In most capitals across the Middle East, the news of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s fall sparked immense anxiety. Ankara is not one of them. Rather than worrying about Syria’s prospects after more than a decade of conflict, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees opportunity in a post-Assad future. His optimism …
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December, 2024
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13 December
Syria’s Kurds faced with all-out war as Turkey, Sunni allies target Kobani
A day after the fall of the SDF-controlled town of Manbij, Turkish proxies advanced today toward the town of Kobani. The collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime following a lightning offensive led by al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and an array of Sunni factions supported by Turkey has created new …
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13 December
Syrian Rebels Who Overthrew Assad Name Interim Government Leader
The Syrian rebels who overthrew longtime iron-fisted ruler Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday appointed a transitional head of government to run the country until March 1. After a cabinet meeting in Damascus of rebel leaders and ousted officials from Assad’s government, Mohammed al-Bashir, a figure little known across most of Syria …
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13 December
Why did Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas announce his successor now?
On Wednesday, Abbas, 89-years-old, announced that the Palestinian National Council chairman, Rawhi Fattouh, would be his temporary replacement. Suddenly, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas issued a controversial presidential decree announcing who would replace him in an interim period when the post became vacant. On Wednesday, Abbas, 89-years-old, announced that …
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13 December
Analysis: Al-Assad’s fall is Iran and Russia’s loss, but are there winners?
Turkiye stands to gain, while Israel feels insecure about what comes next. After 54 years in power, the al-Assad family’s rule in Syria has come to an end. On December 8, Bashar al-Assad fled the country and sought asylum in Russia. The collapse of one of the most brutal regimes …
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13 December
Syria’s New Rulers Are Former Al-Qaeda Terrorists. Why Is D.C. Celebrating Them? | Opinion
A former Al Qaeda commander has seized power in Damascus, bringing great jubilation and relief to Washington, D.C. regime-changers who pined for this day. Bashar al-Assad has fled ingloriously to Russia in the dead of night without so much as making a statement to bid farewell. It’s certainly interesting how …
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13 December
Why Putin Is The Biggest Loser of Assad’s Downfall in Syria
Vladimir Putin has been dealt a significant geopolitical blow with the downfall of Bashar al-Assad, whose regime in Syria the Russian president had committed considerable funding and military resources to propping up. Assad fled Syria and has claimed political asylum in Russia, Kremlin-backed media reported, his now exiled status depriving …
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13 December
Syrian government services come to a ‘complete halt’ as state workers stay home after rebel takeover
Syria’s prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers were back at work after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad, but some state workers failed to return to their jobs, and a United Nations official said the country’s public sector had come “to a complete and abrupt halt.” Meanwhile, streams of …
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13 December
Libya Energy Profile: Despite Large Oil Reserves, Political Conflicts And Militia Attacks Have Limited Investments In Sector – Analysis
Libya was the seventh-largest crude oil producer in OPEC and the third-largest total petroleum liquids producer in Africa, after Nigeria and Algeria, in 2023.1 At the beginning of 2024, Libya held 3% of the world’s proved oil reserves and 41% of Africa’s proved oil reserves.2 Despite Libya’s large oil reserves, …
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13 December
Taliban’s minister of refugees killed in suicide attack in Kabul
Khalil al Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s minister of refugees and a terrorist wanted by the United States, was killed in a suicide attack today outside of his ministry building. Khalil served as the minister of refugees since the fall of the Republic of Afghanistan in August 2021. Khalil’s death was …
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