-led coalition also said it struck military targets in the capital Sanaa related to drone attacks on the kingdom. Houthi authorities in Yemen reported several deaths on Thursday in the fight with Saudi forces. Two Yemeni citizens were killed by Saudi gunfire in Saada governorate near the border with …

Protests erupted in Idlib against the Syrian Salvation Government, affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, amid high inflation and deteriorating living conditions. Protests have occurred in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib in recent days against the so-called Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), which is affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). HTS controls …

Turkey’s latest strike comes on the four-year anniversary of the Kurdish fighters’ capture of Raqqa from the Islamic State. A drone strike believed to have been launched by Turkey struck a vehicle in the Kurdish-controlled town of Kobani in northeast Syria on Wednesday, according to local reports. Three people in …

Axios reports that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan discussed Saudi Arabia’s potential diplomatic ties with Israel during his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan raised the possibility of Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel during his meeting with Crown Prince …

Turkey’s Sabah newspaper reported that a 15-member spy network was arrested on Oct. 15 in an operation carried out across four Turkish provinces. Turkish authorities arrested 15 people earlier this month who are accused of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Turkish media outlets reported on Thursday. Turkey’s Sabah newspaper …

The remote Tanf outpost has been quiet for years, but Iran’s pinprick provocations may once again be targeting the base, which plays a key role in Washington’s effort to obstruct Tehran’s influence. A remote US military outpost in the southern Syrian desert was hit by a suspected drone attack on …