Arabs Must Make Peace with Zionism
Arabs who remain at war with Israel routinely blame their endless conflict on the Jewish state, pointing to the Gaza war, Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, and far-right ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir...
Yazidis
Washington Is Starting to Treat Syria and Iraq as One Policy
In recent weeks, Syria and Iraq have positioned themselves to be key players in a new Middle Eastern order. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi was in Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump...
Op-eds
The UN’s fatal formula for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
If this issue is seen as the anchor of the region’s broader woes, that is not because the cold data bears it out, but because much of the world has been swayed by a decades-long propaganda effort initiated by the Soviet Union and its Arab allies.
Op-eds
5,000 Islamic State detainees transferred to Iraq from Syria, will face investigations
US Central Command (CENTCOM) has facilitated the transfer of around 5,000 Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq, according to Iraqi media reports on February 11. The US began the...
Op-eds
Turkey, The Kurds, And The U.S.: The SDF Partnership Hits a Strategic Wall
Masoud Barzani’s February 6 meeting with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi spotlights a decade of U.S. partnering that helped defeat ISIS in eastern Syria, but never produced a political endgame. After holding territory east of the Euphrates, the SDF suffered setbacks in mid-January clashes and then reached a January 30 understanding that allows Damascus to expand security control in remaining SDF areas. Some fighters could be absorbed into Syria’s army, while U.S. forces weigh next steps for ISIS detainee operations and their remaining footprint.
Op-eds
Double Dhimmi: The Plight of Christian Women in the Middle East.
The systemic persecution of Christian women in the Middle East underscores a harrowing reality that their suffering is not just the collateral damage in a war of ideologies but a targeted assault on the very essence of pluralism. It's time the West acknowledged the plight of the Dhimmi in its own battle for freedom and dignity.
Op-eds
Syria Is At A Crossroads. What’s At Stake Now?
Can the new government stabilize the country? Additionally, can Washington make sure it doesn’t miss an opportunity to leverage a decade of work with the Kurds and other partners?
Op-eds
Al-Hol camp is a test for future of Syria
In eastern Syria, there is a camp called Al-Hol, sometimes spelled al-Hawl, where many former ISIS members reside.
Op-eds
Could the unrest in Syria spillover into Iraq? Iran seems to think so
Iran believes that Iraq is in danger - this means that Iran is worried militias it backs in Iraq could lose influence.
Op-eds
America Must Stand with Syria’s Kurds
Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan is playing with and stoking fires in Syria. Following the major military offensive mounted by the Salafi-jihadist forces of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in...
Op-eds
Are Kurds under threat amid civil war resurgence in Syria?
Many wheels are in motion in Syria, which could leave Kurds and other minorities exposed.
Op-eds
Destroyed by ISIS, a historic minaret in Mosul rises again
The repairs to this site which is in the old city of Mosul on the western bank of the Tigris river that runs through the city, is an important accomplishment.
Op-eds
Kurdistan regional elections mark a step forward for Iraq’s stability
Elections in the Kurdistan region are important because they provide a beacon of democracy for the region.
Op-eds
Israel Helps Yazidi ‘Bride’ Escape Gaza
Israeli forces enabled the escape from Gaza of a Yazidi woman who had been brought there as a sex slave from Iraq, the Israeli military revealed on October 3. Fawzia Amin Sido...
Flash Briefs
When it comes to Iran’s rulers, there can be no dialogue
Ruling mullahs duly rolled into New York City to attend the U.N. General Assembly, led by Iran’s new “moderate” president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Op-eds
Lessons, 10 years after ISIS took over Mosul
The defeat of ISIS took years. However, Iraq was able to mobilize against the extremists.
Op-eds
Iraq heads to provincial elections, first in ten years
Today Iraq is trying to put some of its past behind it.
Op-eds
Facing failure in Lebanon
Why the U.S. should stop subsidizing Tehran’s proxy
Op-eds
Islamic State’s emir dead after U.S. military raid in Syria
Islamic State emir Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi died during a daring overnight raid conducted by U.S. special operations forces in Idlib province in northeastern Syria on Thursday, according to the...
Op-eds
Gaslighting Nations—Erdogan Makes a Mockery of U.N. General Assembly—Again
The term “United Nations,” which U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt coined in 1942, reflected a commitment, articulated in the Declaration of United Nations, to “defend life, liberty,...