Middle Orient

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Self-determination movements of former colonies often advanced together toward independence. The ideological backing of socialist states in the Eastern Bloc and various Asian and Islamic countries fueled many anti-colonial movements. However, this left-Islamist alliance has adopted starkly different stances on the Kurdish and Palestinian struggles. This disparity has led to …

It was only a matter of time until the Haya’t Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) gunmen of Syria’s post-Bashar al-Assad interim government took violence against non-Sunni Muslims into their own hands. Reports emerged early on March 9 about large-scale round-ups, home invasions and subsequent street executions of Alawite Syrians in the Alawi …

Since September 27, the region has experienced significant escalation following the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and senior Hezbollah leaders, Assad’s primary ally. This was compounded three days later by an Israeli ground incursion into southern Lebanon and statements from Israeli officials regarding the establishment of a new Middle East. In …

The ongoing discussions between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the new Syrian administration over the integration of military forces have hit a series of roadblocks, reflecting deeper tensions in the country’s post-Assad transition. While the administration pushes for a unified army under the Ministry of Defense, the SDF seeks …

The accord was brokered with American and French support and overseen by prominent Kurdish figures, including Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces. In a significant political development, the Kurdish National Council (ENKS) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) …

More than three months after the fall of the Assad regime, Syria and its neighboring countries are grappling with the persistent threat posed by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). This shared concern has prompted a significant regional initiative: the establishment of a joint operations center to coordinate efforts in combating …

While both historians and political scientists are concerned with understanding human societies and their pasts, they do so from fundamentally different angles. Historians focus on narrating events based on surviving records—chronicles, letters, artifacts, and official documents—aiming to piece together a coherent picture of what happened. Political scientists, however, approach the …

Against the backdrop of escalating tensions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reinforced its military presence in the Persian Gulf, deploying advanced missile systems on the islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa on March 22. Iran’s …

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has conducted a series of airstrikes targeting Houthi leaders and infrastructure in Yemen since March 15.[1] The strikes are in response to the Houthi attack campaign on international shipping, which the Houthis launched in October 2023 in support of Hamas.[2] The Houthis have conducted 174 attacks …