Middle Orient

Turkish-backed Syrian forces intensify attacks on US-aligned Syrian Kurdish group

The Turkish army and its allied Syrian factions have recently increased attacks against the Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria. The Turkish army has intensified its attacks against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria over the past few weeks. Turkish airstrikes have targeted for assassination prominent field …

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Turkey’s defense industry suffers setback but future remains promising

The Turkish defense industry saw a significant decline in its revenues last year according to newly released data, but companies in the sector remain optimistic about their growth prospects. Turkey’s defense industry has been a rising star in the country’s economy in recent years, attracting well-established entrepreneurs and novices alike. …

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How 9/11 and the ‘war on terror’ tore the Arab world apart

The seeds of destruction were already planted with prior decades of colonialism propping up corrupt, weak governments. The 9/11 attacks and subsequent U.S.-led “Global War on Terror” have massively degraded life conditions for most people across the Arab region, in almost every dimension of life, society, and governance. The attacks …

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How 9/11 enabled a preconceived vision of an imperial US foreign policy

An obscure Pentagon document from 1992 provided a blueprint for the ‘war on terror.’ When excerpts of the document first appeared in the New York Times in March 1992, it created quite a stir. One influential Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was appalled by its ambition, denouncing it …

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Who do they think they are? Israel tells US to ease off Saudi, Egypt human rights

They need not worry, as the Biden administration is still selling arms to the biggest violators in the Gulf. Israeli officials warned the United States not to hold Saudi Arabia and Egypt accountable for human rights abuses, or else risk driving them into the arms of China, Russia, and Iran. …

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By Letting Saudi Arabia Off the Hook Over 9/11, the US Encouraged Violent Jihadism

Two decades after 9/11, the role of Saudi Arabia in the attack remains in dispute despite unrelenting efforts by the US and Saudi governments to neutralise it as a live political issue. The Saudi Arabia embassy in Washington this week issued a statement detailing its anti-terrorist activities and ongoing hostility …

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Amid escalation in Idlib, residents fear renewed Russian-backed offensive

Syrian government forces have stepped up their attacks against Idlib, causing civilian casualties as Russian warplanes continue to raid different areas of northwestern Syria on an almost daily basis. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Sept. 7 that “a woman succumbed to her wounds sustained in artillery shelling carried …

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Lebanese energy plan includes Syria

A meeting of Jordanian, Egyptian, Lebanese and Syrian ministers seems to have cracked Syria’s isolation. Four Arab countries have agreed on a road map to supply Egyptian natural gas to Lebanon through Jordan and Syria during a ministerial meeting in Amman on Sept. 8. They also approved a plan to …

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Is Turkey’s export-driven growth sustainable?

Turkey’s industry remains heavily reliant on imported materials, meaning the country’s current account deficit problem persists despite a record increase in exports. A big uptick in exports was a major driver of the Turkish economy’s 21.7% growth rate in the second quarter, but how much Turkey could sustain the trend …

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Why has Turkey turned to Libya’s Gadhafi family?

Realizing that its current allies are not sufficient to secure Turkey’s interests in Libya, Ankara is now seeking to include Gadhafi family members into its calculus. Having loosened its close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood in a bid to normalize its relations with the major actors of the Arab world, …

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