Idlib Further Complicates Turkish-Russian Relationship

by Giorgio Cafiero and Theodore Karasik On July 26, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in South Africa on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. The two met against the backdrop of growing Turkish concerns… Continue Reading

Is the Rojava Dream at Risk?

by Giuseppe Acconcia In 2011, as Syria’s uprising spread, the Kurds living in the country’s northern provinces organized themselves to defend their neighborhoods and provide social services. The Kurds’ “local coordination committees” were similar to the bodies of the same name… Continue Reading

Turkey’s Afrin Operation Draws in Armenians, Azeris

by Emil Sanamyan  As Turkey’s military intervention in Kurdish-majority Afrin, Syria, entered its third week, a parallel public relations battle has raged on airwaves and social media, with varying messages tailored to Armenian and Azerbaijani audiences. The Kurdish Democratic Federation of… Continue Reading

Trump’s Iran Policy Is More about Rollback than Nukes

by Joshua Landis The renewed US offensive against Iran is not so much about its nuclear capability or even its missile program; it is about Iran rollback and hobbling its economy. Ever since President Obama signed the Iran agreement, howls of disapproval… Continue Reading

The Future of the Kurds

by Graham E. Fuller Of all the peoples of the Middle East who have suffered through  various wars and manipulations by the US and other foreign powers over the past century, the Kurds are probably the only people whose national… Continue Reading