Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said early this week that his country’s strategic goal was membership in the European Union, and expressed the hope that granting Turkish citizens visa-free travel within the EU would advance the accession process.However, he immediately con

It is hardly surprising that Iraqis stormed the Green Zone at the heart of Baghdad, entered the parliament building and confronted legislators blocking reforms proposed by Prime Minister Haidar Al Abadi.Iraqis of all sects and stations in life were among those who poured into the

Since Syria’s fragile ceasefire began on February 27, there have been multiple violations by all parties, as well as changes on the ground involving various forces.The ceasefire binding the Syrian army and militias not belonging to either Daesh or Al Qaeda’s Jabhat Al Nusra enabl

The world cannot afford to waste time over ending the war in Syria.When US President Barack Obama leaves the White House in January, peacemaking could come to an abrupt halt.His successor, motivated by the desire to curb Russian and Iranian involvement, is likely to opt for milit

The two sides involved in the intra-Syrian peace talks resuming in Geneva this week are taking seriously the dictum “you don’t win at the peace table what you don’t win on the battlefield”.Between this round and the last, the Syrian regular army, backed by Russian airpower a

Donald Trump, who leads the field in the contest for the Republican Party nomination for the US presidency, has managed to alienate a majority of US citizens while maintaining his popularity with angry, marginalised, largely male, white voters.While he never had the backing of De

Palmyra’s liberation from Daesh by the Russian and Hizbollah-backed Syrian army amounted to a significant victory for Damascus and makes the army the principal anti-Daesh force in the country.Until Daesh was routed from Palmyra, the US-supported Kurdish people’s protection forces

The second round of intra-Syrian talks is set to end today in Geneva with the government and Riyadh-sponsored opposition still sparring over the fate of President Bashar Assad.The government continues to argue Assad’s presidency cannot be addressed while the High Negotiations Com

The dread word “federalism” is back on the forked tongues of politicians and diplomats in discussions of the shape of Syria, if and when the war ends.UN mediator Staffan de Mistura should be ashamed to have put “federalism” on the agenda of this week’s talks on ending the Syrian