Arab & Islamic Politics

The new governing board has fewer young members, fewer women, and more old-guard members with close ties to President Erdogan, who is betting that this alignment will help the party regain its legislative majority next month.

The PYD will not hesitate to cooperate with Damascus and Moscow in the north if Turkey and the United States continue prohibiting the unification of Kurdish enclaves.

As Russia, Iran, and Assad fight to carve out their future spheres of influence in Syria, Washington needs to help its Sunni allies establish their own spheres and retake eastern territory from ISIS and al-Qaeda.

Recent online activities show that various Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militias have greatly expanded their recruitment efforts in support of the Assad regime, including numerous reports of significant battlefield action.

Whether Iraqi Kurdistan becomes a de facto or de jure nation, it will face the same challenge that all oil-dependent states face: the need to diversify its economy, create good jobs, and live within its means as a hedge against fluctuating oil prices.

Amid growing public concern about their ideological associations with ISIS, Salafist political parties and their 'quietist' critics have been using students and educational institutions as a pulpit for questioning each other's legitimacy.

Recognizing the recent threats to its ideology, the Salafist Nour Party seems bent on maximizing its prospects in the upcoming elections by downplaying its doctrinal rigidity, holding onto its constituents, and expanding its popular support base.

One of the country's most strategic provinces is up for grabs, but Baghdad and the KRG are too politically and economically broken to reach out and help.

Turkey's approach to resolving the Kurdish issue should be rooted in European models and liberal politics, not the Syria war or failed Ottoman-era policies.