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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 […]

A number of unoccupied border cities and towns in northern Syria are shrouded in darkness and fear as they face heavy bombardment, assaults on essential service infrastructure, and attempts of occupation. In Afrin, a brutal and organized genocide is taking place, standing as a testament to the triumph of hatred under the watchful eyes of […]

Israel and Turkey lack experience in managing conflict between the two states, as they are essentially allies and politically close countries. Their military and intelligence cooperation remains active and influential, having played a role in supplying Azerbaijan with weapons, which enabled it to secure victory in the recent Artsakh/Karabakh war. Additionally, intelligence cooperation continues, particularly […]

In parallel with the large-scale offensive launched by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on November 27, which concluded on December 8 with its forces entering the capital Damascus without significant resistance, leading to the collapse of the regime and the flight of former President Bashar al-Assad, pro-Turkish factions under the National Army initiated a military campaign dubbed […]

In the spring of 2015, Jaish al-Fatah, a military coalition between Jabhat al-Nusra and Harakat Ahrar al-Sham, took control of the entire Idlib province. In the summer of that year, they advanced south into the Al-Ghab Plain following the rapid retreat of the Syrian regime’s forces. Subsequent information confirmed that the objective of capturing Homs […]

On 12 November 1918, the first group of French troops entered Constantinople to occupy the city under the Mudros Armistice, which had been signed just days earlier on 30 October. French General Després entered the city on horseback. Did the Turks have a problem with the occupation? This is a significant and complex question, but […]

After the Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, the Syrian people are experiencing an atmosphere of liberation from the regime that Hafez al-Assad established in 1970 and that his son continued. The military manifestations of the regime have faded, the security apparatus has disappeared, and prisons and detention centers have opened their doors, resulting in the […]

The Assad regime effectively collapsed 12 days after the start of “Deterrence of Aggression Operation,” after a bloody rule lasting nearly 14 years. Ultimately, the regime came to an official end when its leader fled without engaging in one last ‘honorable’ battle. However, the remnants of the regime—beyond the brutal prison scenes and family photo […]

Russia could not save former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad when opposition forces advanced towards the capital, Damascus. Ultimately, Moscow lost its most significant strategic investment outside the borders of the former Soviet Union, marking the furthest extent of Russia’s reach in the Mediterranean throughout its imperial history since Peter the Great ascended to the throne […]

Over the years, Iran has invested considerable blood and money to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and help him survive a civil war that threatened his rule. Iran has operated military bases, arms depots, and missile factories in Syria, using it as a conduit to arm its allies across the region, according to a report […]

There are many speculations outside the realms of politics and strategy regarding the recent offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria and the sudden collapse of the regime’s defenses and those of its allies. The naive perspective suggests that Moscow has grown weary of the regime and is punishing it until the crisis is resolved; […]