It has been 12 years since the conflict in Syria began to displace Syrians from their homes into neighboring countries. Since then, their numbers in Turkey have reached 3.7 million. In the absence of any traditional durable solutions — in the form of voluntary return, resettlement, or local integration — the presence of Syrian refugees in Turkey has bec protracted, with no end in sighr
Showing posts with label Syria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Syria. Show all posts
5/29/23
5/7/22
German defense chief recommends international security zone in Syria
The current situation in Syria "requires a stronger European
initiative," said Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in an interview with DW. A
deployment of German troops to the region, however, must be decided by
parliament.
Germany's proposal for the establishment of an internationally controlled security zone in Syria would be in cooperation with Turkey and Russia, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told DW in an exclusive interview Monday evening.
"This security zone would seek to resume the fight against terror and against the 'Islamic State,' which has currently come to a standstill," she said. "It would also ensure that we stabilize the region so that rebuilding civilian life is once again possible, and so that those who have fled can also return
2/15/21
Turkey-US relations: Turkey summons US ambassador over statement on killings
Turkey summoned the United States ambassador to Ankara on Monday to convey “in the strongest terms” its reaction to a statement on the killing of 13 kidnapped Turks in Iraq, which President Tayyip Erdogan called “a farce”.
Turkey said on Sunday fighters from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) executed the captives, including Turkish military and police personnel, amid a military operation in northern Iraq where the group was holding them.
“The statement made by the United States is a farce,” Erdogan said on Monday. “You said you did not support terrorists, when in fact you are on their side and behind them,” Erdogan said in televised remarks criticising the US State Department statement, which failed to accept Ankara’s account of the incide
Read more at: Turkey summons US ambassador over statement on killings | Turkey News | Al Jazeera
Turkey said on Sunday fighters from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) executed the captives, including Turkish military and police personnel, amid a military operation in northern Iraq where the group was holding them.
“The statement made by the United States is a farce,” Erdogan said on Monday. “You said you did not support terrorists, when in fact you are on their side and behind them,” Erdogan said in televised remarks criticising the US State Department statement, which failed to accept Ankara’s account of the incide
Read more at: Turkey summons US ambassador over statement on killings | Turkey News | Al Jazeera
7/13/20
Middle East: Iran-Syria Relations:Israeli military sources say Iran withdrawing from Syria
Iran is "gradually" withdrawing from Syria and
arranging for the closure of its military bases in the country,
following a double attack on Monday night attributed to Israel,
said sources at the Israeli defence ministry.
The sources called it a "significant reduction" of forces aimed at decreasing tension in one of the hottest zones in the region, close to Israel's northern border, which is already dealing with the Lebanese Hezbollah. In addition, Israeli sources said they have also seen a reduction in the number of Shiite militants operating in Syria, even though that is more due to the effect of the "natural progression of the civil war" than to actions attributed to Israel.
"We are determined, more determined than Iran, and I can explain why," said Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett.
"For Iran, Syria is an adventure a thousand miles from home.
For us, it's about our lives," Bennett said.
Read More at:
Israeli military sources say Iran withdrawing from Syria - Analysis - ANSAMed.it
The sources called it a "significant reduction" of forces aimed at decreasing tension in one of the hottest zones in the region, close to Israel's northern border, which is already dealing with the Lebanese Hezbollah. In addition, Israeli sources said they have also seen a reduction in the number of Shiite militants operating in Syria, even though that is more due to the effect of the "natural progression of the civil war" than to actions attributed to Israel.
"We are determined, more determined than Iran, and I can explain why," said Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett.
"For Iran, Syria is an adventure a thousand miles from home.
For us, it's about our lives," Bennett said.
Read More at:
Israeli military sources say Iran withdrawing from Syria - Analysis - ANSAMed.it
6/25/20
Middle East - Syria: International community has failed completely' in Syria - by Niels Melzer
Nils Melzer: What worries me most right now is a general trend towards
the erosion of the international human rights system. We can see that in
China, Hong Kong, Russia, Brazil, the United States, Syria — it is
impossible to name them all. In every country affected by the migration
crisis, there are serious issues. What we are seeing is a strong erosion
of human rights standards and of the readiness of states to be held to
account for violations of human rights.
