Donald Trump

Months before former President Donald Trump imposed tariffs, the market valuation of Apple Inc. surpassed three trillion dollars, followed by Nvidia, a semiconductor manufacturer, achieving a market valuation exceeding three trillion as well. These newfound wealth valuations of companies far exceeded the empires based on oil and weaponry. This situation raises a question in modern […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 […]

On November 27, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and other allied jihadist factions launched a large-scale military operation named “Deterring Aggression.” During this operation, they managed to capture the city of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, along with dozens of towns and villages in the Aleppo and Idlib governorates. They seized large quantities of weapons and equipment from […]

The map of the armed conflict remains liquid as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham advances beyond the borders of Aleppo to the outskirts of Hama province. While Syrian regime forces struggle to repel the advancing troops following an unprecedented series of withdrawals, leaving behind heavy weapons and hundreds of thousands of residents, pro-Turkish National Army factions have […]

With four years in the White House from 2017 to 2021, Donald Trump can arguably be seen as one of the most committed U.S. presidents to his campaign promises. During his campaign, he stated that the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran was “the worst deal ever signed in history,” and he fulfilled this promise by […]

As Republican President-elect Donald Trump prepares to begin his second term as President of the United States, Ankara is receiving mixed signals regarding the nature of its relationship with Washington. On one hand, Trump’s first term was generally positive for Ankara, as it managed to seize new territory in northern Syria in 2019, despite facing […]

In the recent U.S. presidential election, Kamala Harris became the fourth vice president to lose in a contest held at the end of their presidents’ terms. The previous instances include Richard Nixon in 1960, Hubert Humphrey in 1968, and Al Gore in 2000, with George H.W. Bush in 1988 being the only exception. These four […]

In the new American, and perhaps European world, it is not far-fetched to imagine that right-wing parties and traditional conservatives will become the leaders of the working class and workers. The middle class has been politically disintegrating for decades, and this process has accelerated in recent years. This phenomenon is observed globally, not just in […]

In his first term, Donald Trump coined the slogan “America First” and “Make America Great Again.” This slogan maintained its appeal during the election campaign that ultimately culminated in Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris. During Trump’s first term (2016-2020), this slogan was linked to radical implementations, resulting in significant upheaval within the largest institution in […]

At the beginning of his presidency, President Joe Biden seemed poised to initiate major troop withdrawals after the last withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021. Shortly thereafter, he adjusted the nature of U.S. military presence in Iraq, limiting it to an advisory role. Despite this, Biden has maintained the number of U.S. troops […]

What a re-elected President Donald Trump will do if he wins is well known. But what if Kamala Harris wins? It is easy to assume that Harris will continue the foreign policy of the Joe Biden administration, and this is not an incorrect assumption. Preventing Russia from winning the war in Ukraine will remain a […]

On February 16, 2024, The Kurdish Center for Studies (KCS) organized a seminar on US policy towards the Middle East following the events of Oct. 7th and the war in Gaza, moderated by KSC fellow Shoresh Darwish. David Schenker, the Taube Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute and former US Assistant Secretary of State for […]

Despite the risk of indictment, Donald Trump still seems to be enjoying considerable popularity in the United States. A survey conducted in 2021 revealed that 74% of American Republicans wanted Trump to run for president again in 2024. The news was significant then, and it is even more so now that the former president was […]