SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said his efforts to work toward de-escalation and a ceasefire continue, with the help of international parties, calling on “the people to rally around their sons, our fighters, and show courage and faith,” as he put it. In an interview with the Kurdish Hawar News Agency, …

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, the governing arm of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), called for self-defense, general mobilization, and taking up arms to support its forces in response to an offensive by the Syrian army on its areas. In a statement issued today, Sunday, January 18, …

Toplines Russian forces are reportedly preparing to conduct long-range strikes against substations powering Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on January 17 that Russia is considering strikes on electricity transmission substations on which Ukrainian nuclear power plants depend to operate.[1] …

The US-backed, Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capitulated to the Syrian government in a ceasefire agreement on January 18.[i] The government compelled the SDF to agree after a combination of government operations and tribal uprisings caused the SDF to withdraw from nearly half of its territory and most of the …

The US-backed, Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capitulated to the Syrian government in a ceasefire agreement on January 18.[1] The government compelled the SDF to agree after a combination of government operations and tribal uprisings caused the SDF to withdraw from nearly half of its territory and most of the …

Key Takeaways Iranian Information Operation: Elements of the Iranian regime leaked information about purported plans to moderate regime behavior domestically and internationally. A former regime official close to Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani told an English-language diaspora outlet that Larijani is pushing to moderate regime policies and conduct …

The President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Masoud Barzani, called for an end to the escalation in Syria and a return to dialogue and previous agreements, stressing support for political efforts and strengthening Kurdish rights in a way that serves the unity and stability of the country. The President of …

Since the outbreak of the popular uprising in 2011, Syria has become an open arena for regional and international interventions. With a political solution stalled, the conflict-ridden land has become crowded with conflicting agendas. In this landscape, Turkish-backed factions have emerged as instruments of influence on the Syrian scene, ostensibly …

Death of International Law and Celebration “Power Policies” Question: Alexander Gelevich, let us turn to the turbulence of the turn of 2025-2026. We are witnessing a synchronous escalation: Venezuela, Greenland, Trump’s new rhetoric, instability around Iran. Why did this geopolitical “prodile” fall so hard? A.D.: We are present at the …

Hermeneutics of irony and erosion of cultural codes The phenomenology of humor is such that any attempt to explicate the anecdote – an explanation of where exactly should be laughed or what ironic trails were used – instantly kills the very essence of the funny, reducing the living fabric of …