Read more at:
International community has failed completely′ in Syria | World| Breaking news and perspectives from around the globe | DW | 25.06.2020
Read more at:
International community has failed completely′ in Syria | World| Breaking news and perspectives from around the globe | DW | 25.06.2020
6/16/20
Middle East: Hezbollah leader accuses US of trying to 'starve' Syria, Lebanon
"The Caesar Act aims to starve Lebanon just as it aims to starve Syria," Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech.
"Syria has won the war... militarily, in security terms and politically," he added, describing the law which comes into force Wednesday as Washington's "last weapon" against Damascus.
The US law targets companies that deal with President Bashar al-Assad's
Read more at:
Hezbollah leader accuses US of trying to 'starve' Syria, Lebanon
"Syria has won the war... militarily, in security terms and politically," he added, describing the law which comes into force Wednesday as Washington's "last weapon" against Damascus.
The US law targets companies that deal with President Bashar al-Assad's
Read more at:
Hezbollah leader accuses US of trying to 'starve' Syria, Lebanon
5/14/20
Middle East: Pandemic 'shock' could destabilise Middle East, EU fears - by Andrew Rettman
The economic "shock" of the pandemic could aggravate crises on
Europe's southern fringe, EU diplomats fear, amid other concerns on
Israeli annexation.
"From a political perspective, the impact of the pandemic may exacerbate the many existing crises affecting the [Middle East and North Africa] region," the EU foreign service said in an internal report on 8 May, seen by EUobserver.
The Syria war "may also see another wave of refugees towards Europe", it noted. "The tragedy of the conflict only deteriorates in Yemen," it added.
Other countries in the region also risked instability due to the "triple parallel shock on [falling] revenues, from oil, tourism, and remittances", the EU report warned.
"All this may result in increased risk of social upheavals, jeopardising security and stability in the region" and create "tensions between secularists and Islamists," it said.
"The plummeting oil price will have huge impact in Algeria," it noted.
"Iraq, due to the combination of political instability, insecurity, and low oil prices stands out as a country the EU should focus its attention on," it said.
"The pandemic can only worsen things in the protracted Libya crisis", it said.
Read more at: Pandemic 'shock' could destabilise Middle East, EU fears
"From a political perspective, the impact of the pandemic may exacerbate the many existing crises affecting the [Middle East and North Africa] region," the EU foreign service said in an internal report on 8 May, seen by EUobserver.
The Syria war "may also see another wave of refugees towards Europe", it noted. "The tragedy of the conflict only deteriorates in Yemen," it added.
Other countries in the region also risked instability due to the "triple parallel shock on [falling] revenues, from oil, tourism, and remittances", the EU report warned.
"All this may result in increased risk of social upheavals, jeopardising security and stability in the region" and create "tensions between secularists and Islamists," it said.
"The plummeting oil price will have huge impact in Algeria," it noted.
"Iraq, due to the combination of political instability, insecurity, and low oil prices stands out as a country the EU should focus its attention on," it said.
"The pandemic can only worsen things in the protracted Libya crisis", it said.
Read more at: Pandemic 'shock' could destabilise Middle East, EU fears
5/6/20
3/5/20
Turkey: Looming coronavirus threat adds to Turkey’s economic woes
The fast-spreading coronavirus has dampened global
economic prospects for 2020, a year that many had hoped would see a
revival in the fragile world economy. For Turkey, the threat comes atop
existing economic woes, coupled with its deepening military involvement in the war in neighboring Syria. Though the deadly virus is not yet officially present in Turkey, it has badly affected another neighbor, Iran, forcing the closure of border crossings in a blow to bilateral trade and tourism.
Of the nearly 89,000 cases reported globally as of March 2, 90% are in China, the epicenter of the outbreak, where the death toll is nearing 3,000. The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned March 2 that the virus was now spreading faster outside China, singling out South Korea, Japan, Iran and Italy as “our greatest concern.” In Iran, Turkey’s eastern neighbor, the official death toll
stood at 66 as of March 2, with more than 1,500 people infected since
Tehran announced the first deaths Feb. 19. According to WHO, infection
cases have been exported from Iran to at least 11 countries.
