ISIS carried out at least six confirmed attacks in November in the Homs, Hama, and Deir Ez Zor governorates, killing at least eight pro-regime soldiers and two civilians. There were also two high quality* attacks carried out during the month. ISIS attacks in central Syria declined for the third consecutive …

Twenty-six days after Nawaf Salam was assigned to form a Lebanese government, the decrees for its formation were announced on Saturday from the Presidential Palace. President Joseph Aoun accepted the resignation of Najib Mikati’s government. The Council of Ministers is scheduled to hold its first session at the Presidential Palace …

Ukrainian forces managed to blunt Russian territorial advances and inflict significant casualties and material losses in 2024, even with ammunition shortages and a deficit in infantry. However, Ukraine will need continued Western support and better manpower-management to avoid further battlefield setbacks. While 2024 was a difficult year for Ukraine on …

Just because a course of action is considered to be the most rational doesn’t mean that it’ll be pursued. Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra told the Washington Post last week that the interim government might allow Russia to keep its air and naval base in the country so long …

The dynamics of changing the global order The global order has undergone significant changes in recent decades, which have been intensified by specific factors. The emergence of new global powers such as China and India is consolidating their roles as new economic, technological and military superpowers. The competition between the …

The world is experiencing tectonic shifts that will define the geopolitical landscape for decades to come. The emergence of a multipolar world, driven by the rise of China, Russia, and other BRICS members, poses a challenge that compels the United States to redefine its strategy for global leadership. President Donald …

As early as 2011, during the initial days of the Arab Spring, I anticipated the rise of Islamist imperialism within the global rise of right-wing exclusionary movements. The events continued to follow that same catastrophic trajectory as the extreme right from Indonesia and the Indian Subcontinent to the Middle East …

As Russia’s war against Ukraine enters its third year, Ukraine’s growing offensive capabilities have forced the Russian military to work harder to protect its assets, including its battered Black Sea Fleet (BSF) (see EDM, November 8, 2022, March 11, 26, August 13 [1], [2], 2024). Media reports indicate that Russia …

We do not report in detail on war crimes because these activities are well-covered in Western media and do not directly affect the military operations we are assessing and forecasting. We utterly condemn violations of the laws of armed conflict and the Geneva Conventions and crimes against humanity even though …

The anxiety among the broader elite caused by the Defense Ministry purge has been intensified by the fact that newly available rent flows have been divided up among different elite groups. The biggest source of tension within the Russian elites in 2024 was the purge of the Defense Ministry. Defense …