If the agreement collapses, violence may be imminent. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have spent months negotiating with the government in Damascus how to implement their March agreement for the SDF to merge with the national armed forces. Mistrust of government centralization and recent sectarian massacres have shaken the …
Read More »Scrap wars: How child labour and conflict feed Turkey steel boom
The Syrian Investigative Reporting for Accountability Journalism Association (SIRAJ) and El País co-published a set of edited versions of this investigation. Ahmad* is 11 and has lost his hacksaw – or rather, it was stolen by a man whom he recognises as a former soldier of the toppled Syrian regime. …
Read More »Turkey’s Second Act
As the Turkish Republic enters its second century, the world around it has become more complicated and less forgiving than ever before. The order that anchored global politics for decades is giving way to new centers of power, and crises are extending across borders. Populist threats to democracy and energy, …
Read More »Turkey Puts Fragile Deal Between Damascus and Kurdish Forces at Greater Risk
If the agreement collapses, violence may be imminent. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have spent months negotiating with the government in Damascus how to implement their March agreement for the SDF to merge with the national armed forces. Mistrust of government centralization and recent sectarian massacres have shaken the …
Read More »What the PKK’s exit from Turkey means for the Middle East
In late October, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced the unilateral withdrawal of its fighters from Turkey to northern Iraq. The announcement came on the heels of PKK fighters symbolically burning weapons in northern Iraq in July. In response, Turkey praised the move and is reportedly preparing legislation to allow …
Read More »Syria’s Sharaa to sign deal at White House to join anti-ISIS coalition
US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said the Syrian president will formalize his country’s entry into the US-led alliance next week. Tom Barrack, the US special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, told reporters on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue Conference in Bahrain today that Syrian President …
Read More »Turkey Hosts Meeting of Leading Islamic Foreign Ministers To Discuss Future of Gaza
Latest Developments ‘Palestinians Should Govern Palestinians’: Turkey convened a meeting of foreign ministers of Muslim-majority countries on November 3 to discuss the future of the Gaza ceasefire deal, the humanitarian situation in the coastal enclave, and the proposed International Stabilization Force. “Our principle is that Palestinians should govern the Palestinians …
Read More »Turkey’s Gulf Tour and Erdogan’s Gaza Ambitions are Dangerous
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues his campaign to expand Turkey’s influence across the Middle East. Last week, he wrapped up a rapid tour of Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman, aiming to secure trade, investment, energy, and defense deals. But beyond commercial agreements, Erdogan’s top priority was to rally Arab backing for …
Read More »Türkiye Expands into the Middle East Void
Türkiye has been a chief geostrategic beneficiary of the setbacks to Iran and its “Axis of Resistance,” but its expanded regional influence has fueled new tensions with another regional power, Israel. Türkiye and Israel, despite some fundamental differences, recognize each other’s interests and respect their separate close relations with the …
Read More »After 40 years, can Turkey find peace with the PKK?
The Kurdish militant group is laying down its weapons. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering expanding minority rights. But some people say they cannot forgive and forget… It had been five years since Dilber Oyunlu had seen her daughter, Sinda. Then one day in July, she appeared on television. Ms …
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