The outbreak threatens to further cripple
the sanction-hit Iranian economy, which shrank some 9.5% last year,
atop a nearly 5% contraction in 2018, according to figures by the International Monetary Fund
(IMF). With its oil and gas revenues plunging, Iran’s current account
deficit hit $12 billion — or 3.4% of its gross domestic product (GDP)
— in 2019, a far cry from the $15 billion surplus in 2017. The country’s
unemployment rate has shot up to 17% and its annual consumer inflation
to about 30%, while the budget deficit has reached more than 5% of the
GDP.
With the coronavirus closing in on Turkey, the Turkish health minister warned
March 2 there might already be infected individuals in the country,
although no case has been officially confirmed thus far. According to
the head of the Turkish Medical Association, “Turkey could weather the
disease without any human loss if the necessary measures are enforced.”
Read more at: Looming coronavirus threat adds to Turkey’s economic woes
3/4/20
Turkey: Erdogan is bullying Europe because Trump gave him the green light – by Iveta Cherneva
The show which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is playing now
with the migrant crisis is, to a great extent, the result of the green
light he got from Trump last October when the US troops withdrew from
Syria.
Erdoğan entered Syria like a king and started running the show. Several days ago, he even proclaimed to his party that the Syrian province Idlib was Turkish territory now. “We are the hosts now”, he said.
The 33 killed Turkish soldiers in Syria were a big blow – but it was a small price to pay for the gains Erdoğan has made.
Erdoğan’s ambitions to continue expecting help from NATO in Syria are arrogant, as is his country’s veto on the Alliance’s defence plan for the Baltic States and Poland in NATO, unless the Syrian Kurdish YPG is recognised as a terrorist organisation. These are just blackmailing tactics.
Turkey will never get direct military help by NATO in Syria. And forget about Article 5 in the Turkey-Syria case. In the end, it is Turkey that entered Syria, not the other way around. This is why Article 4 and consultations are the most that Turkey can hope for, and they already used that option last week.
A Turkish government spokesman announced that 100,000 refugees are now headed towards the EU. When all other leverage fails for Erdoğan, it is the refugees’ turn. This is the show we are watching. I won’t even mention the refugee deal that Turkey struck with the EU – that is pretty irrelevant right now, from where I am sitting.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov will try to serve as a mediator between the EU and Turkey – he did so on Monday and will continue over the following days.
The chiefs of the three EU institutions are meeting the Greek leadership on Tuesday in Greece but that will be no more than a symbolic meeting. The real breakdown of dialogue is not between EU institutions and Greece. It is elsewhere.
Erdoğan’s plans, however, are to see many more dramatic scenes at the EU border. Unavoidably, there will be human suffering. Turkey’s propaganda will make the most of it.
The last refugee episode tells Europe that the show will end when Erdoğan says so. Today, the Turkish leader said that “millions” of refugees will enter Europe. It doesn’t take millions, however. Several thousand refugees and several fatalities will be more than enough to accomplish what Erdoğan intends – humiliate the EU.
Read more at: Erdogan is bullying Europe because Trump gave him the green light – EURACTIV.com
Erdoğan entered Syria like a king and started running the show. Several days ago, he even proclaimed to his party that the Syrian province Idlib was Turkish territory now. “We are the hosts now”, he said.
The 33 killed Turkish soldiers in Syria were a big blow – but it was a small price to pay for the gains Erdoğan has made.
Erdoğan’s ambitions to continue expecting help from NATO in Syria are arrogant, as is his country’s veto on the Alliance’s defence plan for the Baltic States and Poland in NATO, unless the Syrian Kurdish YPG is recognised as a terrorist organisation. These are just blackmailing tactics.
Turkey will never get direct military help by NATO in Syria. And forget about Article 5 in the Turkey-Syria case. In the end, it is Turkey that entered Syria, not the other way around. This is why Article 4 and consultations are the most that Turkey can hope for, and they already used that option last week.
