Iran at the table: When foes come together over Syria

A week after top diplomats from Russia, the US, Turkey and Saudi Arabia met in Vienna for “constructive” talks on Syria, they’re doing it again. Only this time, Iran will be at the table.

Germany: Saving Refugees Comes with a Huge Political Price Tag

The influx of refugees into Germany is forcing its leaders to throw aside some of their long-held convictions and face reality.

A new brute takes over Palmyra’s notorious Tadmur Prison

Situated in Palmyra, near some of the world’s most beautiful ancient ruins, Syria’s notorious Tadmur Prison has fallen from one brutal boss to another.

Why we got it wrong on Syria and Ukraine

As the Syrian conflict enters its fifth year, I can’t help noticing a common theme with the crisis in Ukraine.

Jordan’s warrior king ‘suits up’ to fight ISIS – on Twitter

Photographs of Jordan’s King Abdullah suited up in full combat gear, apparently ready to personally take on ISIS, appeared on Twitter this week. They seemed too good to be true – and they were.

Why Turkey’s ‘Kasimpasa man’ can’t get tough with Putin

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also known as the “Kasimpasa man” after the tough Istanbul neighborhood of his childhood. But when it comes to tough man of the region, Vladimir Putin, the Turkish leader can be surprisingly soft.

Ignoring the Syrian side of the Sykes-Picot line

ISIS delivers a multilingual, postcolonial, post-national, proto-caliphate jihadist message to beat all prior propaganda ploys. So, why are we divorcing Iraq from Syria? And why do we always ignore a battlefield to rush into Iraq?

Maliki’s wrong: ISIS is so rich, it doesn’t need Saudi money

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has blamed Saudi Arabia for funding Islamists. But ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria) is also a threat to the Saudis and for once, Saudi money does not talk.

Al Qaeda's Possible Collapse in Syria

There are two competing visions of radical jihadism in Syria articulated by two rival groups

The End of Paternalism: Assessing the “Arab Spring” Three Years On

From its inception, the expression “Arab Spring” always appeared to be on rhetorically weak ground.