REGIONS

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. …

Pepe Escobar  The United Nations Security Council’s 15-0 vote to impose a new set of sanctions on North Korea somewhat disguises the critical role played by the Russia-China strategic partnership, the “RC” at the core of the BRICS group. The new sanctions are pretty harsh. They include a …

Shehab Al Makahleh • Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s visit to Ankara, before he headed to Berlin and Paris on his way to New York for the United Nations General Assembly meetings, sent several political signals and messages. One of the messages was directed toward Qatari …

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 …

Shehab Al Makahleh • The question whether Turkey would reopen its embassy in Damascus in the near future has become significant for many analysts due to the multiple messages that such a move would send to various regional and international powers. It has been confirmed by the Turkish side …

ANKARA – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, according to sources familiar with the Turkish presidency. The Turkish news site Khabdar reported that Erdogan met with Assad at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin after meeting Iranian President Hassan …

By Shehab Al Makahleh •    The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is experiencing a fundamental geopolitical transformation which has pushed both superpowers to get more involved in the affairs of the MENA region. The frequent visits of both American and Russian officials to the region reflect …

Rakiya Albaloot | September 9, 2017 Turkish president Erdoğan and his Iranian counterpart arrived on Saturday to the Kazakh capital to attend Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit scheduled to kick off on Sunday. According to official statements, the leaders will be discussing bilateral ties between their countries, …