A Turkish government spokesman announced that 100,000 refugees are now headed towards the EU. When all other leverage fails for Erdoğan, it is the refugees’ turn. This is the show we are watching. I won’t even mention the refugee deal that Turkey struck with the EU – that is pretty irrelevant right now, from where I am sitting.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov will try to serve as a mediator between the EU and Turkey – he did so on Monday and will continue over the following days.
The chiefs of the three EU institutions are meeting the Greek leadership on Tuesday in Greece but that will be no more than a symbolic meeting. The real breakdown of dialogue is not between EU institutions and Greece. It is elsewhere.
Erdoğan’s plans, however, are to see many more dramatic scenes at the EU border. Unavoidably, there will be human suffering. Turkey’s propaganda will make the most of it.
The last refugee episode tells Europe that the show will end when Erdoğan says so. Today, the Turkish leader said that “millions” of refugees will enter Europe. It doesn’t take millions, however. Several thousand refugees and several fatalities will be more than enough to accomplish what Erdoğan intends – humiliate the EU.
Read more at: Erdogan is bullying Europe because Trump gave him the green light – EURACTIV.com
3/1/20
EU calls emergency meeting on deepening Turkey-Syria crisis
Brussels has called an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers as Turkey’s escalating conflict with the Syrian regime risks creating a new refugee crisis.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said that the fighting around the province of Idlib, Syria’s last rebel-held enclave, represented “a serious threat to international peace and security” and that the EU had to “redouble efforts to address this terrible human crisis with all the means at its disposal”.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, declared on Saturday that his country had “opened the gates” to the EU for the 4m refugees currently living in Turkey as he sought to pressure Europe into providing Ankara with greater support in Idlib.
Read more at: EU calls emergency meeting on deepening Turkey-Syria crisis | Financial Times
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, declared on Saturday that his country had “opened the gates” to the EU for the 4m refugees currently living in Turkey as he sought to pressure Europe into providing Ankara with greater support in Idlib.
Read more at: EU calls emergency meeting on deepening Turkey-Syria crisis | Financial Times
2/27/20
2/21/20
MIDDLE EAST ANALYSIS: Turkey now technically at war with Russia and Syria - Foreign Affairs - Israel National News
A week after Israel National News reported that Turkey was on a crash course with Russia over Syria the parties are now at war technically speaking.
This happened after talks between a Turkish delegation and the Kremlin in Moscow about the worsening crisis in northeast Syria and the imminent threat of a new Turkish invasion in Syria over the Idlib Province, which is home to a range of Sunni Islamist groups supported by Turkey, broke-down.
The Turkey-backed Islamist militias in Idlib are on the verge of defeat after the Iranian-Russian-backed pro-Assad coalition rapidly advanced in the last rebel stronghold and even surrounded Turkish observation posts which were set up to monitor a 2018 de-escalation agreement between Russia and Turkey that failed miserably.
After the new talks between Russia and Turkey broke down Turkish autocratic leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch a new incursion into Syria, a promise he kept this time around.
"If the countries that we are in negotiations with do not do what needs to be done in Idlib, then we will do it ourselves. For the time being, we do not see the result that we want from these talks. We are fully prepared for our own operation in Idlib, it's only a matter of time we can start at any moment. This is a vital operation for us," Erdogan said on Wednesday.
Read more at: ANALYSIS: Turkey now technically at war with Russia and Syria - Foreign Affairs - Israel National News
This happened after talks between a Turkish delegation and the Kremlin in Moscow about the worsening crisis in northeast Syria and the imminent threat of a new Turkish invasion in Syria over the Idlib Province, which is home to a range of Sunni Islamist groups supported by Turkey, broke-down.
The Turkey-backed Islamist militias in Idlib are on the verge of defeat after the Iranian-Russian-backed pro-Assad coalition rapidly advanced in the last rebel stronghold and even surrounded Turkish observation posts which were set up to monitor a 2018 de-escalation agreement between Russia and Turkey that failed miserably.
After the new talks between Russia and Turkey broke down Turkish autocratic leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch a new incursion into Syria, a promise he kept this time around.
