A firebrand Shiite cleric and America’s old foe, Muqtada al-Sadr, has emerged as the strongest political leader in Iraq after his bloc garnered the highest number of seats in the general elections last week. He backed the Sairoon list of candidates who scored a total of 75 seats—20 more than …

Turkish foreign policy in Syria can be summed up in a simple formula: Turkey, under its President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is pursuing its goals with persistence and patience within the framework of a longer-term strategy. To this end, it has developed “salami tactics,” using negotiating skills, seesaw politics, pressure, and …

NATO defence ministers adopted several strategy papers and agreed on a new master plan on Thursday (21 October) to defend against any potential Russian hybrid attack, diplomats and officials said. Conflicts are “not only carried out with cartridges and bombs but also with bytes and big data”, NATO Secretary-General Jens …

The current security cap imposed on southeastern Europe is no more durable than predecessors that have come and gone along with their great power overlords since 1878. However, this does not mean that the latest public squabbles in Bosnia and Kosovo are immediate existential threats. Since it became clear that …

Algeria’s hostility toward Morocco since its independence in 1962 is considered a real enigma by many foreign observers. In reality, it is explained by the nature of power in Algeria, which, lacking democratic or at least historical legitimacy, sees this hostility as necessary for its internal hegemony and continuation.Countries similar …

Border Guard Commander in the Iranian Law Enforcement Force Brigadier-General Ahmed Ali Goudarzi confirmed that Israeli espionage in Azerbaijan is being “fully monitored”, Al Mayadeen reported on Friday. Goudarzi stressed that his country’s border, especially in the north and northwest: “Is safe, and there is nothing to worry about.” Speaking …

A Sudanese military delegation has secretly visited Israel and discussed bilateral relations, Al Arabiya TV and Al-Sudani newspaper revealed on Friday. The delegation included Rapid Support Forces Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and Head of Sudan’s state-run defence manufacturer Mirghani Idris Suleiman. Sudan joined the Abraham Accords to normalise ties with …

The distinctive symbol of the clenched fist has become synonymous with various revolutionary, social and political movements across the world. The imagery of a fist clutching an assault rifle is commonly associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and supported armed movements in other countries, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, …

Iran and Turkey are increasingly rivals in the Caucasus and in Iraq. The reported capture of Iranian spies in Turkey comes as the latest sign of the rivalry heating up between Ankara and Tehran, as bilateral tensions over Iraq and Syria have been steadily expanding to the Caucasus since last …

Opposition head Kemal Kilicdaroglu accuses Turkish government of “mafialike” activities. The leader of Turkey’s secular main opposition, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, delivered an Oct. 18 deadline over the weekend to members of Turkey’s sprawling bureaucracy. They needed to stop engaging in illegal, “mafialike” activities. If they ignored his calls, they would not …