The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced on 12 May that it has officially ended its campaign of armed struggle and disbanded after four decades. The move came in direct response to a call by the group’s imprisoned founder, Abdullah Ocalan, on 27 February. This historic shift represents an opportunity to …

In a surprise statement last week in Saudi Arabia on the first stop of a Middle East tour, US President Donald Trump said he would lift all sanctions on Syria, a decision which caught the world off guard, including members of his own administration. The announcement, seen as the first …

Tulkarem, occupied West Bank – Since Israel officially waged Operation Iron Wall on 21 January, nearly 100 Palestinians have been killed and more than 45,000 forcibly displaced in the West Bank, mostly from the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps. At least 16,000 of those displaced were expelled from …

Information Cutoff: 2:00 pm ET The Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) publish the Iran Update, which provides insights into Iranian and Iranian-sponsored activities that undermine regional stability and threaten US forces and interests. CTP-ISW publishes the Iran …

The IDF launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots, a large-scale ground operation combined withaerial attacks targeting Hamas and other terrorist organizations. An assassination attempt wasmade on the life of Muhammad al-Sinwar, considered head of Hamas’ military wing. Palestinians reported hundreds of casualties and damage to hospitals in the Gaza Strip. The Qatari …

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed pessimism about the US-Iran nuclear negotiations and explicitly rejected the US demand for zero uranium enrichment.[i] Khamenei’s statements are consistent with CTP-ISW’s assessment that disagreements between Iran and the United States about the issue of zero uranium enrichment may stall the negotiations or delay …

Note: The data cut-off for this product was 11:15 am ET on May 20. ISW will cover subsequent reports in the May 21 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment. Senior Russian officials continue to deny the legitimacy of the Ukrainian president, government, and constitution and Ukraine’s sovereignty despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s …

Kosovo has lately ceased to generate angst-ridden headlines in international media. The situation in and around the Western Balkan country appears to be stable. After a violent standoff in the northern village of Banjska in September 2023, tensions with Serbia have gone down a notch or two. In recent weeks, …

The US Senatorial model can pave the way for constitutional reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina that satisfies European human rights law and the concerns of the fractious parties. Instead of abolishing the country’s House of Peoples – the Senate-like upper chamber designed to protect collective rights – a Trump Plan …

Success in the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue would demonstrate the EU’s relevance as a strategic actor, just as it is being questioned elsewhere. At a critical geopolitical juncture, the European Union finds itself navigating crises on multiple fronts. In Ukraine, its influence remains secondary to that of the US and Russia; tensions …