Tag Archives: Syria

“Certain states are using their position to secure unearned external income — refugee rent.” By Gerasimos Tsourapas, for The Washington Post (*) As the number of refugees globally reaches records, states are developing diverse yet similar strategies of linking their …

What are the ‘Intra-Syria’ Talks in Geneva and can they succeed? By Richard Spencer, Middle East Editor at The Telegraph The United Nations is hosting a new round of talks aimed at ending the war in Syria, meeting at the …

Two of Turkey’s leading journalists [ both pictured up] on Wednesday faced a possible life prison sentence after they were charged with plotting to overthrow the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by reporting on secret arms shipments to Syria. …

With the Islamic State seizing control of much of the Sunni-majority territory in Iraq’s north and west, a de facto Shi’a “Islamic State” could be emerging in the south. What drives this division is fear, which military actors on both …

Iraq’s ruling parties within the Shiite National Iraqi Alliance(NIA) have chosen to depend on Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and Iran in fighting the Islamic State (IS).  This runs counter to the approach proposed by Washington, which is based on rebuilding …

The ability of the Islamic State to expand its influence and territorial control depends on a range of state and social factors specific to each country in the region. Following the recent killings of Egyptian Copts in Libya and the attack on Tunisia’s Bardo Museum, the …

Even if ISIS loses Tikrit, they will remain a threat if the Iraqi government and sectarian Shia militias continue to persecute Iraq’s Sunni Arabs. For lasting victory, the Sunnis must be involved. As the US Chief of Staff, General Martin …

An uncomfortable blame-game has followed revelations that three British school girls were able to successfully navigate their way to Turkey and on to Syria via Gatwick airport. British politicians, security officials and members of the public have demanded answers as …