Analysis

ANALYSIS/OPINION  Stana Dubajic • By buying Russian S-400 air-defense missile system Turkey, erstwhile Western ally, second largest NATO member, and a bulwark against Soviet expansion in the Middle East during Cold War, has caused a geostrategic earthquake and tipped the Middle East balance of power irreparably against the West. …

Kim Petersen “The United States of America has been among the greatest forces for good in the history of the world, and the greatest defenders of sovereignty, security, and prosperity for all.” – US president Donald Trump’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly, 19 September 2017 If you are …

GM | Staff Writer   After two days of negotiations, Astana talks wrapped up on Friday, resulting in long-awaited agreement on establishing the fourth and the final de-escalation zone in Idlib governorate bordering Turkey. As the talks were concluding, China finally upped the ante on Syria by expressing its …

Stana Dubajic   As the Syrian tragic war draws to its end, another potentially explosive development in the region is increasingly gaining media attention in recent weeks – the Iraqi Kurdish referendum. With less than two weeks left to the Referendum date, the Kurds seem to be faced with a …

By Peter Korzun • Despite differences over Syria and the Iranian nuclear deal, current Russia-Saudi Arabia relations are arguably at an apex, both in terms of shared interests and mutual understanding. It has just been announced that King of Saudi Arabia Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will visit Russia in late October. …

On August 31, the US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups of Jaysh Ahrar al-Ashayer and Jaysh Usud al-Sharqiya released a Syrian pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Ali al-Helw and 30 Syrian soldiers. Al-Helw’s warplane, a Mig-23BN, crashed in the northern Suwayda countryside on August 15. Jaysh Usud al-Sharqiya captured the …

By Shehab Al Makahleh, Special to Al Arabiya English | Friday, 25 August 2017 • Jordan and Iraq have agreed to reopen the Turaibil – al-Karamah border crossing shortly after Eid Al Adha. A Jordanian security official has told Al Arabiya English that the Karamah crossing will be opened for …

By M K Bhadrakumar  The geopolitics of the Middle East is witnessing a tectonic shift with the emergence of a Turkish-Iranian axis that would have seemed unbelievable until recently. The 3-day visit by Iran’s chief of general staff General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri to Turkey last week was the first …

The Islamic State (ISIL) has been given one last chance to leave central Syria before the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) closes the 5 km gap between the Al-Raqqa and Homs governorates. With some of their forces already besieged in eastern Hama, the Islamic State cannot afford to have …