The Intertwined Destinies of Syria and Iraq: A Historical and Political Nexus – The Syrian Observer

The relationship between Syria and Iraq resists simple classification within conventional models of regional systems, yet it stands as one of the defining features of the Arab Levant’s modern history. This unique and enduring bond cannot be explained solely through the lens of ancient sectarian or theological divisions. To reduce it to historical rivalries—such as those between the Umayyads and Hashemites, or Sunni and Shia factions—is to perpetuate a flawed narrative of perpetual sectarian conflict.

The EU ‘Elites’, Part III

The report (“The EU’s Propaganda Machine: How the EU funds NGOs to promote itself”) shows how the European Commission – the unelected executive branch of the European Union – is using taxpayer money “to promote its political agenda under the guise of advancing ‘EU values’.” In short, the EU is funding NGOs and think-tanks to spread its own propaganda.

Syria Is No Longer a Narco-State, But the Captagon Trade Rolls On

Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa pledged to dismantle his country’s massive illegal drug trade when he took power in December, but the dangerous amphetamine captagon is still flowing.

On September 1, Jordanian security forces announced that they “foiled two large-scale drug-smuggling attempts along the country’s eastern border [with Syria].” In August, Jordanian authorities intercepted at least 10 drug shipments, a significant increase from previous months.

Turkey’s Quiet Relationship with ISIS

On June 29, 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State in al-Sham (ISIS), was recorded on video speaking at the al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul, Iraq. (“Al-Sham” is the traditional Arabic name for the Levant.) He declared himself to be the caliph or divinely inspired absolute ruler of an Islamic state.

ISIS had risen from the ashes of al-Qa’ida in Iraq, bringing together Syrian jhadists released by Asad’s regime, former members of Saddam Hussein’s army in Iraq, and Sunni tribal fighters from across rural Iraq. In Syria, ISIS joined other jihadist groups in fighting Asad. As its battlefield victories mounted, ISIS broke with al-Qai’da in declaring an Islamic state across eastern Syria and northern Iraq, with al-Raqqa in Syria as its capital.

Ukraine’s Fight at Home: The Battle Against Corruption Is Essential to the War Against Russia

Ukrainians know how to make their voices heard—and to make their leaders listen. They will never accept capitulation to Russia, whether in the form of the surrender of Ukrainian land or the abandonment of Ukrainian citizens to Russian occupiers. President Volodymyr Zelensky knows this. It is why he avoided making unacceptable concessions to U.S. President Donald Trump in his latest visit to the White House.

A Palestinian State Would Be Good for Israel

More than a half century after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 242—which established the principle by which Israel would give up territory it gained in the war in exchange for peace and security—the Israelis and the Palestinians have made no meaningful, much less lasting, progress on their core differences.

It is time for this to change. What little opportunity still exists for realizing progress toward a durable agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians—one that would serve both parties’ interests—is fast fading. Political and physical barriers to compromise will soon pass a tipping point.

Young Somali refugees targeted by Libyan-based traffickers | ISS Africa

Somali refugees line-up at a registration centre on August 2, 2011 at Dagahaley refugee site within the Dadaab complex to be registered to receive aid after having been displaced from their homes in southern Somalia by a famine that is ravaging the horn of Africa region. An estimated 3.7 million people in Somalia — around a third of the population — are on the brink of starvation and aid agencies are stretched in trying to cope with a daily influx of Somali’s escaping not only drought but the al-Shabab extremists who have turned taken advantage of the famine to forcefully arrest and recruit men trying to escape the famine.. AFP PHOTO/Tony KARUMBA (Photo by TONY KARUMBA / AFP)

Young Somali refugees targeted by Libyan-based traffickers

Trans-Saharan syndicates lure youngsters from Kenya’s Dadaab camps, promising a better life in Europe.

A Libyan-based criminal group, the Magafe, is reportedly leading a kidnapping and trafficking network that targets Kenyan refugee camps. The trans-Saharan human trafficking syndicate deceives young Somali refugees with false promises of relocation to Europe. The dangerous journeys that ensue often result in severe abuse and sometimes death.

Muslim Brotherhood: A Global Jihadist Threat to the US, Europe, Middle East

According to the Department of Justice, in the early 1990s, the Muslim Brotherhood, planned to establish a network of organizations in the US to spread a militant Islamist message and raise money for Hamas. The Texas-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) became the chief fundraising arm for the Palestine Committee in the US, created by the MB to support Hamas. In 2008, HLF leaders were convicted of crimes, including providing material support for Hamas.

Beyond Federalism: Is Confederation The Key To Ending Syria’s Conflict And Chaos?

The demonstrations organized by the Druze community in Suwayda, demanding the right to self-determination and declaring independence from Syria, were neither a fleeting episode nor a simple reaction to the brutal crackdown launched by the transitional authority in Damascus last July. That assault on the Mount of Druze claimed thousands of deaths and grave human rights violations, leaving enduring scars on the community.