Jordan

Syria’s counterterrorism dilemma: Who can Washington trust?

Syria hosts Iraqi PM for visit amid security challenges in north and south

Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi to Damascus on October 28, marking Zaidi’s first trip to Syria. Sharaa described the meeting as a historic opportunity for...

Jordanian Strikes Lay Bare Security Vacuum in Southern Syria

Jordan’s response to a deadly church attack at home has triggered a new confrontation with neighboring Syria. On October 26, the Jordanian Air Force launched multiple strikes across southern Syria...

Jordan’s Crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood Is Far From Over

Jordanian authorities are tightening the screws on the country’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. On October 25, a Jordanian court sentenced seven Brotherhood...

Jordanian Air Force strikes Syria in retaliation for deadly church attack

The Royal Jordanian Air Force launched multiple airstrikes on October 26, targeting what it called terrorist organizations in southern Syria that were linked to the perpetrators of Friday’s attack on...

Iraq juggles border security and ties with Iran, Syria, and Jordan

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi traveled to Jordan on October 26 for a series of meetings with Jordanian officials. Among the topics discussed was a desire to “increase cooperation and coordination...

Turkey and Pakistan Loop Qatar and Indonesia Into Burgeoning Defense Axis

The Mecca Pact gained a cousin on Wednesday when two of its signatories — Turkey and Pakistan — announced a new defense agreement with Qatar and Indonesia. The Badr Memorandum of Understanding (MOU),...

Foreign Funding and Influence in America’s K-12 Education System

Iraq After the US Military Withdrawal: Militia Disarmament Will Decide the Outcome

Iraq is at a new crossroads. On October 8 and 12, Iranian drones targeted Kurdish Iranian opposition groups based in northern Iraq. These are just several of more than 1,000 attacks by Iran on Iraq over...

Syria increases criticism of Israeli actions, continues diplomatic outreach

Syria sharpened its criticism of Israeli military operations in Syria during the first week of October, including the construction of a new fortified security line in southern Syria, east of the Israeli-occupied...

Syria faces infrastructure sabotage, Islamic State activity amid utility shortages

On October 2, the Syrian Petroleum Company said it restored a gas pipeline near Deir Ezzor after the line had been sabotaged. “The company said on Telegram that crews replaced an 18-meter section of...

The UN is still obsessed with Israel

Antisemitism simmers within the world body, most notably these days in the actions and words of Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on the “occupied Palestinian territories.”

The Muslim Brotherhood Still Controls Jordan’s Rebranded Ummah Party

The political wing of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood (MB) elected a new leader over the weekend. The Ummah Party elected Muath al-Khawaldeh as secretary general at its seventh general conference, defeating...

The Abraham Accords at Six: How a New Paradigm Outpaced the Old Peace

Six years after the Abraham Accords were signed on the White House lawn, perhaps the clearest evidence of how profoundly they have changed the Middle East came not at another diplomatic ceremony, but behind...

The Heart Attacks Fueling Suspicion in Syria

When a commander in the Syrian army’s 52nd Division died in March, a Syrian Telegram channel announced the news in the language of an ordinary obituary: Nader Mutlaq, better known as Abu Hatem...

5 Things To Know About Turkey’s Relationship with Syria

Turkey has emerged as one of the leading patrons of Syria’s new government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa, following the December 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Ankara had built ties with...

Drone Warfare

The legacy of Carlos the Jackal 

He instructed revolutionary leftists to march behind Islamists – and they’re marching

US rescinds Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism

On August 24, the US rescinded Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. “I congratulate the Syrian people on the official removal of Syria’s name from the list of state sponsors...

Syria-Israel Talks Will Face a Turkish Test

Syria and Israel are back at the negotiating table after a seven-month pause in talks over a potential security agreement. On August 23, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with Mossad Director...