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The Syrian conflict has now been raging for over half a decade, with hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.
Like about the Loch Ness Monster, we have only heard that the West has proof of the Assad regime using chemical weapons. But we've seen no credible testimony. For all one knows, it may have been the rebels' doing to instigate a US military response.
Germany activated the principle of universal jurisdiction enshrined in the German Code of Crimes, which allows it to prosecute international crimes no
An attempt is being made to draw Damascus back into mainstream politics; however, the influence of foreign actors over the war-torn country will make
ISIS provides a single common enemy where foreign interventionists in the conflict will increasingly find themselves elbowing for space.
Just as Europe is beginning to look economically desperate, Turkey next door looks like the very picture of economic, political and strategic stability. The ultimate irony, ofcourse, is that after having prepared itself on every possible count for eligibility to enter Europe.
Turkey, which played a role in raising the stakes in Syria and now lowering it, deserves a close look. A mildly Islamised democratic Turkey ruled by its most charismatic Prime Minister ever, Tayyep Erdogan, was incorporated in the management of what had at one stage acquired the label of Arab Spring.
The Syrian crisis has become a test case for Turkey's foreign and domestic policy. Determined to find a balance between its global expectations and regional objectives, Turkey aimed towards the downfall of the Assad regime, relying on its strength in the Arab streets and support to rebels to ensure a rapid outcome. This tolerance for the radical opposition in Syria, along with the failure in finding a resolution to the Kurdish issue, has contribu
For years now, the Syrian government has allegedly continued to violate the basic obligations of international law.
The popular uprising against the Assad regime in 2011, which gradually evolved into a civil conflict, has been one of contemporary history’s greatest tragedies. The conflict has claimed more than 400,000 lives; over six million Syrians have been internally displaced. India has not joined the call for an end to the Assad-led Baath Party rule over Syria. While this position may not hold much weight on its own, it strengthens with the consolidated
Unfortunately countries like ours, generally content with being passive recipients of Western media, do not realize that it is the west which always ends up choosing the enemy (or friend) for us.
Syrians may not be able to return home for a variety of reasons, but in conversations, many of them express a deep longing for their country.
Like Syria, both the opposing camps in Egypt do not seem to have any common meeting ground. Also, like Syria, both have enough support and resources to bear losses and continue the conflict. The developing situation, therefore, could not only spiral off into a bloody civil war domestically, but could also polarise the region.
Much of this month has witnessed a slow but steady build-up of Russian troops in Syria. The Russian move is of huge significance - militarily as well geopolitically - not by what it brings to the table, but by what it prevents the other protagonists from doing in that tragic conflict.
Reported jihadi threats forcing the down-grading of a New Year Eve entertainment programme and those regarding seven more Maldivians joining the civil war in Syria have revived the on-again-off-again national discourse on religious radicalism in Maldives.
The year 2020 was a bad year for the world, owing to Covid-19 pandemic, but for the Middle East, it was even worse.
Pakistan has no option but to respond to public outrage. Blocking of the two NATO supply routes to Afghanistan and denying the use of a Baloch airfield to the CIA is actually a low risk retaliation when Iran, Hezbullah, Syria are much more in the eye of a huge, global storm.
The phenomenon of individuals leaving their home country and making their way to conflict zones to join terror and insurgent groups is not new. In the past few years, however, the numbers of these “foreign fighters” have increased: thousands of people from more than 80 countries have made their way to Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and other battle zones. As countries in the West struggled to deal with these intra-geographic threats from radicalis
Regimes sympathic to the Palestinian plight would, to that extent, be insulted from peoples' wrath in Syria and Libya, for instance. Demonstrations in Iran and Libya are part of the internal turmoil in these countries, unrelated to the Palestinian issue.
The revolutions were certainly inspiring — and for a time — made many Arabs and the world believe that the troubled region was finally moving towa
A feature of the Syrian crisis which must please those ostensibly seeking the regime's ouster is that it is turning out to be a long drawn one. So long drawn, in fact, that the world is beginning to develop an amnesia about the Palestinian issue.
Two rockets exploded in a district in the southern part of Beirut, wounding five people. While the perpetrators of the attack unknown, Syrian rebels have vowed to retaliate against Hezbollah's fighters assisting President Bashar Al-Assad's forces in Syria.
While the consequences of a complete disintegration of the JCPOA will be felt globally, much of the brunt will have to be absorbed by Rouhani.
In early 2020 the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) published an India-centric propaganda material called Voice of Hind. This special report examines the first issue of the publication, which openly recruits Indian Muslims by manipulating the fears and grievances they harbour owing to certain political developments in the country. The analysis uses theories of social psychology, inter-group conflict discourse, and communications theory to pr
There is a periodic urge in the West to fix Iran. Syria and Iran had been listed on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list for decades even before September 11, 2001. In 2002, George Bush described Iran as a member of the 'Axis of Evil'. Despite all this, there were talks of negotiations.
The challenge for India is much larger than voting choices on the international resolutions on Syria. It is about finding effective ways to cope with the expanding Saudi-Iran rivalry, which is not limited to Syria.
The COVID-19 pandemic is acting as a catalyst for deepening anti-Shia prejudice whose geopolitical dimensions are rooted in regional Sunni-Shia rivalr
To arrest the spread of brutal Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the US must go in with a limited military mission, thus aiding the process of bringing stability in Iraq and the region at large. However, it should not look at staying in Iraq for a long haul.
As the frequency of climate-related disasters rise, there is a greater need for a compounded cooperative approach within the global community
For him, Turkey is the Islamic power awaiting its due, and while it does not have the oil dollars backing its fragile economy, it is still working hard to create its own narratives and influence zones across the region.
If the War on Terror-2.0 is to be carried out only by drones and the US/NATO Air-forces, one can be certain that the 'Islamic State' will retain control over its territory in Iraq and Syria for a long time to come.
With the stage set for the Geneva II conference on Syria, positions have been drawn, bargaining will be tough and the outcome could go either way.
Has New Delhi forgotten its breast beating against cross-border terrorism in Kashmir atleast since 1989? How will it ever raise that issue again having voted along with the west which stands for cross border terrorism by US, France, UK, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey against Syria?
The post-ISIS scenario for Deir Ezzor is yet to be identified, and that is perhaps true for the entire state of Syria.
Legitimacy to insurgent groups, whether political or institutional, is often a last resort by states and almost never the first option.
The Syrian crisis, at its current juncture, looks set for a prolonged battle.
