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In the News

Oct 14, 2016

Hof Quoted by The Carnegie Middle East Center on Donald Trump’s Policies on Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

Read the full article here.

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 14, 2016

The Symbolic War of Fatwas among Rebels in Syria and Its Implications

By Haid Haid

The ongoing Turkish-led Euphrates Shield operation against the Islamic State (ISIS), backed with allied Syrian rebel groups and US air cover, has led opposition groups to issue a number of competing fatwas (religious rulings). Ahrar al-Sham issued a fatwa considering it permissible to participate in this operation under the Turkish flag. Two days later, Jabhat Fateh […]

Syria

In the News

Oct 14, 2016

Mardini Quoted by Washington Post on Mosul Offensive Testing US Military Strategy

By Ramzy Mardini

Read the full article here.

Iraq

In the News

Oct 14, 2016

Slavin in Al-Monitor: US Treasury Official Praises Saudi Cooperation Against Terror Funding

By Barbara Slavin

Read the full article here.

Saudi Arabia

SyriaSource

Oct 13, 2016

Islamist Groups Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa Go to War

By Saleem al-Omar

A state of tension and outright war between Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa, two Islamist groups, prevails in Idlib and the countryside around Hama. Conflict between the two groups intensified soon after a security battalion from Ahrar al-Sham detained an ISIS cell in Saraqib in Idlib province that, according to Ahrar al-Sham, received orders directly […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 13, 2016

ISIS’ Next Stop

By Feras Hanoush

The Islamic State (ISIS) has expanded the territory under their control, which is now larger than the area of the United Kingdom, but this has come at the cost of exposing itself on all sides to enemies and hindering its ability to control its territory.

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 13, 2016

Seven Months after ‘Liberating’ Palmyra, Residents Still Cannot Return

By Elizabeth Tsurkov and Mohammad Hasan al-Homsi

In late March 2016, forces fighting on behalf of the Syrian regime completed their takeover of the city of Palmyra, well known for its antiquities sites. While the battle showed the increasing reliance of the regime on its foreign backers, this military accomplishment was presented by the regime and its allies as proof of the […]

Syria

IranSource

Oct 13, 2016

How the Principlists Could Defeat Rouhani in the 2017 Elections

By Shahir Shahidsaless

Most observers believe Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has a very good chance of being re-elected next May to a second four-year term. But it would be foolhardy to discount the possibility of a victory by the conservative camp, which remains deeply entrenched in the power structure of the Islamic Republic in organizations such as the […]

Iran

UkraineAlert

Oct 13, 2016

Will the West Ever Stand Up to Putin?

By Hanna Hopko

German Chancellor Angela Merkel suggested that the Normandy Four—leaders from France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine—gather on October 19 to discuss the war in Ukraine. But this is premature. Nothing will come out of this meeting without a detailed roadmap for a real ceasefire and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s adherence to fully implement the Minsk agreements.

Russia Syria

MENASource

Oct 12, 2016

Behind Erdogan’s Dismissive Statements to Iraq’s Prime Minister

By Aaron Stein

Turkey’s Iraq policy changed considerably in the past half-decade. Turkey has implicitly broken with its “one Iraq” policy and, since 2010, has taken steps to deepen alliances with political actors, committed to the further decentralization—and, in the longer term, break-up—of the Iraqi state. This policy is a sharp departure from Turkey’s history of advocacy for […]

Iraq Turkey

Experts