Eurasia

In 1961, at the height of the Cold War, a song appeared in the Soviet Union whose title posed a question that still resonates today: Do the Russians want war? The answer the song offered was unambiguous. No, they did not. Its lyrics evoked not ideology or geopolitics, but memory: …

The active military support of North Korea for Russia in the Ukrainian War has been a major shift in the foreign policy strategy of Pyongyang. It has long been recognized for its reluctance in participating in any international conflict through more than mere rhetorical support. North Korea has now leveraged …

As the deadline for the March 10 agreement approaches at the end of this year, statements by the two parties to the deal, the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have diverged over whether practical steps have been taken to implement its provisions, most notably military and security …

Residents of eastern Gaza city say they were forced to flee their homes after Israeli troops and allied local militias advanced into the Al Tuffah and Al Sha‘af areas in an overnight operation launched on Wednesday. The neighbourhoods are close to the “yellow line” to which Israeli troops withdrew in …

The Islamic State group began threatening Syria’s new government early. After “Deterrence of Aggression” factions took power, the group released a video warning the Syrian state against applying UN laws and charters. From the outset, the group argued that if the new administration applied UN covenants and laws, it would …

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The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out raid and arrest campaigns in the eastern Aleppo countryside today, Wednesday, 24 December, amid accusations that Syrian government forces violated the truce around the al-Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in Aleppo city (northern Syria). Syrian state run al-Ikhbariya reported that the campaign targeted …

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, describing the talks as “good.” The meeting between al-Shibani and Putin came during a visit by the Syrian foreign minister and Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra to Moscow on Tuesday, 23 December. Al-Shibani …

Recent developments in Iraq show that the country is on the cusp of a deep geopolitical and economic transformation, as the recent elections are a focal point for reshaping the balance of regional power. Iraq, with its oil and gas wealth and strategic location linking the Gulf to Turkey and …