Yury Barmin | 23 January 2017
The success of the Russian military in Syria against all odds has reignited the debate as to what guides Vladimir Putin in the Middle East and whether Syria is only a harbinger of its ambitions.
Dimitar Bechev | 18 January 2017 | TR
With Donald Trump on the brink of being sworn in as the new president, relations between U.S. and Russia are also on the verge of rapprochement. The incoming administration, which sees Moscow as an ally in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in Syria,
Abdullah Yegin | 16 January 2017 | AR
Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of Iran’s most important political actors and a man who took on crucial roles at some of the most critical times from the 1979 Islamic revolution to the present day, has passed away from a heart attack at the age of 82. Despite his advanced years, Rafsanjani’s death was not an expected development, and came as a shock to the
Mesut Ozcan | 16 January 2017 | AR | TR
After critical statements were exchanged between Turkish and Iraqi politicians over the last quarter of 2016, the New Year began with the visit of a Turkish delegation to Baghdad and Erbil led by Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım.
Muhanad Seloom | 09 January 2017 | TR
Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, U.S. State Department officials have often observed that Arab Sunnis do not have arepresentative leadership in the way the Shia in Iraq do. Almost all Arab Shia in Iraq answer to Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest Shia religious authority in Iraq
Emre Ersen | 05 January 2017 | TR
Following its reconciliation with Russia after a seven-month crisis in bilateral relations, Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield in August 2016
Ammar Kahf | 29 December 2016 | AR | TR
The fall of Aleppo is not the end of the opposition in Syria, but perhaps marks the beginning of a Russian attempt to consolidate spheres of influence that are controlled by its regional allies and then push for a political track within its interpretation of political transition.
Basheer Nafi | 25 December 2016 | AR
Should the status quo under Bashar al-Assad be restored, Syria will witness an unprecedented programme of ethnic re-engineering Should the loss of Aleppo result in the end of the Syrian revolution, the outcome would be [...]
Galip Dalay | 23 December 2016 | AR
Despite the fall of Aleppo and the Russian-Turkish-Iranian diplomatic drive, the Syrian war is not about to end soon. Three momentous recent events will shape the course of the Syrian crisis: the fall Aleppo, the [...]
Al Sharq Strategic Research