"If the countries that we are in negotiations with do not do what needs to be done in Idlib, then we will do it ourselves. For the time being, we do not see the result that we want from these talks. We are fully prepared for our own operation in Idlib, it's only a matter of time we can start at any moment. This is a vital operation for us," Erdogan said on Wednesday.
Read more at: ANALYSIS: Turkey now technically at war with Russia and Syria - Foreign Affairs - Israel National News
2/19/20
Middle East: Russia, Turkey, Iran reassert glory of past empires in today's Middle East - by Jack Cohen
Three countries – Russia, Turkey and Iran – are currently trying to
reassert their former influence and glory, harking back to the power and
greatness of the former Czarist/Soviet, Ottoman and Persian empires,
respectively. In many ways these three imperial states, led by
autocratic leaders – President Vladimir Putin, President Recep Erdogan,
and Ayatollah Khamenei, respectively – are similar and have found it
convenient to collaborate in some matters. But, in most ways these
leaders and their putative empires are very competitive.
The difference between these three intended empires and the USA is very stark. While the US is really the only superpower, President Donald Trump has enunciated a policy of withdrawal from the Middle East, the main area of big power conflicts, even though his mantra is “Make America Great Again.” In this policy he continues that of his predecessor, Barack Obama, who also had a policy of retraction from the Middle East. By contrast, Russia, Turkey and Iran are all in an expansionist phase, particularly in that region.
The difference between these three intended empires and the USA is very stark. While the US is really the only superpower, President Donald Trump has enunciated a policy of withdrawal from the Middle East, the main area of big power conflicts, even though his mantra is “Make America Great Again.” In this policy he continues that of his predecessor, Barack Obama, who also had a policy of retraction from the Middle East. By contrast, Russia, Turkey and Iran are all in an expansionist phase, particularly in that region.
They see the Arab countries as weak and exploitable, and two of them, Iran and Turkey, seek to reassert their former spheres of control there. Russia, it is said, has always sought a warm water port in the Mediterranean Sea, and in fact Obama’s incompetence gifted that to Putin.
When he declared his red line over the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons, and then instead allowed Putin to come into Syria to mediate the removal of those weapons from Assad, he released a monster. Putin got his port at Latakia and then an airfield, and then participated in the fighting with Assad’s regime and saved it from the brink of defeat and brought it to victory, at the cost of millions of lives.
Syria is now effectively a vassal state of Russia, and Putin will decide its fate.Iran has also been active in Syria, through its Quds Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), whose former leader, Gen. Qasem Soleimani, was assassinated by the US.
There is a relationship between Assad, who comes from the Alawite minority in Syria, and the Shia from Iran. But we should see that as an ideological excuse to justify Iranian expansionism into the Arab world. Although they would be loath to admit it, Shi’ism is a cloak for the reassertion of Iranian power in the region formerly part of the Persian Empire. Its influence now extends to Yemen, where Iran supports the Houthi rebels; Iraq, where it controls the Popular Mobilization Forces; and Lebanon, where Hezbollah is its dependent proxy.
Turkey under Erdogan has been veering away from the democratic Westernized Turkey that Kemal Ataturk foresaw, toward a Sunni religious format. In doing so, he has taken on the dubious role of reconstituting the Ottoman Empire. He has entered the Syrian morass, defeated the Kurdish forces and occupied a 30-kilometer stretch of Syrian territory where he claims he intends to settle some of the millions of Syrian evacuees in his country.
He controls northern Cyprus, and his latest move is into Libya, where he has agreed to support the supposedly legitimate government in Benghazi in exchange for oil exploitation rights in the Mediterranean. Meanwhile Russia is supporting the insurgent army of Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who controls Tripoli and much of Libya.
The reduction of American presence and power in the Middle East, coupled with a reluctance to use that power, has resulted in the proverbial power vacuum. This has enticed these three states to exercise their own expansionist dreams, fueling their own versions of “Make X Great Again,” where X=Russia, Turkey and Iran. How these imperial designs and competitions will play out remains to be seen.
