Middle Orient

On February 9, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggested that Turkey would begin developing nuclear weapons should Iran obtain them. During a televised interview with CNN Turk, Fidan warned that Iranian nuclearization would upset the “balance of power” in the Middle East and likely initiate a regional nuclear arms race, …

Toplines The Syrian government is transferring all residents from al Hol internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Hasakah Province to Aleppo Province and Iraq.[1] The government will close the camp in the coming days.[2] The Syrian government had reportedly planned to close both al Hol and al Roj IDP camps …

The Syrian government released a number of detainees affiliated with the Islamist-oriented Hizb ut-Tahrir party who had been imprisoned in Idlib (northwestern Syria) on Monday, February 16. Abdo al-Dali, a member of the media office of Hizb ut-Tahrir, Wilayah Syria, confirmed to Enab Baladi that several party members detained in …

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The 162-article draft “constitution,” however, shows that, if and when the Palestinians have a state of their own, it would actually not be different from the two mini-states they have had for the past two decades: the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the …

A source inside the municipality of Akhtarin district, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, confirmed to Enab Baladi the transfer of residents of the “Al-Hol” camp in the countryside of Al-Hasakah, which includes the families of the “Islamic State” organization. The source said that the transfer is likely to be …

The rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has erupted beyond subtle divergences into a more overt and consequential rivalry. While it started with an emerging proxy war over southern Yemen, it has now shifted to the Horn of Africa. But while efforts to smooth their differences …

Syria’s oil fields in the northeast have returned to the state from the SDF, but the recovery of the country’s energy sector will take time, energy, and money Damascus, Syria – Following the government’s takeover of much of northeast Syria from the Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in recent weeks, …

The NCAG’s viability will depend on producing quick, tangible deliverables, so the Trump administration, the Board of Peace, and the High Representative should stand ready to provide the requisite support on staving off Hamas and PA obstructionism and cutting through Israeli red tape. Last month’s establishment of the National Committee …

Clear-eyed recounting and a detailed roadmap can give U.S. officials and the American public a better view of what security and governance measures the new Syrian government has taken so far, and what gaps and pitfalls remain in the path of lasting stability. The following testimony was submitted to the …