Author: M Barbu

The View from Damascus – Foreign Fighters in Post-War Syria: Between Integration, Instrumentalization, and Institutional Collapse – The Syrian Observer

In the uneasy interstice between war and peace, Syria grapples with a question striking at the heart of national sovereignty, social cohesion, and institutional legitimacy: what to do with thousands of foreign jihadist fighters who can neither be expelled nor ignored. The recent move to integrate roughly 3,500 of these militants—most notably from the Uyghur-dominated Turkistan Islamic Party—into a new military division has ignited fierce political, ethical and security debates. While some frame this as a pragmatic solution for battle-hardened fighters with no repatriation options, others see it as a dangerous compromise that could erode Syria’s fragile foundations.

Conspiracy or Transformation? Revisiting Ambassador Ford’s Remarks on Sharaa, Sanctions, and the Fragile Future Ahead – The Syrian Observer

In a wide-ranging talk, former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford traced the astonishing political transformation unfolding in Damascus: from a 14-year civil war and the December 2024 collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to the rise of Ahmed al-Sharaa—a former jihadist commander now serving as Syria’s transitional president.

Israel’s Intervention in Post-Assad Syria: Implications for Sovereignty and the Responsibility of the Transitional Government – The Syrian Observer

The collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 marked a watershed moment in Middle Eastern geopolitics. Abrupt and largely unforeseen by both regional and international actors, Assad’s fall brought an end to decades of autocratic rule and the relative stability that had defined Syria since Hafez al-Assad seized power in 1970.

The Trump family’s lucrative Middle East business empire

The first presidential trip of US President Donald J. Trump’s second term was welcomed with lavish celebrations by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

During the visit, these Gulf states committed to investing around $2 trillion through technology and defence deals with American companies, strengthening their economic and political partnerships with the US.

Private Military Companies (PMCs) Subject Bibliography No. 1: Wagner Group (Africa Corps)

The Wagner Group is a recent iteration of Russia’s historical use of proxy forces abroad. In 2013, the Syrian government contracted Slavonic Corps, a front organization and sub-contractor for the Russian private security company Moran Security Group to secure selected oilfields in eastern Syria. Although its first and only mission was considered both a test and a failure, the concept of Slavonic Corps gave rise to the Wagner Group, which emerged soon after. The leadership of Wagner Group included Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dimitry Utkin; Prigozhin was a successful convict-turned-businessman with close ties to President Putin while Utkin was a former member of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and commander of a Spetsnaz unit. The unique and timely characteristics of these leaders, as well as Wagner’s direct ties to the Russian state, were key to the organization’s success. Operating mostly in the grey zone, the Wagner Group fulfilled Russian strategic objectives and sought to secure funding by both licit and illicit means. Russian offerings to state leaders via Wagner Group ranged from single issue solutions to “regime survival packages” in exchange for resource extraction, business enterprise contracts, and other forms of payment.

Avertissement grave sur la troisième guerre mondiale : Les mêmes responsables qui ont déclenché les deux premières guerres mondiales sont déterminés à en déclencher une troisième – Réseau International

Mouvements majeurs et manœuvres massives sur l’échiquier géopolitique mondial manipulés discrètement par LA TRIADE

Ne vous y trompez pas, la plupart des plus grandes nations de la Terre NE VEULENT PAS d’une troisième guerre mondiale. La Russie, la Chine, l’Inde, l’Iran, l’Arabie saoudite, le Mexique, le Brésil, l’Argentine, l’Afrique du Sud et de nombreux autres pays sensés ne veulent pas prendre part à une guerre mondiale ouverte. En réalité, ces gouvernements pacifistes ont travaillé d’arrache-pied pour empêcher une troisième guerre mondiale depuis le 11 septembre, souvent au détriment de leurs intérêts nationaux et en particulier de leurs citoyens respectifs.

The Death of Journalism in Azerbaijan

For months, the young Azerbaijani activist-turned-journalist had been documenting the plight of her colleagues as they were smeared by pro-government media, detained, and hauled before the courts on charges of “currency smuggling.”

So Fatima prepared. The 24-year-old gave access to her Facebook account to friends abroad and recorded a one-minute video to be uploaded when the inevitable happened.

Au Sahel, le regain des violences djihadistes inquiète : « On ne peut pas écarter un scénario à la somalienne »

Les dernières semaines ont été particulièrement meurtrières, avec plusieurs centaines de soldats tués dans diverses attaques au Mali, au Burkina Faso et au Niger.

Raids sanglants au Mali, incursions dans de grandes villes au Burkina Faso, lourdes pertes militaires au Niger : les djihadistes ont intensifié leurs offensives contre les armées au Sahel. Les dernières semaines ont été particulièrement meurtrières, avec plusieurs centaines de soldats tués dans diverses attaques revendiquées, au Mali et au Burkina Faso par le Groupe de soutien de l’islam et des musulmans (GSIM), affilié à Al-Qaida, et au Niger par l’Etat islamique au Sahel (EIS). Les juntes des trois pays, qui avaient promis lors de leurs putschs de faire du retour de la sécurité une priorité, peinent à endiguer la progression des djihadistes, qui menacent plus que jamais le nord de certains pays côtiers du golfe de Guinée.