Note EU-Digest: Russia in fact has now taken over the US leadership position in he Middle East, assisted by Assad and Erdogan. As a result Erdogan has thereby created a major breach on NATO's Southern flank, by aligning himself with Putin, making the creation of an independent EU military force, and kicking Turkey out of the NATO an urgent requirement... .
Read more at: Russia, Turkey, Iran reassert glory of past empires in today's Middle Eas - The Jerusalem Post
The difference between these three intended empires and the USA is very stark. While the US is really the only superpower, President Donald Trump has enunciated a policy of withdrawal from the Middle East, the main area of big power conflicts, even though his mantra is “Make America Great Again.” In this policy he continues that of his predecessor, Barack Obama, who also had a policy of retraction from the Middle East. By contrast, Russia, Turkey and Iran are all in an expansionist phase, particularly in that region.
The difference between these three intended empires and the USA is very stark. While the US is really the only superpower, President Donald Trump has enunciated a policy of withdrawal from the Middle East, the main area of big power conflicts, even though his mantra is “Make America Great Again.” In this policy he continues that of his predecessor, Barack Obama, who also had a policy of retraction from the Middle East. By contrast, Russia, Turkey and Iran are all in an expansionist phase, particularly in that region.
They see the Arab countries as weak and exploitable, and two of them, Iran and Turkey, seek to reassert their former spheres of control there. Russia, it is said, has always sought a warm water port in the Mediterranean Sea, and in fact Obama’s incompetence gifted that to Putin.
When he declared his red line over the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons, and then instead allowed Putin to come into Syria to mediate the removal of those weapons from Assad, he released a monster. Putin got his port at Latakia and then an airfield, and then participated in the fighting with Assad’s regime and saved it from the brink of defeat and brought it to victory, at the cost of millions of lives.
Syria is now effectively a vassal state of Russia, and Putin will decide its fate.Iran has also been active in Syria, through its Quds Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), whose former leader, Gen. Qasem Soleimani, was assassinated by the US.
There is a relationship between Assad, who comes from the Alawite minority in Syria, and the Shia from Iran. But we should see that as an ideological excuse to justify Iranian expansionism into the Arab world. Although they would be loath to admit it, Shi’ism is a cloak for the reassertion of Iranian power in the region formerly part of the Persian Empire. Its influence now extends to Yemen, where Iran supports the Houthi rebels; Iraq, where it controls the Popular Mobilization Forces; and Lebanon, where Hezbollah is its dependent proxy.
Turkey under Erdogan has been veering away from the democratic Westernized Turkey that Kemal Ataturk foresaw, toward a Sunni religious format. In doing so, he has taken on the dubious role of reconstituting the Ottoman Empire. He has entered the Syrian morass, defeated the Kurdish forces and occupied a 30-kilometer stretch of Syrian territory where he claims he intends to settle some of the millions of Syrian evacuees in his country.
He controls northern Cyprus, and his latest move is into Libya, where he has agreed to support the supposedly legitimate government in Benghazi in exchange for oil exploitation rights in the Mediterranean. Meanwhile Russia is supporting the insurgent army of Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who controls Tripoli and much of Libya.
The reduction of American presence and power in the Middle East, coupled with a reluctance to use that power, has resulted in the proverbial power vacuum. This has enticed these three states to exercise their own expansionist dreams, fueling their own versions of “Make X Great Again,” where X=Russia, Turkey and Iran. How these imperial designs and competitions will play out remains to be seen.
Note EU-Digest: Russia in fact has now taken over the US leadership position in he Middle East, assisted by Assad and Erdogan. As a result Erdogan has thereby created a major breach on NATO's Southern flank, by aligning himself with Putin, making the creation of an independent EU military force, and kicking Turkey out of the NATO an urgent requirement... .
Read more at: Russia, Turkey, Iran reassert glory of past empires in today's Middle Eas - The Jerusalem Post
2/15/20
Syria: 'Catastrophe' looms as displaced Syrians flee toward closed Turkish border
Syrian families have been fleeing their homes and pushing toward a closed border with Turkey as government troops backed by Russia seek to regain control of the last opposition enclave in the country.
