September, 2022

• 18 September

  Iraq: A crisis of elite, consensus-based politics turns deadly

  

  Overview of the crisis Iraq is facing one of its worst political crises in years. Normally formed via elite political consensus, more than 11 months after Iraq’s October 2021 parliamentary elections, the government has yet to be formed, the longest such impasse since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion reset the political …

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• 18 September

  “Carpet weaving” east of the Euphrates: Iranian proxy groups expand their influence in Syria’s Hasakah Province

  

  On Aug. 22, the northeastern Syrian city of al-Hasakah was inundated with leaflets condemning creeping Iranian influence in the area. The printed messages were plastered around several highly sensitive locations in the city center, including the local branch of the Ba’ath Party, the neighborhoods of al-Matar and al-Mahatah, as well …

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• 18 September

  From Tiger Forces to the 16th Brigade: Russia’s evolving Syrian proxies

  

  Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine renewed international experts’ focus on Moscow’s earlier military intervention in Syria, launched in 2015, which often became framed as a “testing ground” for the weapons and tactics it now employs against Ukrainian cities. Certainly, direct military action of the type seen on the Ukrainian …

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• 18 September

  Syria, Russia Carry Out Coordinated Airstrikes on Rebel Training Camps in Idlib

  

  Syrian and Russian forces attacked the training camps of Syrian armed rebel groups in the northwestern province of Idlib on Wednesday, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported. The camps were targeted by Russian warplanes and Syrian missiles. An unspecified number of rebel fighters, including advisers and trainers from abroad, …

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• 16 September

  Turkey renews veto threat on Sweden, Finland NATO bids

  

  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking a meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week. The top Turkish diplomat has reiterated Ankara’s threat to block Sweden and Finland’s accession into NATO. Mevlut Cavusoglu’s remarks came as political observers set their sights …

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• 16 September

  Small jihadist group in Idlib accuses HTS of defending Turkey

  

  Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib has recently arrested several members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, in what the group says is a crackdown against those criticizing HTS’ position on the Turkish plan to normalize relations with the Assad government. In the first week of September, the town of Atarib in the western …

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• 16 September

  France’s TotalEnergies sells stake in Iraqi Kurdish oil field

  

  The sale follows the Iraqi federal government pressuring international firms to pull out of the autonomous region, which has led to concern from the US State Department. A French energy giant has completed the sale of its stake in an Iraqi oil field. TotalEnergies sold its 18% interest in the …

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• 16 September

  Erdogan looks to Putin to ease foreign currency woes

  

  An extraordinary uptick in capital flows of unknown origin to Turkey has left many wondering whether Russian money could be involved. Turkey’s energy import bill — standing at $83.5 billion over 12 months in July — is a major factor behind its gaping current account deficit. And with Russia being …

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• 16 September

  Price Increases Persist Despite Supply Chain Progress

  

  The overall Consumer Price Index rose 0.1 percent in August, core was up 0.6 percent; up 8.3 percent and 6.3 percent year-over-year, respectively. Overall, the picture shows inflation persisting in a wide variety of areas where it seems that supply chain issues are being overcome. This is not a good …

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• 16 September

  Russia’s Underperforming Military (and Our Own)

  

  In Washington, wide agreement exists that the Russian army’s performance in the Kremlin’s ongoing Ukraine “special military operation” ranks somewhere between lousy and truly abysmal. The question is: Why? The answer in American policy circles, both civilian and military, appears all but self-evident. Vladimir Putin’s Russia has stubbornly insisted on …

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