(BBC)- The Syrian town of al-Bab was rather insignificant until it emerged as a strategic stake between the Syrian president and his allies (Russia and Iran), Turkey, the Kurdish PYD (Democratic Union Party) and the so-called Islamic State group. Situated just north-east of Aleppo, this...

(The Guardian)- The focus of the plight of the Syrian people has shifted away from the apex of horror that was the suffering caused by the siege of eastern Aleppo. Now we must not let the lives of millions of people in desperate need across Syria slip from the world’s conscience. In 2016...

(New York Times)- A northern Syrian city that is one of the Islamic State’s last enclaves in the country is under assault by military forces bearing down from all sides. The complication is that the advancing forces — the Syrian Army and pro-government militias backed by Russia, and...

By David Patrikarakos ( RFE/RL )- 2017, it seems, will be no less chaotic than its predecessor -- an aphorism made plain by a mere glance at the state of international politics extending from Paris to Washington. But nowhere is this trend clearer than in that most tumultuous of...