Turkey

London (Informed Comment) – The news that Turkey has begun military strikes against the Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG) militia inside Syria marks an ominous chapter in that country’s civil war. Turkey acted after YPG forces and allied units from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) seized the strategic Mennagh Military Airport in northern Aleppo […]

Central Intelligence Agency

Despite Syria Cease Fire, Belligerents Plot military Victory

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Despite the announcement at Munich of a cessation of hostilities in Syria, to be implemented in the next week or so, all the major fighting forces in Syria have announced a determination to soldier on. According to the London pan-Arab daily al-Hayat [Life] , Russian foreign […]

Displaced and Refugees

Turkey must not strand new Wave of Syrian Refugees, & nor should Europe

contributors

Human Rights Watch | – – (Istanbul) – Turkey should allow Syrians at its border fleeing the fighting in and around Aleppo to seek protection in Turkey, Human Rights Watch said today. Forcing people to remain in a war zone, where they risk death and injury, is no solution to the challenge of protecting Syrians […]

Featured

Erdogan Threatened Europe with Refugees, now Demanding US abandon Syrian Kurds

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Reuters reports that Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan allegedly bullied European leaders and threatened to drown Europe in refugees if his terms were not met. He wanted 6 Bn Euros to keep the 2.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey happy enough in that country to discourage them […]

Kurds

Turkey descends into civil war as conflict in southeast escalates

contributors

By Joris Leverink | (Inter Press Service) | – – ISTANBUL, Turkey, (IPS) – – The latest footage to come out of Sur, the historical district in Diyarbakir that has been under total lock down by Turkish armed forces for the past sixty days, shows a level of devastation one would sooner expect in Syria. […]

Featured

Turkish-Russian Airspace Conflict as Ankara-backed Turkmen flee Syria

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Russia rejected as “propaganda” on Saturday renewed Turkish charges that its fighter jets had crossed Turkish territory. NATO asked Moscow to respect its joint airspace. A promontory of Turkish territory sticks down into northern Latakia, and it would be very difficult to conduct the sort of […]

Foreign Policy

Why has Turkish Foreign Policy Gone Rogue & What does it mean for the US?

contributors

By Nader Habibi | (The Conversation) | – – Turkey has become one of America’s most vital partners in the Middle East in promoting stability and growth in the region and a key ally in the West’s fight against the Islamic State, or ISIS. This is partly because of its status as the only majority-Muslim […]

Featured

Noam Chomsky slams Turkish Pres. Erdogan for Arresting Academics, supporting Extremism

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Matthew Weaver of the Guardian reports retired MIT linguist Noam Chomsky’s reply to a personal attack by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan criticized Chomsky and other international scholars who signed a petition against the Turkish government’s current vendetta against Kurdish-Turkish citizens in the country’s southeast. Erdogan […]

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

Istanbul explosion: overview of this year’s surge in terror attacks in Turkey

contributors

France 24 | (Video News Report) | – – “Istanbul explosion: overview of this year’s surge in violence and terror attacks in Turkey. As no claim of responsibility has been issued for the blast in Istanbul, three main suspects have been unveiled: the Islamic state group, eager to take revenge on Turkey for its harder […]