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A senior European official informed a Syrian opposition group that the reason former U.S. President Barack Obama refrained from launching a major military strike against the Syrian regime following the chemical attack on Eastern Ghouta in August 2013 was due to Tehran’s threat to withdraw from negotiations over its nuclear program. In the summer of […]

The recent decisive strikes by Israel, supported by the United States, against Iran and its proxies in the Middle East have significantly weakened Tehran’s regional influence, particularly as these strikes targeted many of Iran’s air defense capabilities, resulting in a state of strategic vulnerability for Iran. However, this weakening appears separate from Iran’s efforts to […]

Recent major changes and developments in the Middle East, particularly the collapse of the Syrian regime and its military and security apparatus, along with the Iranian withdrawal from Syria, have revitalized the hopes of ISIS. This situation has resulted in the disappearance of the military presence and structures of Iranian militias and local militias managed […]

The Middle East is teetering between simultaneous threats and opportunities that were not present when Donald Trump first took office eight years ago. From an American perspective, the most serious threats include Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and its active engagement in an alliance with China and Russia. The best opportunities have arisen from Israel’s […]

The Middle East is undergoing unprecedented political transformations, as the foundations of the traditional nation-state erode amidst a frantic struggle between competing governance models seeking to impose their future visions. With each new crisis, it becomes clear that the regional order established since the Sykes-Picot Agreement faces existential challenges that undermine its ability to survive. […]

There is arguably no parallel in the world to the Syrian Air Force pilot who targeted the civilian population of his own country with barrel bombs. This case is further complicated by the fact that these indiscriminate weapons, along with regular aerial bombardments, were heavily used in the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo during the period […]

By the end of Donald Trump’s first term, the major unrealized geopolitical prize was the establishment of normalized relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. This issue has been a central focus of regional politics in recent years, whether pushed forward through projects like the India-Europe Trade Corridor or undermined, as exemplified by Hamas’s October 7th […]

The Middle East is perhaps one of the most identity-preoccupied regions in the world, with various dimensions and manifestations, particularly religious or sectarian identities that are often intertwined. The presence and impact of identity vary among groups, influenced by differing circumstances, contexts, lived experiences, and socio-economic and political conditions. It is more accurate to discuss […]

Sabahattin Ali’s name appeared fleetingly in some documents I read about İsmet İnönü, but I paused when I encountered it. Something about the name itself stirred a thought: could he have belonged to one of those Bulgarian Christian families who paid the “blood tax,” providing sons to the Ottoman Janissary Corps? But Sabahattin Ali was […]

The discourse surrounding the future of Syria is revealing voices calling for war in the northeastern part of the country. Beyond the frenzy and hatred that characterize these voices, it is fair to say that they lack any understanding of the dangers associated with the idea of war, which does not serve the interests of […]

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the capture of Abdullah Öcalan, the founder of the PKK, in Kenya. Since February 15, 1999, the Kurdish leader has been detained in the maximum-security prison island of İmralı. Twenty-six years later, Öcalan continues to play an important role in solving the Kurdish issue, as evidenced by the […]

The book “The Lost Book of the History of Kurdistan” is an investigation conducted by the Russian historian Elena Vasilyeva into two manuscripts concerning Kurdish history: the manuscript of Mullah Mahmud al-Bayezidi titled “The New History of Kurdistan,” and the manuscript “The Nasiri Garden” by Mirza Ali Akbar Kurdistani. The translation from Russian to Kurdish […]

On 22 January 2025, the Iraqi parliament passed a law known as the “General Amnesty Law,” which grants amnesty to detainees convicted or accused of various crimes, including fighting alongside armed groups and participating in operations and attacks targeting Iraqi forces, civilians, and U.S. forces. The amnesty law encompasses thousands of prisoners who were arrested […]

Most Syrians were surprised by the geopolitical significance of their country when the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime led to the demise of Iran’s regional axis, a fate not shared by Tehran’s forces in Gaza and Lebanon. Additionally, this collapse restored Russia’s status as a regional power after it gained global power status following its […]

