خلق الحوار. التأثير على السياسة.
Generating Dialogue. Impacting Policy.
Iraq’s efforts to remain neutral are in line with the Iraqi government’s new policy based on the concept of “Iraq first.” This new administration in Baghdad will also be an asset to negotiations, as it is clearly in Iraqi interests to help the two sides engage in dialogue and, ultimately, successful negotiations.
Fikra Forum
On July 2, the Turkish army reportedly shelled Kurdish forces in the Northern Aleppo region of Tel Rifaat, following a similar incident in mid-June where the Turkish Defense Ministry reported killing ten Kurdish soldiers in retaliation for the death of a Turkish soldier. These recent intermittent skirmishes reflect how Tel Rifaat remains a potential flash-point in the hotly contested region of Northwest Syria, where Kurdish, Russian, Turkish, and Syrian armed forces are all in close proximity.
Fikra Forum
During a recent trip to Lebanon, members of the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL) were struck not only by the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Lebanon but also by how many Lebanese blame the strains of their country on the significant number of Syrian refugees who remain in the country.
The reign of terror that ISIS conducted in their self-proclaimed caliphate shocked the world’s conscious to the point that sworn enemies marshaled their resources to defeat the threat. Yet as Kelley E. Currie, senior State Department appointee and representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, stated at a recent USIP talk with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad, “The conflict isn’t over until the healing of the people is done.”
Fikra Forum
In a time where the balance of the Middle East is in flux, regional leaders and the international community alike should be closely following the relationship between Turkey and Iran. While the relationship between Teheran and Ankara has historically been troubled, mutual interests have sprouted newfound cooperation between the two nations.
Fikra Forum
Mohamed Maher and Irina Tsukerman
Egypt and Turkey are the two largest countries in the eastern Mediterranean; along with Iran, they make up nearly half of the total population of the Middle East. And though Ankara and Cairo have consistently avoided direct confrontation or hostilities, a deep-seated conflict between the two countries is currently playing out across the region.
