Analysis

The attack, followed by a suicide bombing, on the Mar Elias Church in the Douweila neighborhood of Damascus on June 22, resulted in the deaths of 26 people and injuries to dozens. Once again, this incident exposes the regime’s inability in Damascus to protect its citizens. It also highlights the regime’s persistent use of rhetoric […]

The Sheikh Said uprising and the Azadi (freedom) Society represented the greatest challenge faced by the young Turkish republic after the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924 and the severing of the last remaining supranational link between the Kurds and the Turks. This severing of the link automatically marginalized the Kurds from the nascent republican […]

In February 1925, a two-month-long yet critically decisive – in its total effects – uprising led by Sheikh Said in Northern Kurdistan put to a severe test the Kemalist regime in Ankara which, emboldened by victories attained elsewhere, quenched the flames of defiance heavy handedly inflicting grievous harm on the Kurdish population everywhere. The first […]

During the 12-day major war between Iran and Israel, prior to the ceasefire imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia’s position was controversial as a central actor employing highly complex diplomatic tools, balancing its deepening alliance with Iran and its special partnership with Israel. Over the past two decades, Moscow has managed to maintain distinguished […]

Supporters of the transitional authority in Syria tend to talk about it in terms of “the state did,” “the state promised,” and “the state acted,” much like supporters of the former regime previously equated power with the state, as if they were one and the same. However, the facts confirm that factionalism prevails and that […]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was surprised during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on 7 April when Trump informed him of his decision to begin negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program the following Saturday. In Netanyahu’s final speech, just hours after the start of the Israeli strike on 13 June, he revealed […]

The directives from the U.S. Department of Defense for families of American soldiers and non-essential personnel to leave several Middle Eastern countries suggest the imminence of a new war. The outcome may not be known for days, but a new course is being charted in negotiations with Iran; one marked by significant preparations for war. […]

Every state, regardless of its character and political system, needs a founding myth, not only to ensure the survival of those in power but also to produce a unifying narrative for the diverse population blocks it encompasses within its borders. These blocks are often spread across multiple locations, interests, and cultures. Such a myth provides […]

In a story by Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano titled “The River of Oblivion,” he says: “The Roman legionnaires stopped on the bank of the river. They never crossed it, because whoever crosses the River of Forgetting and reaches the other side forgets who they are and where they came from” (Galeano, The Book of Embraces). […]

In the wake of power vacuum created by the collapse of the regime of Bashar Assad late in December 2024, Vladimir Putin, President of Russia- Assad’s patron- prophetically told reporters that Israel emerges to be the main beneficiary of the unfolding situation in Syria. Conversely, Donald Trump, Putin’s American counterpart, has ever since held a […]

When Donald Trump lost the 2020 U.S. presidential election to Joe Biden, many columnists at The Washington Post agreed with the statement that “democracy corrects the errors of public opinion,” referring to Trump’s victory in 2016. Likely, they were deeply disappointed when Trump returned and won the 2024 election. Most probably, they did not reassess […]

The Middle East is witnessing increased regional and international activity. Syria stands out as a vital geopolitical arena where the interests and agendas of multiple powers converge. At a time when regional and international actors are competing for influence, this complex landscape is further complicated by a significant internal factor: shifts in the Syrian power […]

Almost a week after U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria from the Saudi-American Forum platform, the European Union decided to follow Washington’s lead by lifting its sanctions as well. This move was met with great joy by many Syrians, including those who supported those sanctions during the Assad regime’s time and […]

At its twelfth congress, held from May 5 to 7, 2025, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) explained the reasons that led it to disband and end its armed struggle. In the final statement of the congress, the PKK reflected on the previous phase that drove Kurds in Turkey to adopt armed resistance and confront the […]

When I first became acquainted with the name Sırrı Süreyya Önder in 2013, I valued his significant contributions to the Kurdish-Turkish peace process as a Kurdish politician. I traced his life, and my appreciation grew when I learned that he was Turkmen and almost the most noble Anatolian, as he embraced history and sought to […]

