The belief that DAESH will face major transformations and will begin its downward spiral is very optimistic. To talk about post-Mosul DAESH scenarios, one must wait for a complete loss of the groups territories. The Mosul offensive, aiming to cleanse the city of DAESH, brings to fore the question of what kind of strategy the terrorist organization is to carry out in the aftermath...

Observers of the political scene in Iraq point to the inevitable clash between Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) forces, and that of the central government in Baghdad in the post –ISILera. This is due to the undisciplined attitude of Hashd al-Shaabi(Popular Mobilization Units-PMU) in the past,divergences over how to form thepost-ISILadministration in Mosul, and the struggle...

Philipp O. Amour has published an article entitled 'Israel, the Arab Spring, and the unfolding regional order in the Middle East: a strategic assessment' in the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. In his article, Dr Amour analyses Israels reading of recent regional developments and its attitudes and behaviours (since 2010) towards the attendant and emerging strategic...

In Middle East politics, religious sects have played a key role in shaping the internal and foreign policies of regional actors, during the Arab Spring in particular. It is generally accepted that the Middle Eastern countries, primarily Iran and Saudi Arabia, have developed sectarian reflexes toward the developments in the region and engage in so-called sectarian policies. The...

The Geneva Talks held in order to find a diplomatic solution to the Syria problem failed as expected and attention is now turned again towards the front where the violence had never stopped during the talks. The principle reason behind this failure was the unwillingness of the Russian-Iranian-Damascene axis to stop its offensive against the opposition and the disinclination these...

Kemal Salibi describes Lebanon as Since 1975, Lebanon has stood out in the world as a supreme example of political and social disorganization. The transformation of peaceful civil movements that began in Syria in 2011 into a bloody civil war had created a chaotic environment in the region and it also affected Lebanon by the context of its historical relations with Syria and its...

Last weekend Operation Şah-Fırat (Shah – Euphrates) created a great deal of repercussions around the world. With this operation, Turkey moved the Tomb of Süleyman Şah (Shah), the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, from a location where it had become more difficult to protect the site to a less risky and easier to protect new location in Syria, nearby the...

A fair assessment of European Union policy on Turkey is that it displays significant fluctuations based on the specific period of time and who the decision makers are; therefore, it does not follow a consistent path. While the EU at times offers strong support for Turkeys democratization efforts, it occasionally works against its fundamental principles, including the promotion of...

It is the requirement of rational politics for Turkey to have economic and political cooperation with all countries, notably with her neighbors. The Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğans visit to Brussels after five years, then hosting French President François Hollande in Turkey – a first visit at the presidential level in the last 22 years -, Turkish President Abdullah Güls...