(The Guardian)- Key parties in Syria’s brutal civil war, now stretching towards the end of its sixth year, will meet in the Kazakh capital of Astana this week for a new round of peace talks. Organised by Russia and Turkey, and backed by Iran, these are the latest in many attempts to...

(Middle East Eye)- Tunisia is not simply a “jihadist beacon”, but that may be the only thing you associate it with given the way some European commentators have discussed the country recently. Against all the odds - deep ideological rifts, a fragile state in a chaotic regional context,...

(Al-Monitor)- When 2016 was drawing to a close, Moscow surprisingly agreed to divide Syrian warring factions into “good” and “bad” guys and to recognize the idea of the “moderate opposition.” On Jan. 10, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced the preparation of talks between...

By Hassan Hassan (The  National)- Al Qaeda in Syria has faced – and survived – two upheavals since 2011. Today, the organisation might be facing its third major test, and the new development brings with it a fresh challenge for Syria. The first challenge was the dispute...