Syrian Democratic Forces Face New Challenges After Negotiation Setback
Each piece on the Middle East chessboard has a function, yet some are always disposable. For the purpose of the game and to defend the throne, the Kurds are the ones usually ordered to fight and keep the line, only to eventually be crushed. For years, Syrian Kurds have viewed as pawns in a greater geopolitical game, which is a grave miscalculation. Kurds played a vital role in the years-long battle against ISIS in Syria alongside...
Future prospects for Russia’s political and economic influence in the region will now depend less on ownership of key assets and more on its ability to offer Serbia benefits that outweigh the costs of Western pressure and countermeasures
Belgrade’s reluctant move to comply with American sanctions and force Russia out of its energy industry exposes the real limits of national sovereignty in a world where the United States is asserting its will with increasing disregard for established norms and...
The issue of internal transformation, taking into account external challenges, remains paramount for the EU
Rarely in the history of the European Union has it faced challenges comparable to the ones it faces today. Since the end of the Cold War, the EU has been on the rise. Its membership has expanded quantitatively and qualitatively. Pan-European institutions and European law have been strengthened. Diplomacy and security policy have been taking shape. The EU has gradually become more
like a...
The alliance was built for the Cold War, and it shows
“What we are about to do here is a neighborly act. We are like a group of householders, living in the same locality, who decide to express their community of interests by entering into a formal association for their mutual self-protection.”
That was US President Harry Truman on April 4, 1949, at the signing of the Washington Declaration creating NATO. It is an effective metaphor, and a convincing one. But it can also be turned around.
In a recent...
An attack on Iran would not bring security to the Middle East; it would bring chaos
For the past several weeks, the possibility of a military attack on Iran has dominated political debate, media coverage, and strategic calculations across West Asia. Whether such an attack has been delayed, postponed, or quietly shelved remains unclear. What is clear, however, is that any military action against Iran—by Israel, the United States, or both—would not be a limited or contained event. It would unleash...
Syrian interim president has not yet demonstrated any concrete readiness to move toward genuine national reconciliation or genuine dialogue, whether with the SDF or the Druze and Alawites
Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Washington D.C. and met with U.S. President Donald Trump on November 10, 2025. This was an additional step toward strengthening his international power, especially since it came after the UN Security Council. Under the initiative of the United States, the UN decided to remove him from the...
It seems that European allies will be hoping for a change of US administration in the near future
A noticeable and, for many, unexpected outcome of 2025 was the difficulties that emerged in US-EU relations. Washington has made a sharp turn in its foreign policy across a number of areas. This shift has impacted cooperation with European allies. These changes stand in particular contrast to the Biden presidency, when the US and EU achieved unprecedented solidarity, including on the issue of containing...
The only way to harmonize the process of achieving shared goals is to view Greater Eurasia as one big home for all, where the stability of each state is of concern for others
The only way to harmonize the process of achieving shared goals is to view Greater Eurasia as one big home for all, where the stability of each state is of concern for others. So far, the states of the region, with rare exceptions, have shown a strong tendency to view prospective development in such terms, writes Valdai Club...
... into operational mechanisms.
Given the serious difficulties Iraq faces, certain faction recognition of the "state" notion is a step in a positive direction, albeit a small one and possibly reversible. These difficulties include militia refusal to disarm and the degree to which the newly elected government will be able to either confront or incorporate them into planned agreements. Iran's stance also affects the situation; it may opt to escalate and further destabilize Iraq, or it may choose ...
Feigned loyalty to the United States and its leadership can prove more dangerous than open resistance
The kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US special forces has raised the question of what other states should do to avoid a similar outcome. Kidnapping a national leader is just one possible use of force. Current media coverage also highlights other options, such as the seizure of merchant ships and the threat of territorial annexation, or airstrikes. In other words, we are talking...
