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Archive for the tag “Syria”

28 Oct 2019

ISIS’s Leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi—The World’s Most Wanted Man—Is Dead

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the reclusive leader of the world’s deadliest terrorist movement, was killed during a daring nighttime raid by U.S. Special Operations soldiers in northwestern Syria, President Trump announced…After five years of spawning terror that reached the far corners of the globe, the leader of isis was trapped—“whimpering and crying and screaming”—in a dead-end tunnel, with three children, Trump said.

Read Here – The New Yorker

Also Read: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Dead (But His Legacy Lives on)

Posted in Middle East and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
23 Oct 2019

Turkey Is No Ally Of The United States

Trump defends his greenlighting of Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria by attesting to the importance of Turkey as an ally. It is time he join the increasingly rare bipartisan consensus in Congress to ask whether if Turkey is an ally, then how would its actions be different if it were an adversary?

Read Here – The National Interest

Posted in United States and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
19 Oct 2019
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Cease-Fire Chaos: The Kurds, Turkey, And Trump Administration Are Touting Different Strategies

Even if the Trump administration moves closer to Turkey, the relationship between the country and Congress will sustain long-lasting damage. It’s unclear whether the latest cease-fire will mollify the cries to punish Turkey.

Read Here – The National Interest

Posted in Middle East and tagged , , , ,
19 Mar 2019

What Rouhani’s Visit To Iraq Tells Us About Iran’s Syria Policy

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s recent landmark trip to Iraq was closely monitored and discussed from various aspects by the media and analysts around the world. Some observers put their focus on the bilateral aspect, talking about the importance of the visit in terms of Iran’s growing influence in Iraq, while others analysed it within the context of Iran’s plans to overcome the US sanctions…But a largely ignored — and yet very important — aspect of the Iranian president’s three-day visit to Iraq is the explicit and implicit implications of the trip for Iran’s policy in Syria.

Read Here – Al Monitor

 

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06 Jan 2019

Moscow’s Little-Noticed Islamic-Outreach Effort

Russia’s growing presence in the Middle East is generally discussed in military and economic terms. Moscow’s 2015 intervention in Syria to prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad increased its influence with Iran and enabled it to draw a wedge between Turkey and the United States… A little-noticed trend, however, is Moscow’s focus on promoting politically pacifist Islam, which has coincided with an aggressive push by certain Arab countries to combat Islamism.

Read Here – The Atlantic

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27 Sep 2018

Trump’s Foreign Policy Successes Show Principled Realism In Action

Trump has overcome internal resistance and external pressure to deliver an as yet uninterrupted string of foreign-policy successes : North Korea’s “Rocket Man” Kim Jong-un hasn’t launched a rocket in ten months; America’s NATO allies are finally starting to deliver on pledges to increase defense spending toward the 2 percent of GDP target agreed in 2006 ; Mexico has seemingly come to terms on long-overdue NAFTA reforms; the United States has stayed out of the Arab world’s interminable wars in Syria, Libya and Yemen; and the U.S. embassy in Israel moved to Jerusalem in May without sparking the Third Intifada predicted by Trump’s opponents.

Read Here – The National Interest

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05 Sep 2018

The Middle East’s Tinderbox Is Heating Up Again

After a months-long stretch of merely sporadic violence and simmering tensions, the Middle East seems on the verge of another fiery eruption, and there are no outside powers with the interest or leverage to douse the flames.

Read Here – Slate

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27 Aug 2018

Why States Are Turning To Proxy War

The Syrian Civil War is the world’s bloodiest conflict, and much of the blame can be laid at the feet of Syria’s neighbours and the world’s major powers. So far, France, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, the United Kingdom and of course the United States have all intervened—and this long list of countries excludes the dozens of other coalition members that back U.S. efforts or otherwise played smaller roles.

Read Here – The National Interest

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16 Jul 2018

Why Trump Won’t Cancel The Putin Summit

President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin has all the makings of a political disaster. Millions of Americans believe Putin has some sinister influence over Trump. The Justice Department just indicted a dozen Russian military hackers for meddling in the 2016 election. Commentators and congressmen are demanding that Trump cancel Monday’s sit-down. And yet the howls of outrage seem to have made Trump only dig in deeper.

Read Here – Politico

Also Read: What To Expect From The Helsinki Summit

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09 Jul 2018

Rouhani goes on offense against critics, shady interests and ‘culture of opacity’

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is not giving in to conservative and reformist critics in the wake of growing protests over the miserable state of Iran’s economy, instead intensifying his campaign against “shady interests” and a “culture of opacity.” Rouhani, in an explicit speech June 27, demonstrated his determination to resist and confront his opponents, calling for national unity in the face of rising external pressures.

Read Here – Al Monitor

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