Recent Posts

The Middle East Abhors a Vacuum

It seems fantastical, but observers may soon look back on the late twentieth century as a period of relative stability in the Middle East. Although there was no shortage of conflict and mayhem, the violence rarely led to dramatic change. No states were conquered and eliminated outright. Dictators came and …

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Mali Accuses France of Spying After Video Emerges of Mass Grave

Mali has reprimanded France for “spying” after the French military released a video of what it alleged were Russian mercenaries burying bodies at a mass grave. Paris said the video, filmed using a drone, was of a military base near Gossi, in northern Mali. It accused Russian-linked mercenaries of joining …

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Hayat Tahrir al-Sham hands over Islamic State jihadists to Turkey

The Idlib-based group’s decision to hand over several jihadis to Turkey, including two men affiliated with the Islamic State, come as part of HTS’s attempt to present itself as more moderate. Reports about Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) handing over foreign jihadis to Turkey in exchange for being removed from international …

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