Read more at :
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/syria-displaced-closed-border-1.5463295
Read more at :
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/syria-displaced-closed-border-1.5463295
2/13/20
US Middle East Policy: Deadly clash in Syria a vivid reminder of US troops' ill-defined mission
US Middle East Polcy: Since Trump abruptly ended his pact with the Kurds, the US presence in the country’s north-east has been stuck in a quagmire
Read more at:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/13/syria-us-troops-mission-qamishli-quagmire?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Add_to_Firefox
Read more at:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/13/syria-us-troops-mission-qamishli-quagmire?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Add_to_Firefox
1/30/20
Middle East: How Far Can Turkey Challenge NATO and the EU in 2020? - Carnegie Europe - by Marc Pierini
In their dealings with Turkey in 2020,
NATO and the European Union will sit across a more assertive
interlocutor than ever before, but one they can hardly ignore.
NATO leaders will have to cope with the
actual deployment of Russian S-400 missiles, the possible acquisition of
Russian fighter aircraft, the continuing Turkish military operations in
northern Syria, and an incipient military deployment in Libya.
EU leaders will deal with ongoing issues,
such as Syrian refugees in Turkey, the expulsion of jihadists of EU
origin, and drilling operations around Cyprus, as well as new topics
like the agreement with Libya on maritime boundaries, the implications
for EU businesses resulting from eventual U.S. sanctions, and the
consequences of Brexit for Turkey’s relations with the UK and the EU.
The number and seriousness of these
issues, as well as the potential for more adverse developments in
Turkey’s policies, justify a firm, resolute, and yet cooperative policy
from NATO and the European Union.
President Erdoğan’s Justice and
Development Party (AKP) has been in power since November 2002.
Erdoğan
himself was prime minister from March 2003 until August 2014 and
president of the republic thereafter. One of the main achievements
during that period was a notable increase in prosperity,
resulting in
the creation of a new middle class; a massive development of
transportation, irrigation, and social infrastructure; and a military
buildup.
This is illustrated in a list of 824 projects launched and/or completed in the 2010–2019 period.
The presidency’s operating mode is one mixing bold initiatives producing visible results in the public space with the steady elimination of freedom of expression and a tight control of the media and the judiciary, as illustrated in contentious events like the 2019 municipal elections and the Gezi trial.
1/1/20
Middle East: U.S. troops in Syria heading to Iraq, not home as Trump claims
U.S. President Donald Trump insists he's bringing home Americans from "endless wars" in the Mideast, but his Pentagon chief says all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq, and the U.S. military will continue operations against ISIS.
Read more at:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-s-troops-syria-heading-to-iraq-1.5328549
Read more at:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-s-troops-syria-heading-to-iraq-1.5328549
12/29/19
USA - Middle East: Trump aides call U.S. strikes on Iraq and Syria 'successful,' warn of potential further action
U.S. officials said on Sunday that air strikes in Iraq and Syria against an Iran-backed militia group were successful, but warned that "additional actions" may still be taken in the region to defend U.S. interests.
Read more at :
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-iraq-security-usa/trump-aides-call-u-s-strikes-on-iraq-and-syria-successful-warn-of-potential-further-action-idUKKBN1YX0GL
Read more at :
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-iraq-security-usa/trump-aides-call-u-s-strikes-on-iraq-and-syria-successful-warn-of-potential-further-action-idUKKBN1YX0GL
11/23/19
Netherlands-Court decission: Netherlands does not have to help kids from ISIS parents trapped in Syria
The Netherlands will not have to retrieve children of Dutch citizens awaiting their fates in Syrian detention and displacement camps, the kids of Dutch women who left the Netherlands to enter conflict zones in Syria and Iraq. The Appellate Court in The Hague overturned a lower court's ten-day old order on an emergency appeal filed on behalf of the Dutch government.
Read more at:
https://nltimes.nl/2019/11/22/netherlands-help-kids-trapped-syria-appellate-court
Read more at:
https://nltimes.nl/2019/11/22/netherlands-help-kids-trapped-syria-appellate-court
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