Category: Blogs

Nusra’s “Mobilize” Campaign to Recruit Children

By Sarah Sheikh Ali

In April of last year, the Nusra Front—now called Jabhat Fateh al-Sham—launched a campaign they called, “Mobilize,” in northern Syria, intended to recruit children. The campaign was conducted by 300 recruiters from the group and adopted the slogan, “Don’t be one of the qaideen [people who do not actively fight; the opposite of mujahideen].” Although […]

Anbar’s Iraqi Policemen: Between ISIS and a Hard Place

By Kamal al-Ayash, NIQASH

There have been plenty of calls for families who were displaced by the security crisis caused by the Islamic State group to return home, once their territories have been cleared of the extremists. But in the central province of Anbar, it seems that not everybody is welcome.

Military Operations in Western Aleppo, the Role of Islamists, and Russia’s new Military Buildup

By Saleem al-Omar

Last week, Jaysh al-Fateh (JAF), the opposition Islamist coalition, launched a large-scale military operation to break the regime’s siege on Aleppo, but their advance has slowed. They launched attacks on areas that have not witnessed combat before, including the Assad Suburb (Dahiyat al-Asad) in western Aleppo. Having taken control of most of the suburb in […]

United Russia: Party of Crooks and Thieves, and Then Some

By Ilya Yashin

To international observers, Russia’s ruling party might appear to be a typical political organization. But in fact, there is a deep connection between Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political party, United Russia, and organized crime. The party has become riddled with corruption and lawlessness, and the way to fortune and unbridled power in Russia today is […]

Is the International Criminal Court About to Turn Irrelevant?

By Chloë McGrath

Decisions by South Africa, Burundi, and the Gambia to leave the court raise questions about its future Near simultaneous decisions by South Africa, Burundi, and the Gambia to withdraw from the International Criminal Court have sparked fears of an exodus of African countries from The Hague-based court that is widely perceived as biased against Africans. […]

Romania and Bulgaria to Host Greater NATO Presence in the Black Sea Region

By Ana Maria Touma, Balkan Insight

NATO member state officials meeting in Brussels agreed to boost the alliance’s military presence along its entire eastern flank from Bulgaria to the Baltics.

Rebuilding the Middle East

In light of the ongoing battle for Mosul and the recent bombing of a school in Syria that killed twenty-six civilians, mostly children, it becomes evident that the actors behind the violence and turmoil must be removed from the conflict before there can be sustained efforts to achieve lasting stability in the region, a senior […]

Why Could Wallonia Block the EU-Canada Trade Deal? And What Can Be Done to Prevent a Repeat?

By Marie Kasperek

Wallonia, a small French-speaking part of Belgium with a population of just about 3.5 million, has received a lot of media attention over the past few days for its initial opposition to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a trade agreement that the European Union and Canada have been negotiating for more than seven […]

Challenges Facing the Turkish-led Offensive on al-Bab

By Haid Haid

The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced in a speech on October 22, 2016 that the Turkish-led Euphrates Shield operation would press on to the Islamic State (ISIS)-held town of al-Bab, the group’s last stronghold in Aleppo Governorate. Erdoğan’s instructions were implemented two days later when the Turkish-led coalition suspended its offensive on the town […]