Search: Syria (490 materials)

 

Jihad in Syria and in Iraq: a Сhallenge for France

The fight against jihadist networks One week after the terrorist attacks in Paris, the police killed two jihadists in Belgium. Officials said that the two men were coming back from Syria and were on the brink of targeting Brussels. The capital of Belgium was already targeted a few months ago: in May 2014, Mehdi Nemmouche – a French citizen who had trained in Syria – killed 4 persons in Brussels’ Jewish museum. ...

22.01.2015

Moscow prepares for meeting of Syrian leaders

On Jan. 26-29, Moscow is to host a consultative meeting between representatives of various groups of the Syrian opposition and the Syrian government on a “Moscow platform” provided by Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting, which the world media has dubbed the Syrian peace talks, is expected to be a two-part affair. Part I, scheduled ...

21.01.2015

In Time, Expect Big Changes in America's Middle East Relationships

... and investing in the region. 2.) America’s involvement in the Arab Spring will likely remain limited. Even in situations like in Egypt, for many years one of the top recipients of U.S. foreign aid, Obama and Americans, as was/is the case in Syria and Iraq, seems to prefer a “don’t do stupid shit” (to quote the president) approach. Obama has—correctly—realized that it is immoral, ineffective, counterproductive, and far costlier for the U.S. to default to forcing ...

19.01.2015

Why Isn’t Anyone Giving Obama Credit for Ousting Maliki?

... “Sunni Awakening” with its “Sons of Iraq.” The combination of increased U.S. military effort and increased political effort towards enlisting Sunni Arab Iraqis to fight extremists, especially in Iraq’s western Anbar province on Syria’s border, saw the defeat of al-Qaeda in Iraq/Mesopotamia and similar extremist Sunni groups that had alienated local Sunnis with their brutality and extreme form of Islam; sure, the old Baathists were still there, ready to fight the Iraqi ...

13.01.2015

All I want for Christmas is... five answers

1. More cohesion in NATO? According to the balance-of-threat assumption the lack of unambiguous threat decreases cohesion of military alliances, whereas the free-rider problem increases in inverse proportion. Even if one doesn't consider the geostrategical mischief of NATO eastward expansion there is nevertheless another problem. It seems to be clear that the Europeans reducing their military expenditures as well as Uncle Sam tired of his burden are not able and willing to pay for worries...

28.12.2014

Iran’s Regional Policy: A Fresh Start?

... By softening its until-recently rigid approach to the nuclear issue, Tehran has alleviated the international embargo, improving its domestic economy and expanding its financial ability to sustain its regional interests [2] . The Key Problem – Syria Syria has, for some time (and especially recently), been Tehran’s main concern in the Middle East, and many of its most intricate maneuvers have been aimed at preserving the Alawite regime. In late 2013, Iranian policymakers rejected any involvement ...

16.12.2014

In latest peace plans for Syria, Assad can stay

A significant number of global and regional players have been forced to reconsider their strategies in Syria with the bloody civil war having morphed into a clash in which the main belligerents are now the most radical jihadists, represented by the Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al-Nusra, and government forces. Writing Nov. 14 in Foreign Policy, James Traub ...

02.12.2014

Europe and America are fighting on Islam’s territory

Dr. Glen Segell (Fellow – The Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies,University of Haifa, Israel) The Southern flank of Europe is the Mediterranean Sea. It is a small sea and many countries rely on the freedom of both sea and air traffic for their economy. On the one hand there was optimism that the Arab Spring would bring greater freedom for the individual in countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. There was further optimism that the North African countries of Tunisia...

24.11.2014

Why independent Kurdistan is a part of Russian grand strategy

By Zhyldyz Oskonbaeva (RIEAS Senior Advisor & Eurasian Liaison) On a number of levels, the situation between the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the ethnic Kurds of Syria, Iraq and Turkey is creating a power shift that no one is discussing. In this article, I will explain why: 1) The Kurds have an unprecedented opportunity to achieve a political homeland; 2) Tehran's strategy ...

05.11.2014

The implications of a victory for the Islamic State in SYRIA and IRAQ

Patrick Adams (Strategic Analyst & RIEAS Research Associate) A victory for the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria would have a wide range of economic, social and political consequences. Economically, there would be a significant and damaging effect on the world's oil supply. Socially, not only would Iraq and Syria be affected but any country with a ...

01.11.2014
 

Poll conducted

  1. In your opinion, what are the US long-term goals for Russia?
    U.S. wants to establish partnership relations with Russia on condition that it meets the U.S. requirements  
     33 (31%)
    U.S. wants to deter Russia’s military and political activity  
     30 (28%)
    U.S. wants to dissolve Russia  
     24 (22%)
    U.S. wants to establish alliance relations with Russia under the US conditions to rival China  
     21 (19%)
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