Move by Kurdish armed group follows February call by jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to lay down arms. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has announced that it plans to disband and disarm, potentially bringing decades of conflict with Turkiye to an end. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed the move on …
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Poland’s Military-Industrial Complex Is Embarrassingly Underdeveloped
Its ruling duopoly neglected this for years in favor of buying mostly American equipment, which created a dependence that’s now practically impossible to eliminate and might thus forever end its Great Power aspirations. Poland’s aspiration to restore its long-lost Great Power status makes sense given that it’s the EU’s most …
Read More »Lebanese Positions on Disarming Hezbollah
E_093_25Download The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon in November 2024, which ended the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, led the Lebanese authorities to declare their willingness to impose a state monopoly on weapons throughout the country. Their commitment was reinforced by the new president, Joseph Aoun, and the new government …
Read More »We are wounded. 10 Trump proteges who surprised the United States and the whole world
On May 1, on the 101st day of his presidential term, Donald Trump отправилdismissed security adviser Michael Waltz. Elon Musk is also going to retire, while comparing himself to the Buddha. Shortly before that, Finance Minister Scott Bessent in the presence of the president shouted to Musk: “Fuck you!” – …
Read More »Iran Update, May 9, 2025
A variety of Syrian armed groups, including those associated with the new transitional government, the Assad regime, and hardline Islamic groups, have committed a series of extrajudicial killings since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. CTP-ISW absolutely condemns these extrajudicial killings. The verbal ceasefire between the United …
Read More »Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 9, 2025
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Read More »The View From Damascus – Sectarian Tensions, State Complicity, and the Marginalisation of Minorities in Post-Assad Syria – The Syrian Observer
The eruption of violence in Ashrafiyet Sahnaya and surrounding areas has exposed the profound failures of the Syrian state to protect its citizens—especially its minorities—in the supposed aftermath of dictatorship. Far from being an isolated flare-up, the events represent a deepening crisis rooted in sectarian marginalisation, government negligence, and a …
Read More »Israeli and Turkish Fighter Jets Avoid Direct Clash Over Syria – The Syrian Observer
According to Israel’s Channel N12, citing the Turkish opposition outlet Sozcu, Turkish F-16s conducted reconnaissance flights in the same area where Israeli jets were operating and issued “warning messages” via electronic warfare systems, al-Modon writes. Conflicting media reports indicate that Israeli and Turkish fighter jets narrowly avoided a direct confrontation …
Read More »UAE Quietly Mediates Secret Talks Between Syria and Israel – The Syrian Observer
The United Arab Emirates has discreetly established a backchannel to facilitate indirect talks between Syria and Israel, according to well-informed sources cited by Reuters. The initiative reportedly began just days after Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s visit to Abu Dhabi on April 13, reflecting a growing Emirati role in shaping regional …
Read More »Syria’s Only Viable Option Against Israel – The Syrian Observer
Since its creation on the ruins of historic Palestine, Israel has loomed large in the Syrian national consciousness—not merely as a military adversary, but as an existential threat. Born of dispossession and expansion, it is still viewed by many Syrians as a usurper of part of “Greater Syria”—a historical identity …
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