Middle Orient

As the clock ticks down on the repatriation of Islamic State (IS) foreign fighters from Syria, a recent development has added a new sense of urgency to the situation. On June 11, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), the de facto authority in northeast Syria, announced its …

A New World Order Dominated by China, Russia and the Iranian Regime, with North Korea Heading Up the Rear [T]he weak and possibly compromised administration of U.S. President Joe Biden appears to have enabled and empowered the autocrats of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, all of whom seem to …

Israeli President Isaac Herzog added nothing of great value in his speech at the United States Congress on July 19. His was the typical language. He spoke of a ‘sacred bond’, touted the shared experience between both nations as “unique in scope and quality”, and celebrated the great, common “values …

Poking the United States in the eye appears to be a Saudi pastime. In the latest incident, Saudi Arabia detained five relatives of a US resident whose family in 2020 filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania against the Saudi government in a long-standing commercial dispute involving an oil refinery on the …

Turkish police have captured nine foreign nationals with suspected ties to the Daesh terrorist group, security forces said Wednesday. A joint simultaneous operation conducted by Ankara Anti-Terrorism Police Department and Intelligence Bureau targeted 10 foreign nationals in various locations across the capital, according to the sources who requested anonymity due …

The Interior Ministry announced Wednesday that two members of the terrorist group PKK were apprehended by gendarmerie troops in Istanbul. The suspects were plotting plans to carry out “a sensational attack” in Türkiye’s most populated city, the ministry said in a statement. The suspects, identified as Fatima al-Musa, codenamed “Sterk …

High-level visits and conversations between US and Israeli military leaders suggest that military cooperation continues despite the deepening rift. The head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) overseeing all American forces in the Middle East, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, met Wednesday in Tel Aviv with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, just …

According to unconfirmed reports in Turkish media, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi might even arrive in the Turkish capital as soon as Thursday. A decade ago, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Egypt’s strongman “a brutal killer” and vowed never to shake hands with him for overthrowing and jailing Mohammed …

Despite the growing rapprochement between Ankara and Beijing, conflicts, long mistrust and economic rivalry will likely limit the extent of cooperation between Turkey and China, analysts believe. Paying the highest-level visit from Beijing to Ankara since 2011, China’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s meeting with his Turkish counterpart Hakan …

Summary:In the aftermath of the earthquake in northwest Syria, humanitarian crises from water scarcity to displacement will only be exacerbated by climate change and political challenges. Regional and international negotiations need new frameworks to manage the disaster. Key Themes A decade of violent conflict has created widespread vulnerabilities throughout Syria, …