Turkey’s Relations with Syria

by Robert Olson Turkey’s relations with Syria are different from its relations with Iraq. The main difference is that Ankara has no close partners in Syria as it does in the form of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) which works… Continue Reading

What’s Next in the Turkey-Kurd-U.S. Imbroglio?

by Robert Olson This is a question asked by Metin Gurcan in Al-Monitor on August 31. Gurcan proffers several possible scenarios as to what Turkey’s policies toward the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the People’s Protection Units… Continue Reading

Jarabulus: Another Escalation in the War between Turkey and the Kurds

by Robert Olson On August 24, Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield, an attack on the Islamic State (IS) stronghold of Jarabulus, a small town located on the Turkish-Syrian. While Turkey has had troops on the Syrian side of the border… Continue Reading

Does Fighting in Hasakah Signal a Diplomatic Realignment on Syria?

by Derek Davison Last week, open warfare broke out in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakah between militia forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government and forces affiliated with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). Street-level clashes between the… Continue Reading

Causes and Consequences of the Coup in Turkey

by Robert Olson  The consequences of the attempted coup in Turkey on July 15 are already clear in terms of the government’s war against various Kurdish factions such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the… Continue Reading