Syrian politics today is based on a concept of fait accompli whose actual consequences are difficult to comprehend. It seems that the various parties in Syria have been convinced that the so-called new administration in Damascus has sufficient regional and international support for its survival. Therefore, it is not wise to radically oppose it, but […]

Turkey insists on considering the ‘new Syria’ as an area under its influence, with the political system therein as supportive and subordinate to Ankara. From this perspective, Turkey endeavors to penetrate all segments and institutions of the Syrian state, creating a strong interconnectedness between the various structures within Syria and the administrative and managerial institutions—both […]

Sırrı Süreyya Önder‘s life did not have the heroic beginnings often woven into the biographies of public figures. There was no hint of an extraordinary destiny, nor any indication that a child from the depths of Anatolia would one day become a symbol of resisting authority. In fact, there was nothing remarkable about that beginning—just […]

It is impossible to interpret the sectarian conflicts that occurred in Western Europe without considering the economic factor. During the French Civil War (1562-1598) between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots), the Huguenots formed the backbone of the emerging capitalist class, while the Catholics, who were the majority of the population, consisted mainly of peasants loyal to […]

The hard- to- explain flurry of visits paid to the Syria capital by regional and global powers since the rise to power of Ahmed al-Sharaa late in December 2024 transcends by all appearances Syria’s national borders. Syria’s hard-to-define state of affairs since the December blitzkrieg, which saw the collapse of the regime of Bashar Assad, […]

Exile was a common political practice in ancient Athens, carried out through a tradition called (ostrakízein), in which voters would carve the name of a leader who had become too powerful or arrogant on a piece of pottery. The individual who received the most votes was expelled from Athens for ten years. It is said […]

Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Turkey has sought to position itself as a key diplomatic mediator in one of the most complex crises of this century. This mediation did not happen spontaneously but resulted from Turkey’s long-term positioning between Russia on one side and NATO and the West on the other, which provided […]

At the top of the many priorities of the authority in Damascus (led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, as it should always be reminded) is the narrative of “extending the state’s control over all areas of the country.” This means that the government/state, through security forces and factions that comprise the “Syrian regular army,” must control […]

Ankara greeted Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election with joy and hope after four difficult years under Joe Biden. This optimism was fueled by the belief that it might be possible to find common ground with Trump, who is fascinated by strong leaders, which could serve as a way to boost the stagnant […]

Syria, as a geographical-political entity that emerged within a political framework lasting four months in 1920, was the most prolific in generating political ideas from which political currents and parties in the region extending from Morocco to Iraq emerged. These ranged from Pan-Arab thought with its founders: Sati’ al-Husri, Michel Aflaq, and Kstantine Zureiq, to […]

There is no greater irony than for a foreign head of state to ask the leader of a country hosting him on its territory to stop his regime from harming its vulnerable groups and communities, as was the case in the Paris meeting between Emmanuel Macron and Ahmed al-Sharaa. However, were the demands made by […]

The fall of the dictatorship of the Syrian President, Bashar Assad, late in December 2024 has opened the door wide for speculation about what the future holds for the religiously diverse and ethnically mixed country. Strangely, two days after Assad had fled, Germany’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock, called for the protection of minorities […]

Syria has deep geopolitical and historical significance in the Middle East. The complex and intertwined interaction between politics and religious faith has always been the cornerstone in shaping the modern Syrian state and its turbulent development path. Throughout history, Syria has been a fertile ground where the roots of the interaction between politics and faith […]

Since the Hamas offensive a year and a half ago, the Middle East has been witnessing events of utmost importance in terms of their results achieved thus far and their repercussions on the region as a whole, as well as on international issues such as the Iranian nuclear file and the Ukraine crisis. With the […]

In a commentary on the CSIS podcast published on March 20, 2025, conducted by John Alterman with the journalist from The Economist, Nicolas Pileham, who interviewed the interim Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, numerous impressionistic phrases are used in an attempt to craft a well-rounded profile of the new Syrian authority figure. According to Pileham’s portrayal, […]