Eurasia

Is al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria’s Idlib on its way to demise?

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, is close to ending the presence of al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Din, after arresting one of its top active commanders and closing its military facilities in the area. Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Din (Guardians of Religion Organization) in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib …

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White House faces tough task of tearing down Iran sanctions wall to save nuclear deal

In Trump’s final days, the White House introduced a slew of new sanctions aimed at hindering a return to the nuclear deal. Yet since the designations were so blatantly politicized, the risk of undoing them is politically manageable. In the fall of 2020, as Trump administration foreign policy officials anticipated …

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Crackdown on dissent highlights Turkey’s drift from democracy

A recent decision to nullify a parliamentary vote and ongoing targeting of opposition lawmakers are further evidence of Turkey’s slide away from a democratic system. A recent move by Turkey’s ruling party to override opposition in parliament, alongside an ongoing crackdown on dissent more broadly, has cast doubt on the …

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China looms large in Turkey’s controversial waterway project

Turkey is reportedly gearing up to partner with China in the construction of an artificial waterway parallel to the Bosporus, a project with likely implications for Russia and the United States in the Black Sea. While Turkey remains stuck between the West and Russia on a number of strategic issues, …

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Turkey, US in rare position of unity over Ukraine

Russia’s Turkey policy to “drive a wedge between Turkey and its NATO allies” will not likely bear fruit when it comes to Ukraine. Turkey’s relationship with the United States is on the rocks, and the most immediate cause is Ankara’s refusal to get rid of its newly acquired, Russian-manufactured S-400 …

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Defense officials call to probe leak of alleged Israeli op. against Iran

The revelation of this alleged Israeli involvement was unusual in that generally Israel prefers to keep a low profile if it undertakes such attacks. There were calls over the weekend by Israeli defense officials to probe the leak of an alleged sensitive IDF operation against Iran to foreign media.

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Natanz: Iran tried playing the West but got outmaneuvered by Israel

There are indications that the disruptions in Natanz were the result of a cyberattack, and, as always, all eyes are on Israel when these things happen. There’s a negotiating strategy used in the Knesset during budget debates called “the goat,” which the Iranian regime seems to be very familiar with …

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Iran downplays Natanz ‘incident’ – analysis

Iranian media is being forthright about the current incident and downplaying it. A day after Iran bragged about its latest achievements in nuclear technology, including boasting about advanced centrifuges, Tehran says an “incident” occurred at the electricity network linked to the Natanz enrichment facility.Iran has said the nuclear facility in …

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