By  Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib On the occasion of World Refugee Day on Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati made a pedantic speech about Syrian refugees. Lebanon hosts about 1.7 million refugees — 200,000 Palestinians, who have been lingering in camps since 1948, and 1. 5...

Pivotal moments in history rarely present themselves, but when they do, that is exactly what they turn out to be. The power dynamics of an entire region can be altered, the interests of governments can be shifted, and the geopolitical arena can be at least partially dominated by former...

The developments that Syria has witnessed since the outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine indicate that the entire region is on the verge of major events that are difficult to predict. There are distinct signs of Turkish determination to launch a military operation in northern Syria. This...

There is hardly any human right more uncontroversial or universally agreed-upon than the rights of a child, at least in principle. Out of the nine binding international treaties on human rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most subscribed, ratified by every UN member state...

(Arab News- Baria Alamuddin )-  The World Food Programme is warning of a “wave of collateral hunger” around the world as a result of the carnage in Ukraine. Arab states are likely to be among the hardest hit. Ukraine had been the WFP’s second-largest supplier of wheat. The WFP...

By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh The Iranian regime is expanding its presence in Syria and increasing its military, financial and advisory assistance to militia groups there in order to preserve one of its top national security interests. Tehran’s increasing influence in Syria can particularly be...

By Marwan Safar Jalani Less than 10 years ago, the United Arab Emirates’ foreign minister, Abdullah bin Zayed, spoke up against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria for massacring civilians. In November, he hugged him. The embrace — on the first visit of an Emirati...

Last week, a Jordanian army officer was killed, and three army personnel were injured during an open clash with drug smugglers, who were trying to cross the Jordanian border from Syria. This incident highlights one of the most important challenges as Jordan reopens to Syria. The presence of...

During a trade event in Istanbul on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he will pay a visit to Saudi Arabia next month after receiving an invitation from Riyadh. The visit will be the first by the Turkish president to the Kingdom since February 2017, when he visited Saudi...

Dynamics of geopolitics and Turkiye, Russia, US relations will decide the future of the embattled nation Peace is a relative term in a battle zone. Like Syria in 2021. After years of a crippling war, the devastated country found some breathing space after a proposed military operation by...

The pragmatic rapprochement between Turkey and some Gulf countries symbolizes the end of the cold war between them, and the start of a new era based on de-escalation and diplomacy. On Nov. 17, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani visited Turkey, where he held talks with...

Washington, DC – Absent an unforeseen event, experts say Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad is not going to lose his grip on power any time soon – something that is moving many Arab countries to normalise relations with the government in Damascus. Thousands of kilometres away in Washington,...

The Iranian regime continues to exert a considerable amount of influence in Syria. Will the region witness any changes in Iran’s policy toward Syria under the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi? And what are the broader regional implications?   As a core hard-liner, Raisi sees Syria from...

The timing of Moscow and the Syrian regime’s attacks over the past few months indicates a desire to pressure the international community before major international meetings on the Syrian war. On March 5, 2020, Russia and Turkey signed a ceasefire agreement in Syria’s Idlib that included...

Denmark recently became the first European country to begin denying temporary residence status to Syrian refugees. The move reflects internal Danish politics but also represents a threat to individual Syrians, with potentially much larger consequences if other European countries follow...

Denmark's latest crackdown on vulnerable Syrian refugees has not come as a surprise. In 2019, the Danish government declared some parts of Syria "safe" - a designation with no basis in reality, and one that has been strongly condemned by international human rights groups and the UNHCR....

By  Talmiz Ahmad The 10-year commemoration of Syria’s bloody civil conflict in March has evoked expressions of anguish and some new diplomatic initiatives. Nearly half-a-million people have been killed and several million more displaced since the conflict started on March...

As ethnic militias back the popular uprising and refugees flee the country, the similarities with Syria are deeply disturbing n August 2011, Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey’s then foreign minister, made a “mercy dash” to Damascus. He appealed in person to Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to...

The bet on another revolution born out of hunger and anger for their stolen bread was lost, as a large number of Syrians still believe that their struggle is but an external conspiracy and an unjust siege, despite all the restriction and the clampdown that the regime has implemented on all...

Tucked away in a little-noticed corner of the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill is an allocation of $40 million in “non-lethal stabilization aid” for Syria, with the proviso that none of it should be used to strengthen Iran and its militias, Russia or the government of Bashar Al Assad. This...