The process of stabilizing Syria faces significant challenges from forces operating with conflicting and parallel agendas. On one hand, there is an effort to support the transitional administration led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), while on the other hand, HTS is being dragged into new battles that do not align with the interests of this […]

The new U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has outlined the broad contours of U.S. diplomacy under Donald Trump in a statement published on the U.S. State Department website. What stands out about this brief statement is that anyone familiar with its content might think it pertains to the Department of the Interior or another […]

When Riad al-Turk emerged from detention in September 2001 to November 2002, he recalled a statement made to him by Major General Adnan Badr Hassan, head of the Political Security Division, during his interrogation: “We are the ones who brought this boy, and we are the ones who rule behind him.” The author then reminded […]

It is difficult to dismiss Benjamin Netanyahu when he takes the podium and boasts that Israel is reshaping the Middle East to its liking. It is equally unfair not to consider that the crises in this region are now under U.S. management, without partners from competing international powers—some providing political influence in crisis management, such […]

Syria has been plagued by “birth issues” or “state-building problems” since it formed as a state or proto-state in the modern sense following World War I (1914-1918). These problems emerge with every crisis the country experiences, whether large or small. It seems there is little possibility of overcoming them, as no one has attempted it […]

The Turkish government has announced a $14 billion “regional development” plan, which aims to address the economic challenges facing the southeastern regions predominantly inhabited by Kurds. This initiative was introduced by Minister of Industry and Technology Fatih Kacir as part of a broader strategy to bridge the economic gap between this region and the rest […]

Since the end of November 2024, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been countering attacks launched by factions of the so-called “Syrian National Army,” with continuous Turkish air and artillery support. The SDF has successfully prevented these factions from advancing and capturing the strategic Tishreen Dam and Qara Qozak Bridge, thereby imposing new dynamics on […]

In Muhammad Haidar’s book “The Baath and the Great Apostasy” (1998 edition, publisher unspecified), we can read the following statement about the Baath Party Congress’s decision to remove Defense Minister Hafez al-Assad and Chief of Staff Mustafa Tlass from their positions: “I believe that General Salah Jadid was fully aware that the Defense Minister and […]

Few Syrian voices have denounced the European advice offered by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her French colleague Jean-Yves Le Drian to the Syrian interim government. In fact, the denunciation has taken on a tone of defiance, with phrases such as “we don’t need foreign interference” and “we can solve our own problems without […]

Saudi Arabia is taking the lead among Arab states in engaging with the transitional government in Damascus, an effort perceived as aimed at securing an early foothold in the Syrian capital and preventing Qatar and Turkey from dominating the landscape. In this context, The Wall Street Journal reports on the competition for influence in Syria, […]

In conjunction with developments in the Syrian and regional context following Bashar al-Assad’s escape and the fall of his regime in Damascus, attention is now focused on the changing Kurdish political scene in Turkey, particularly in light of recent statements and actions from political leaders. Despite differing circumstances, the implications of the Turkish government’s potential […]

The active diplomatic efforts undertaken by the “caretaker” government suggest that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham has a clear program for shaping a new Syria after 54 years of rule by Bashar al-Assad and his father. The visits made by the ministers of foreign affairs and defense, as well as the head of intelligence, to Saudi Arabia […]

Syria as we knew it is over. This notion did not arise solely from the fall of the regime; in fact, it predates it. When I wrote in an article several years ago that Syria as we knew it no longer exists, both as a society and a state, and that the use of these […]

By The Kurdish Center for Studies

The Turkish government is racing against time to capitalize on the change that occurred in Syria on December 8, 2024, marked by the fall of the Syrian regime and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions to power in Damascus. With the diminishing influence of Iran and Russia, and the evident divisions […]

The conflict in and over Syria appears to continually necessitate the invocation or fabrication of grand Stories. In this article, we will borrow the term “Story” from Yuval Noah Harari, who has skillfully employed it to discuss the significance of Stories in a global context. The world has always needed stories to be told—such as […]