Western states have held their first “face-to-face” discussions with Syria’s main Islamist rebel groups, according numerous media reports. The meeting between western states, including the US, and the Syrian Islamic Front (SIF), was attended by Turkish and Qatari representatives and was held in the Turkish capital Ankara. It marks a shift in policy for US […]
The leader of Syria’s most powerful Kurdish faction has warned of a possible future war against “Arab settlers” in Kurdish areas of the country, only weeks after his party declared the establishment of an autonomous Kurdish region. Salih Muslim, who heads the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its powerful militia, the Committees for the Protection of the […]
by Daniel Pipes The Washington Times November 6, 2013 N.B.: (1) Washington Times title: “Cyprus rides a troubled sea of oil and gas opportunity.” (2) I use Grammarly for proofreading because every time you publish a typo, the errorists win! The Republic of Cyprus has entered the maelstrom of the world’s most volatile region thanks […]
As US President Obama continues to mull his options over a potential military intervention in Syria, Syrian state media is upping the ante, publicizing a list of “targets” that the Syrian military could target with “long-range missiles” in the event of a US-led attack. Aerial photos of the purported targets were released by state media, including strategic military positions […]
The natural gas fields in the Mediterranean provide the United States with an opportunity to break with Turkey, according to Seth Cropsey, formerly the deputy undersecretary of the Navy in the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations. “Politics and alliances in the eastern Mediterranean are shifting, and the region’s security framework is splintering,” Cropsey […]
Syrian Kurdish militants clashed Tuesday with Al Qaeda-linked rebel terrorist fighters, killing at least four members of the Jabhat al-Nusra (Al Nusra Front) terrorist organization as the Kurds prepared to set the stage for an autonomous region, while Islamists group attempt to establish their own independent “emirates”, ruled by sharia (Islamic law). Gunfire also spilled over […]
by Daniel Pipes July 3, 2013 updated Jul 4, 2013 Cross-posted from National Review Online, The Corner German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble made a statement not often heard from high-up Europeans concerning Turkey’s bid to join the European Union: “We should not accept Turkey as a full member … Turkey is not part of Europe.” […]
Heritage expert James Jay Carafano, vice president of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies and the E. W. Richardson Fellow, gives his answers to questions about the turmoil in Egypt. Q. Is President Mohamed Morsi’s downfall a blow to democracy in the Middle East? A. No, far from it. Morsi was a wannabe sectarian Mubarak. His […]
by Daniel Pipes Commentary July/August 2013 For an Internet add-on, an excerpt about the Medieval Synthesis from my 1983 book, In the Path of God; Islam and Political Power, click here. Islam currently represents a backward, aggressive, and violent force. Must it remain this way, or can it be reformed and become moderate, modern, and […]
HAMMI/SIPA/Newscom Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has badly mishandled mushrooming protests, which could obstruct his political ambitions and constrain his latitude on foreign policy issues. The protests, which were initially triggered on May 28 by Erdogan’s plans to uproot trees in Gezi Park in Istanbul, quickly snowballed into nationwide anti-government demonstrations when Erdogan’s harsh […]
