Orientul Mijlociu

Syrian mercenaries sustain Turkey’s foreign policy

Some say they’re former opposition fighters, others say they’re refugees looking for a paycheck. One thing is clear: Turkey’s Syrian mercenaries have formed an integral part of the country’s foreign policy ambitions.

The conflict has pitted Armenia against Azerbaijan since the early 1990s, when the region was captured by local ethnic Armenians. However, the conflict has witnessed a new feature develop for the first time since it erupted nearly three decades ago.

Turkey Aims To Roll Out World’s First Drone Carrier – OpEd

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is pursuing an ambitious goal. In order to realize Turkish great power fantasies, Turkey is not only developing an armory of international standing, but also wants to join the circle of the world’s preeminent military powers in the next few years. The construction of a light aircraft carrier as a supra-regional operational platform serves this goal.

In the near future, Turkey sees its warships, painted in light gray camouflage and flying the red flag with a white crescent moon and star, sweeping the Aegean, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. Its navy, however, can also operate in parts of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The idea of the “blue fatherland” and the vision of transforming the Turkish coastal navy into a powerful ocean-going fleet serve as motivation to do so.

Turkey and the West: Drifting Further Apart

In theory, Turkey is a NATO ally. In theory, also, Turkey is in negotiations with the European Union for full membership. In reality, both are illusions.

In April, the European Council on Foreign Relations surveyed more than 17,000 people in 12 European countries. The survey found that: “Turkey is the only country that more Europeans see as an adversary than a necessary partner…. Europeans understand there are aspects of their relations with Russia, China, and Turkey that make these countries rivals or even adversaries.”

Amid Escalation In Rocket Attacks On U.S. Forces In Syria, Pro-Regime Syrian Press Threatens: This Is A New Phase In Resistance; Every Rocket Will Be Met With A Rocket ‘Until Occupiers Leave’

Recently there has been an increase in operations against the U.S. military presence in Syria. Within only two weeks there were six incidents of rocket and mortar fire against two bases of the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in northeastern Syria: the Al-Omar oil field east of Deir Al-Zor, which is the largest coalition base in Syria and houses U.S., French and British troops, and the base at the Conoco gas field in the same region.[1] While the attacks did not result in casualties, they no doubt reflect a shift in the struggle against the U.S. forces in Syria, which has until now mainly involved local villagers throwing stones at military vehicles and blocking military patrols, as well as clashes with regime forces at checkpoints manned by the latter.[2]

Al-Qaeda Supporter Urges Fighters In Syria To Form Small Attack Cells, Target U.S., Russia, Perpetrate Attacks Abroad

On July 27, 2021, an Al-Qaeda supporter calling himself Haydarah Al-Qandahari posted an article on Telegram titled “A Call to the Lions of Monotheism in the Syrian Arena”. In this article, written in Arabic, Al-Qandahari urges Al-Qaeda-aligned mujahideen in Syria to form small, independent groups consisting of three to five fighters, and to focus on targeting U.S. and Russian forces. It appears from the article that Al-Qandahari is located in Syria and his pen name probably indicates that he is a veteran of the Afghan jihad who spent time in the Kandahar area before coming to Syria.

The Decade of Defiance & Resistance: Reflections On Arab Revolutionary Uprisings And Responses From 2010 – 2020

The dynamics fostered by the wars and revolutions plaguing many Arab states today represent the most consequential national transformations since World War I, culminating in a period of civilian defiance and resistance that was especially distinct between 2010 – 2020. Despite being pauperized by predatory governments, citizens have challenged their heavily militarized states, emerging to fight battles that have been brewing for decades. Both the protesting citizens in the streets and the hardline governments that try to blunt their momentum are highly motivated. The outcome of these historic confrontations remains unclear. Yet, it is already possible to identify the causes, actors, motivations, and tactics on both sides that have fueled the waves of rebellion and repression over the past decade. Since the start of the 2010 – 2011 uprisings across the Arab world – the so-called “Arab Spring” – long-term transformations in the mindsets and actions of citizens have emerged that have the potential to catalyze political change across the region for decades to come, shaping political relationships between the governed and governors.

A Way Forward With Iran? Options for Crafting a U.S. Strategy

Any discussion of a Biden administration strategy on Iran must begin with an analysis of how previous U.S. administrations have approached the threat posed by Iran. From the very start of the Islamic Republic forty-one years ago, U.S.-Iran relations have been fraught with mistrust, animosity, threats, and occasional active hostilities, but interspersed with periods of negotiation and even tacit cooperation in selected circumstances. Yet, none of the Iran strategies pursued by seven U.S. administrations since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 has succeeded in neutralizing the wide range of threats Iran still poses to U.S. interests and allies.

Hurras al-Din: Claimed Operation in Damascus

Despite the crackdown the group has faced from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in the region of Idlib and its environs, the al-Qa’ida-loyalist group Hurras al-Din is still trying to show itself as a force of relevance that continues the jihad in Syria. At the beginning of this year the group claimed an operation targeting the Russian presence in Raqqa province.

Iranian Political Analyst Emad Abshenas: Iran Had The Ability To Make 10 Nuclear Bombs Even Before The JCPOA; Raisi Will Negotiate With The U.S. Only In Order To Lift The Sanctions – Not To Resolve Disagreements

Iranian political analyst Emad Abshenas, the editor-in-chief of Iran Diplomatic Newspaper, said that unlike Rouhani’s team, President-elect Raisi’s administration does not seek to reach a fundamental resolution of all disagreements with the U.S., but only to have the sanctions lifted. He made his remarks in a show that aired on Sky News Arabiya (UAE) on July 24, 2021. Abshenas said that he does not think that Raisi’s team wants to obtain nuclear weapons, although Iran has all the technology to manufacture a bomb, and if it wanted to, it could do so at any time. Abshnenas also said that “even before the JCPOA, (Iran) had the ability to manufacture ten nuclear bombs.” He added that Iran’s first priority will be resolving disagreements with the neighboring countries and getting closer to “the countries of the East” like Russia and China instead of getting closer to Europe and the United States.