Qatar’s Diminishing Returns in Syria

by Giorgio Cafiero Recent developments have set back Qatar’s five-and-a-half-year campaign to topple the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad. Donald Trump’s win last month and the president-elect’s vows to sever Washington’s limited support for Syrian rebels, Russia and China’s… Continue Reading

Russian Realism in the Middle East

by Paul R. Pillar We should reflect on the meaning of Russia’s use of a base in Iran for staging airstrikes in Syria, and about what lessons we could learn from the Russians. The significance does not have to do… Continue Reading

Immigration Crisis: Another Reason to Address Libya

by Wayne White European governments are mulling over responses to the immigrant flood across the Mediterranean. Reducing causes for emigration in distant countries of origin like Eritrea and Syria would be invaluable. But it’s also a daunting task and will… Continue Reading

A Reset in EU-Turkey Relations?

by Eldar Mamedov When the European Parliament delegation visited Turkey last week—chaired by the influential chairman of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee Elmar Brok, a German Christian-Democrat—both the president of the Republic Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu… Continue Reading

The Islamic State and Boko Haram Merger

by Emile Nakhleh As the world focuses on the Islamic State (ISIS or IS) in the Levant, it seems to be expanding its influence and reach into the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, Nigeria, and other parts of West Africa and… Continue Reading