A key question for Washington is how to maintain the Kurdish-Arab alliance in the absence of a front line against IS. The complex puzzle of shifting alliances invites ethnic competition to prepare for the day American troops leave Syria. READ MORE
TURKEY AFTER THE HEATED MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS: KEY TAKEAWAYS
The outcome of Turkey’s local elections has surprised many analysts and frustrated the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which had dominated the Turkish media and benefited from massive state resources for its campaign. READ MORE
Between Idealism and Realpolitik: Erdogan’s Quest for Palestine
The Gaza marches, Trump’s declaration on Jerusalem, and the American decision to accelerate moving the US embassy there give Turkey and Erdoğan a golden opportunity to play a central role regarding Palestinian affairs. Turkey’s position today enables it to strengthen its ties with both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas and bolster its claim to be an arbiter between them. READ MORE
Can Assad Truly Assert His Control over Syria?
Syria’s fragmented landscape and the Assad regime’s weak position vis-à-vis Russia and Iran will likely cause a compartmentalization of Damascus’s strategic plans and, hence, obstruct the regime’s full recovery of territorial control over Syria. READ MORE
The Ticking Time Bomb of Northern Syria
Idlib’s population has dramatically increased, reaching 3 million in the past two years, including hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people who have nowhere to escape. UN officials also appealed to Turkey to open its borders to refugees if a full-blown regime attack were to take place. READ MORE
Will US Square the Turkish-Kurdish Conundrum in Northern Syria?
US-Turkey tensions over northern Syria are likely to endure unless two critical Turkish demands are met: (1) the United States gives a green light for a Turkish-controlled buffer zone in the eastern Euphrates, and (2) the Pentagon retrieves its arms and military equipment from the YPG. While the first demand may garner Washington’s approval with some reservations, the latter is unlikely. READ MORE
