Early Sunday morning in Syria, as rebel factions closed in on Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad fled the country for Russia, signaling a seismic shift in the Middle East’s political landscape. Rebel fighters declared an end to Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule, which followed a 30-year reign of his father, Hafez al-Assad. Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the head […]| The Soufan Center
The current environment in Syria is tailor-made for the Islamic State (ISIS) to exploit in an effort to help facilitate its comeback and resurgence, not just in the country but across the region. Still, the situation is complex. While ISIS will almost certainly gain from the absence of the Assad regime, providing ISIS with greater […]| The Soufan Center
Signs of a growing rift between NATO members emerged this week when the United States imposed sanctions on a number of Turkish entities in response to Ankara’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system| The Soufan Center
On April 28, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Saudi Arabia to meet with controversial de-facto leader Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), a landmark visit signaling that the two leaders had decided to rebuild relations after a long period of rivalry| The Soufan Center
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this week, where the leaders discussed a range of issues, including Trump’s tariffs, negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, and Türkiye-Israel relations, especially as tensions have escalated over each country’s role in a post-Assad Syria. It was Netanyahu’s second […]| The Soufan Center
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has commanded the key levers of power in the country for nearly a decade, including seven years as president, despite his near ouster in a military coup attempt in July 2016. In recent years, analysts have considered Erdogan politically invulnerable—his core political support within his Islamist-oriented Justice and Development Party (AKP)| The Soufan Center
