Iraq

Syria and Iraq in the Trump world order

Trump intends to divide Syria with Putin the way Hitler divided Poland with Stalin—but will the US will be able to control its sphere amid social collapse and sectarian maelstrom?

Greater Middle East

UN demands Turkey release international judge

The president of the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals demanded the release of a jurist seized by Turkish authorities in the sweeps following the coup attempt. 

Greater Middle East

Turkey: Kurdish opposition leaders arrested

Leading lawmakers with the leftist and Kuridish-led Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were detained in police operations across Turkey, ostensibly as part of a terrorism investigation.

Greater Middle East

Syria: fall of Dabiq fails to spark apocalypse

Free Syrian Army forces backed by Turkish warplanes took the town of Dabiq from ISIS—failing to spark the apocalyptic battle that the "caliphate" had prophesied.

Iraq

More US troops to Iraq —on whose side?

The Pentagon will send 600 additional troops to Iraq to help in the offensive to retake Mosul from ISIS—but it is unclear if they will be backing Shi'ite, Sunni or Kurdish forces.

Greater Middle East

Syria: reject Arab-Kurdish ethnic war

The Turkish intervention in northern Syria has set off open war between Free Syrian Army factions and the Rojava Kurds—which only serves the interests of ISIS and Assad.

Greater Middle East

Syria: Turkey invades —against ISIS or Kurds?

Turkey launched a major military intervention in Syria to assist rebel forces fighting ISIS—but threatening the Kurdish forces also fighting ISIS, portrayed as equally "terrorist."

Greater Middle East

Escalating internationalization of Syria war

The US  for the first time scrambled jets in response to Assad regime aggression when its Kurdish anti-ISIS partners came under bombardment—foreboding direct conflict with Russia.

Greater Middle East

Erdogan dictatorship in wake of coup attempt?

With a post-coup purge of his enemies now underway, Erdogan is positioned to push through his proposed constitutional change that would establish an autocracy in Turkey.