Dagestan is an extremely complicated society that faces many problems—some unique to the region and others completely analogous to problems within other federal subjects of the Russian Federation. Both Moscow and those the Kremlin has appointed to manage the North Caucasus, however, primarily view protests in the region as reflecting …
Read More »Budapest Conference on Terrorism – Is Terrorism Political Violence or Organized Crime?
Are terrorist organisations primarily politically motivated actors seeking to alter the political landscape, or are they criminal enterprises driven by profit? Is terrorism a strategic tool employed in pursuing ideological goals, or merely a tactic adopted by groups seeking material gain? Alternatively, could these motivations coexist, varying across cases, historical …
Read More »Disbanded PKK Leaves Behind Questions for Türkiye and the Region
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced on Monday its dissolution after a forty-year insurgency against the Turkish state, a move Turkish officials claim was made without new negotiations — though some observers remain skeptical. Türkiye has conducted increasingly aggressive military campaigns against PKK strongholds in northern Iraq and Syria in …
Read More »U.S.-Houthi Ceasefire Leaves Questions Unanswered
A ceasefire between the U.S. and the Houthi (Ansarallah) movement of Yemen, announced by President Trump on May 6, will not soon restore freedom of navigation through the Red Sea. The Houthis sought an end to the intensive and continuous U.S. strikes since mid-March, but U.S. acceptance of a ceasefire …
Read More »Iran Update, May 19, 2025
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Read More »A Russia-NATO War Would Look Nothing Like Ukraine
Russia planned its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine as a decisive, three-day campaign that would take its troops into Kyiv and quickly topple the Ukrainian government. More than three years later, that scenario remains a Russian pipedream. Suffering horrific casualties and losses of equipment, Russian forces are bogged down along …
Read More »Customs takes the good. How the “Sechinsk clan” tried to capture the FCS, but did not succeed
On April 27, the 235th Moscow Garrison Military Court sentenced to 10 years in a strict regime colony, Major-General of the FSB Dmitry Muryshov, who, at the rank of a seconded employee, headed the Department of Anti-Corruption in the Federal Customs Service. Muryshov was found guilty of taking bribes for …
Read More »Rebuilding the Syrian Army: Potential, Challenges and Risks
The process of rebuilding the Syrian army after the change of the Assad regime faces structural and political challenges to the formation of an inclusive national military institution, where the current Syrian military scene suffers from sharp divisions, in addition to concerns about the ideological identity of the emerging army, …
Read More »Tripartite Foreign Ministers’ Summit in Ankara: Syria, Turkey, and Jordan to Tackle Regional Security and Cooperation – The Syrian Observer
Ankara is hosting a high-level trilateral summit Sunday, bringing together the foreign ministers of Syria, Turkey, and Jordan to discuss regional security, economic cooperation, and the future of joint counterterrorism efforts. The meeting—chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan—includes the participation of Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman …
Read More »Turkey-Backed Militias Accused of Abuses in Northern Syria, Rights Group Urges Accountability from New Government – The Syrian Observer
Despite the fall of the Assad regime and the formation of a transitional government in Syria, armed groups previously backed by Turkey continue to commit serious human rights violations in northern Syria, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement released on Wednesday. The watchdog warned that integrating these factions …
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