An Arab mom and a Senior Advisor, International Crisis Group. Associate Fellow, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, Kings College, London.
Joined May 2009
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The SDF’s dissolution marks the end of an era and a landmark moment for Syria.
At a time when peace processes are few and far between, the evolving deal between Damascus and Kurdish forces offers both hope and anxiety.
How this integration unfolds could set an important precedent. A new @CrisisGroup piece 👇🏽
A murder, protests & prison fire last week posed biggest challenge yet to Syria’s integration deal, after landmark understanding on SDF dissolution
In @CrisisGroup piece, Yazer Othman & I unpack progress, obstacles & potential in this pivotal process
crisisgroup.org/cmt/middle-e…
I agree. I assume expectations of what Egypt is willing and able to offer have been further tempered over the past year.
We attempted to offer a snapshot of Egypt’s positions here:
crisisgroup.org/cmt/middle-e…
This could be interesting if McGurk acknowledges how spectacularly wrong he was about Idlib and the evolution of HTS, underestimating its significance and overstating the risks of engagement - unforced errors that sustained counterproductive policies which hurt civilians. For reference see our piece:
crisisgroup.org/cmt/middle-e…
Alternatively, maybe he debates Al-Sharaa? “Never wrong, just not right yet” approach is always an option
May Syria always be on his — weird — good side!
This is GREAT! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Syria is pitching itself as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz: washingtonpost.com/world/202…
( TS: Sep 3 2026, 7:18 AM ET )
Insightful assessment by @NoahBonsey with @_NadaAlTaher of @TheNationalNews on what’s driving Israel’s escalation in Syria, the role of US mediation, and a sober take on the extent of Turkey’s actual influence post-Assad.
“What’s behind the Israel-Turkey power struggle in Syria?” podbean.com/ep/pb-3sinb-1b45…
A few points from @USAMBTurkiye’s recent - and refreshingly direct - statements on Israel’s targeting of Syria: Barrack made clear the US doesn’t fully understand why Israel acted when the diplomatic channel appeared to be going well. He hinted Mossad’s chief wasn’t in on the attack, at least while he was speaking to Syria’s FM. His best guess? Israel is trying to “bait Turkey,” while Netanyahu is using it as a pre-election ploy.
For context, the base Israel hit is nearly 350 km from the Israeli border and much closer to Turkey. It’s also in an area where thousands of Turkish troops have been deployed for years. So the pretext of a potential Turkish deployment there is just not very convincing.
The ripple effects of October 7 and the war in Gaza extend far beyond the Arab world, reshaping geopolitics, security dynamics and public opinion in ways that are still unfolding. One example 👇🏽
HISTORY in Turkey:
Turkish Parliament approves a law to partially pardon former PKK members as part of peace talk with the group
468 out of 600 MPs vote the support the law.
A broad support from the opposition as well as the ruling parties
@Emrah_zcnn
Hizbullah Sec-Gen Naim Qassem’s de-escalatory tone re Syria, and his expressed willingness to meet with the Syrian leadership, seems like a welcome message. But it’s not one that would have much practical effect, as it misses the gist of Damascus’s position toward #Hizbullah.
True. That, plus the tens of thousands of Syrians who now hold Turkish citizenship, and the 1,000 km border Syria shares with Turkey - NATO’s second-largest army. Geography and demography won’t disappear.
Syria’s parliament has elected Abdulhamid al-Awak, a former professor at Turkey’s Mardin Artuklu University, as speaker.
He is one of many officials in Syria’s post Assad government, including the foreign minister, who studied at Turkish universities. That gives Ankara a powerful soft power advantage in the new Syria.
There's a new version of this post
Part of a successful Israeli campaign to further discredit Argentina ?
¿De verdad les tengo que explicar por qué rezo con todo mi corazón para que la Selección de Argentina gane esta noche y se meta en la final? 🇦🇷♥️
#ArgentinaVsInglaterra #ElijoCreer
I'm still confused about who was supposed to play the role of Julani in this Mossad-directed movie. "THE Kurds"?
HTS had almost a decade to prepare in Idlib, with Turkish military protection. And Syria was a shattered country, dependent on Russia and Iran, both of which were either too distracted or too weakened to save Assad, who’d proved a disastrously incompetent client. Netanyahu and Barnea thought 16,000 armed Kurds could topple a country four times the size of Syria, with air power. Rubio: “bullshit.” Ratcliffe: “farce.” Hanegbi: “science fiction.” haaretz.com/israel-news/isra…
صحيح، مش بس مع قادة و الرؤساء هو كذلك مع الناس العادية ، عنده ذكاء إجتماعي غيرعادي.
الرئيس أحمد الشرع يمتلك مهارة لافتة في "كسر الرسمية" مع زعماء العالم وحكامه وحتى مع غيرهم، مهارة عفوية نابعة من شخصيته، لا تكلف فيها ولا تصنع، تلتقطها الكاميرات بسهولة في كل لقاء وزيارة وحدث.
وأعتقد أن جزءاً كبيراً من الثقة التي اكتسبها من محيطه على مدى سنوات الثورة، وصولاً إلى الرئاسة وتعامله مع الحكام، يعود إلى هذه السمة تحديداً.. وهي أيضاً سمة سورية بارع فيها جزء كبير من الشعب السوري في تعامله مع بعضه بعضاً ومع العرب، وتجدها عند وزير الخارجية الشيباني وعدد من المسؤولين.
خلال المتابعة شاهدت كثيراً من اللقاءات والاجتماعات بين الرؤساء حول العالم، لكن ما يستطيع الشرع فعله في هذا الصدد لافت خصوصاً انه لا يجيد أي لغة أخرى غير العربية ويعتمد على المترجمين..
Exactly! Israel hasn't had a coherent strategy in Syria beyond a hard-to-sell plan of weakening Damascus and, by extension, constraining Ankara. And it has repeatedly missed opportunities to pursue a broader détente with a willing government.
As Ankara hosted this year's NATO Summit, Türkiye's diplomatic profile was on display. Ankara's foreign policy is one of the most dynamic in that alliance. Its toolbox is varied, and it has increasingly used mediation as an instrument of statecraft and geopolitical influence. In our new @CrisisGroup piece, Berkay Mandıracı & I explore the promise and the limits of the "Turkish way" of mediation.
crisisgroup.org/cmt/europe/t…
