November, 2025

• 17 November

  The Muqawama and Its Enemies: Shifting Patterns in Iran-Backed Shiite Militia Activity in Iraq

  

  The post-2003 security landscape in Iraq has seen the proliferation of dozens of militias identifying with Shiite Islam. Many of these actors are integrated into the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) – a paramilitary group established in 2014 to counter the Islamic State and later incorporated into the Iraqi state forces …

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• 17 November

  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 …

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• 17 November

  The battle against Assad’s legacy of corruption in the new Syria

  

  On New Year’s Eve last December, Syria’s President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, barely a few weeks after toppling the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, gathered the most senior commanders of the Syrian opposition’s fragmented and often fractious factions to declare their official victory over the Baathist regime. During his proclamation, he warned that …

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• 17 November

  Hezbollah Is Down But Not Out

  

  Undermining the group in Lebanon requires targeting its networks abroad. After being battered by Israel, Hezbollah is working to replenish its badly damaged capabilities. Morgan Ortagus, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, was in Beirut last month to press Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to disarm the Iran-backed group—but …

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• 17 November

  Prospects for Iraq-Syria Security Cooperation in a Post-Assad World

  

  Islamic State threats in the border region necessitate shared efforts between Baghdad and Syria’s new leadership as coalition forces withdraw, but Iraq’s November 11 election and internal divisions over engaging with Damascus are blocking progress. Discussions are now taking place about the need to strengthen Iraq-Syria security cooperation after the …

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• 17 November

  The Role of Neo-Turanism in Contemporary Hungarian Foreign Policy

  

  In recent years, Hungarian foreign policy under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has shifted markedly from the mainstream Euro-Atlanticist consensus. While much attention has been paid to Hungary’s emphasis on sovereignty, multipolarity, and traditional values, one subtle but increasingly relevant ideological dimension deserves further scrutiny: the revival of Neo-Turanism. Unlike formal …

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• 17 November

  Metal scrap sourced from Syria and Libya’s wars feeds Turkey’s steel industry

  

  Tainted metal scrap sourced from conflict zones can ultimately become finished steel used by some of Europe’s top firms. 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 …

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• 17 November

  Will foreign fighters test the stability of post-Assad Syria?

  

  Recent clashes between government forces and French-speaking fighters in northern Syria have rekindled concerns about military and social integration Damascus, Syria – A group of Uyghur men laughed uproariously over a Syrian friend’s seemingly vain requests for a waiter to take better photos of them together, as they shared food …

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• 17 November

  Iraqi PM Sudani’s coalition leads parliamentary elections count as voter turnout tops 56%

  

  Of Iraq’s 46 million people, just over 12 million cast ballots, producing a nationwide turnout of 56.11%, one of the highest in recent years. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition has established a substantial lead across eight provinces in Iraq’s parliamentary elections held on 11 November, according …

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• 17 November

  Hezbollah Attempting To Smuggle Weapons Through Syria, Rebuild in South Lebanon, IDF Says

  

  Latest Developments Hezbollah in Breach of Ceasefire, IDF Asserts: The IDF accused the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah of attempting to rebuild its armed capabilities south of the Litani River, in violation of November 2024’s ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said on November 11 that …

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