October, 2021

• 17 October

  ISIS financier arrested in al-Hol camp: coalition

  

  “Recently, 2 terrorists were arrested including a Daesh (ISIS) financier.” The US-led coalition confirmed on Thursday that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out a successful anti-ISIS operation that resulted in the arrest of an ISIS financier in the notorious al-Hol camp. The official Twitter account of the US-led coalition …

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• 17 October

  Egypt looks to expand counter-terrorism cooperation with Sudan

  

  Egypt is seeking greater cooperation with Sudan’s transitional authorities to track down terrorist elements, including Islamic State and those affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood . Sudanese security forces, led by the country’s intelligence services, have been cracking down on Islamic State (IS) members over the past weeks. Five members of …

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• 17 October

  Russian-Iranian competition heats up in South Caucasus

  

  For Moscow, contradictions with Tehran may turn out to be much more sensitive than disputes with Ankara. During Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian’s visit to Moscow on Oct. 5, one of the main topics of the talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was rising tensions in Iranian-Azerbaijani ties. At …

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• 17 October

  Erdogan threatens fresh military campaign in Syria

  

  The Kurdish-held town of Tell Rifaat stands out as the focal point of a potential new crisis in northern Syria as Turkey threatens another military offensive amid discords with Russia and the United States. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has raised the specter of a new Turkish military campaign against Kurdish …

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• 17 October

  Century-old grievances continue to fester in Yemen’s Tihama region

  

  Grievances have been piling up unaddressed in Tihama, Yemen’s Red Sea coastal plain, for almost a hundred years. Since the revolt of al-Zaraniq against Imam Yahya Hameed al-Din of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom (then North Yemen) in 1925-26, consecutive Imams and the republican elite have pursued policies that have systematically marginalized …

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• 17 October

  Iran’s threats could strengthen Azerbaijan-Israel relations

  

  Iran-Azerbaijan relations have been going through a rough patch recently; both sides have genuine concerns that they want addressed. Iran could have addressed its various bones of contention with Azerbaijan through diplomatic channels. After all, both countries have full diplomatic relations; this includes fully functioning embassies and ambassadors on each …

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• 17 October

  Cost of Conflict: An Analysis of the Costs of Russia’s Ongoing Hostilities in the Black Sea Region

  

  Conflicts are enormously destructive. They destroy lives and property, uproot communities, and reduce the economic potential for all involved. This devastation often has an unaccounted cost, both in terms of the obvious direct destruction of lives and assets, as well as the indirect costs that weigh on economies, often for …

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• 17 October

  Special Briefing: A reshaping of the Iraqi political scene, despite low turnout

  

  A reshaping of the Iraqi political scene, despite low turnout As was widely expected, voter turnout in Iraq’s early parliamentary elections, held on Oct. 10, was historically low. Official turnout came in at 41% — out of 22.12 million registered voters — or an even lower 34% when taking into …

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• 17 October

  Iran’s key demands for the revival of the JCPOA

  

  Iran’s new conservative government under President Ebrahim Raisi has based its approach to the nuclear talks for the revival of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on three key documents that lay out clear directives: first, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Oct. 21, 2015 letter to then-President Hassan …

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• 17 October

  Making sense of the Beirut clashes

  

  Memories of the Lebanese civil war resurfaced this week as images appeared of children hiding in hallways and behind cars while deadly sectarian clashes unfolded outside their schools in Beirut’s Tayouneh neighborhood. Protests organized by Hezbollah and the Amal Movement to demand the removal of the judge investigating the August …

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