2015 marked a change in the Syria policy of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He began to walk back his initial goal of toppling the Asad regime and turned towards Syria’s surging Kurdish forces....
On June 29, 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State in al-Sham (ISIS), was recorded on video speaking at the al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul, Iraq. (“Al-Sham” is the traditional Arabic...
Erdoğan is arguably negotiating with the Kurds mainly as a means of securing Kurdish parliamentarians’ votes to extend his rule as president
The Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River in Syria has become a key point of conflict in the country’s post-Assad era. Since the fall of dictator Bashar al Assad’s regime on December 8, the dam has been...
After the fall of Bashar Assad‘s regime in Syria, the incoming Trump administration faces a complex set of challenges. Despite President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to reduce U.S....
Syria’s new leader Ahmad al-Sharaa – who also uses the nom-de-guerre Abu Mohammad al Jolani — has pledged to dissolve existing armed factions and integrate their fighters into a newly formed...
In a recent Foreign Policy article, Steven Cook and I highlighted how Turkey may be overplaying its hand in Syria. With events evolving rapidly, it seems that Turkish President Recep...
Turkey Denies Ceasefire With U.S.-Backed Syrian Forces: Turkey’s Defense Ministry denied on December 19 that it had agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal with the Kurdish-led...
In eastern Syria, there is a camp called Al-Hol, sometimes spelled al-Hawl, where many former ISIS members reside.
The main group in Ankara's cross-hairs is the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which was formed in 2015 with US backing.
Turkish-Backed Forces Advance on SDF Territory: On November 30, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) launched “Operation Dawn of Freedom” targeting the Manbij region...
Many wheels are in motion in Syria, which could leave Kurds and other minorities exposed.
Turkey’s Defense Industry Under Erdogan
The year 2020 has been especially difficult for Turkey’s already embattled Kurdish population. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) continue to imprison Kurdish...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced this week his plans to create a “safe zone” in no...
On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of an impending...
A bomb blast near the city of Manbij in northern Syria...
On October 16, the world woke to footage of the Iraqi army barreling toward Kirkuk, several hundred miles n...