Turkish-Iranian Emerging Alliance
By Manish Rai Iran and Turkey, the two non-Arab Middle Eastern states, are among the largest and most populous in the region. The former occupies a strategic location on the Persian Gulf and the Strait…
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The U.S. Enters a New Phase in Syria
By Faysal Itani It was always fantasy to pretend the U.S. could fight ISIS without being a party to the broader civil war. Since it initiated air strikes against the Islamic State in Syria in…
Analysis: Is Syria being partitioned into ‘de-escalation’ safe zones?
By Seth J. Frantzman On Thursday, Iran, Russia and Turkey signed a memorandum on the creation of “de-escalation” zones in Syria. The agreement represents a new phase in the six-year-old Syrian civil war. If the…
No Election Can Change Tehran
By Manish Rai Iran Presidential elections are scheduled to be held next month. It will be the twelfth presidential elections since 1979 Islamic revolution. Local elections will be held alongside of this election. Pundits, the…
Russia and Iran’s Cooperation Hints at a New Middle East
By Clément Therme Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, will meet from March 27 to 29. According to the Tehran Times, both sides are “preparing more than 10 documents for signing”…
Idlib’s rebel split: A crossroads for Syrian opposition
By Dylan Collins Rebel divisions in Idlib threaten to further weaken an already fragile opposition in northern Syria, analysts have said, ripping two ostensible allies apart and throwing into question the direction and shape of…
After Aleppo victory, what’s next for Hezbollah?
By Mona Alami The capture of Aleppo by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Hezbollah, has given a boost to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Shiite movement’s deepening involvement in the Syrian war since 2013 had led to a…
Islamic State Gains in Remote Syria Outpost
By Noam Raydan and Nour Alakraa Islamic State forces cut in half the last Syrian government enclave in an oil-rich eastern province, pro-government media and opposition activists said Tuesday, putting new pressure on the regime…
Assad Has Won in Syria. But Syria Hardly Exists.
By DAVID W. LESCH and JAMES GELVIN Now that forces supporting the Syrian government have completed the takeover of Aleppo, and Russia, Turkey and Iran have negotiated a tenuous cease-fire, it is more than likely…
The End of Democracy in Turkey
By Dexter Filkins Following the New Year’s Eve attack in Istanbul, democracy in Turkey is likely to enter a death spiral. The issue isn’t the attack itself, terrible as it was. On New Year’s Eve,…