Turkey’s Post-Mosul Calculations in Iraq

by Robert Olson Turkey does not have one foreign policy toward Iraq but several. Its primary concern is not toward the Shi’a-dominated government in Baghdad but rather toward the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Irbil, and, in particular, toward the… Continue Reading

Challenges to Kurdish Nationalism

by Robert Olson Several times during the last week of April, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)— and its political arm, the Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK)—had been defeated and that the state was winning.… Continue Reading

Challenges and Consequences of the “Battle for Syria”

by Robert Olson The struggle as to what countries, armies, militias and groups will dominate in Syria and Iraq is of crucial significance to the future of the Middle East, not just for the Arab countries but for Turkey, Iran, Israel… Continue Reading