Biden’s mideast strategy and its geopolitical implications
The Biden administration’s new Middle East strategy is forcing regional powers to reassess their geostrategic interests and act in a manner that might end several... Read More
Syria
Syria’s humanitarian crisis is a stigma on the world’s conscience
Regardless of who the perpetrators are that rained havoc on Syria, nothing should stop or inhibit any country that can assist to alleviate the massive... Read More
Syria – concerns raised and possible next steps
The Syrian situation has grown increasingly complex since 2011 with more death and destruction as well as more actors involved and with a larger number... Read More
The Islamic State after the Islamic State
The war against IS will not be won militarily. The world has only has to look at the American military’s “surge” in Iraq of 2006-2007... Read More
The end of Syria’s civil war and the beginning of the conflict over the spoils
Regardless of how the conflict over Idlib is settled, it would be a disastrous mistake if the US leaves Syria to the whims of Putin,... Read More
Recasting the Levant
The approach in the Levant should be to hold and manage territory using international military force, deterring further escalations, for the indefinite future until informal... Read More
Why US must expand, not withdraw, forces from Syria
The US cannot impact the development of events in Syria without a credible and strong military backing to deter any adversary from acting in any... Read More
Reporting Syria: this is a story about people – an interview with Rania Abouzeid
A conversation with reporter Rania Abouzeid about practicing journalism, the role of media in the conflict, and the future of Syria.
The dying in Syria rests on the conscience of the West
President Obama and now Trump have put America to shame for failing to live up to its moral responsibility as the global leader, by abandoning... Read More
The horror of Syria – the curse on our houses
Aid workers speak out against the suffering of Syria, the failures of politicians and the cynicism of political campaigns to discredit foreign aid.
Syria conflicts highlight violations of humanitarian international law
The Association of World Citizens again calls for respect of humanitarian international law and for a world-wide effort for the re-affirmation of humanitarian international law.
What was the Islamic State? Will it be back?
If and when a renewed Islamic State appears, the international community might do well to manage its emergence more carefully than for the first Islamic... Read More
Syria – a testament to international moral bankruptcy
The dismal failures of all the governments and institutions involved directly and indirectly in the Syrian calamity leaves us nowhere but to appeal to the... Read More
Lebanon in the eye of the regional storm
Hizbollah’s proven armed capability in Syria, Israel’s perceived political defeat in 2006, coupled with a possible US and Saudi green light, may make confrontation inevitable.
Syria – chemical weapon use, destruction of children, the ethical vacuum
The Association of World Citizens has called for a United Nations-led conference on the re-affirmation of humanitarian, international law. There needs to be a world-wide... Read More
Strategy of force coupled with sound diplomacy
Trump’s unpredictability and his readiness to use force when necessary can be an asset, but it is no substitute for a sound and effective strategy—a... Read More
The battle over Syria’s future
President Trump must remember that although ISIS’ defeat is critical, he has to develop a comprehensive strategy that will not only shape the final framework... Read More
Syria – is peace possible if Assad stays?
Whatever the political outcome, transitioning from violence to peace is not just about the removal of violence. How can this future be achieved and who... Read More
Can Israel fight a war on three fronts? A nightmarish scenario
Due to the increasing Iranian threat, Netanyahu should do everything in his power to negotiate a peace agreement with the Palestinians now in the context of... Read More
Palmyra – renewed dangers
Syria and Iraq are home to some of the world’s first cities, a complex and unique meeting of states, empires and faiths. The protection of... Read More
Syria – can the carnage be stopped?
State-building is never something to be undertaken lightly, by reason of the inherent dangers it always entails. But in some cases it is the least... Read More
GCPEA condemns attack on Syrian schools
The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack strongly condemns the killing of students and teachers in the October 26, 2016 bombing of a school... Read More
How do we defeat Islamo-Nihilism?
To fully rescue Islam from the nihilistic violence of today will mean championing an Islam that is radical in its embrace of the excluded other,... Read More
How Syria was swept by the merchants of death
The unimaginable sacrifices that the Syrian people have made should not be in vain. The international order, civility, and morality are at stake. If the... Read More
Security Council Resolution 2286 highlights a foundation of World Law
On 3 May 2016, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2286 calling for greater protection for health care institutions and personnel. We must support... Read More
Why Daesh cannot be bombed away
While pacifism is naïve, the Don’t Bomb Syria campaign may have a point when it comes to how best to defeat Daesh – Daesh cannot... Read More
Out of nowhere – the Kurds of Syria in peace and war
TransConflict is pleased to present a review of Michael M. Gunter’s “Out of Nowhere. The Kurds of Syria in Peace and War” (London: Hurst and Co., 2014,... Read More
Mistakes were made – part II
The US is now in the process of choosing its next president. Everyone – in America and beyond – should insist that all the candidates... Read More
Why bombing Syria is the right decision, but not enough
The decision to intervene in Syria and to more actively fight the so-called Islamic State was right. Something needs to happen now to prevent this... Read More
Conflict and intervention – the role of multilateralism
There are five good reasons for the major powers – especially the US – to commit themselves to consensus decisions on multilateral intervention achieved through... Read More
Syria – conflict resolution?
For the moment, military options seem to be “the order of the day”. Therefore we must work for formal negotiations among governments with interests in... Read More
Broken states never heal themselves
Broken states never heal themselves and can only be put back together with the prolonged involvement of outsiders working together to end the violence, impose... Read More
America’s default setting – part two
Berlin and Brussels should be spearheading efforts to pull together a diplomatic approach – to accompany US/Russian military actions – to gaining some level of... Read More
Cold War-style hostility in Syria?
Russia has a very clear goal in Syria – to back Assad and keep him in power. Unlike the West – which clearly said that... Read More
Palmyra – ISIS-wanton destruction
Syria and Iraq are home to some of the world’s first cities, a complex and unique meeting of states, empires, and faiths. Leadership must come... Read More
Putin takes a gamble
The free-for-all in Syria has become a proxy war between Russia and the United States, even though Washington refuses to fight it. The problem for... Read More
Before and beyond the Syrian calamity
No solution to the Syrian calamity can be found without first establishing the historical perspective and the root causes that gave rise to this catastrophe.... Read More
UMAM Documentation and Research – he who lies once lies again
UMAM Documentation and Research, a member of the Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation., responds to recent statements by the Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul Karim... Read More
Syrians abroad – the challenges faced by Jordan and its refugees
Huge numbers of people have fled the Syrian conflict, which is now entering its fifth year, with many arriving in Jordan. Although the Jordanian government is... Read More
The Syrian catastrophe and the world’s deafening silence
The bloodletting and massive destruction that has swept the nation is not a mere tragic event; the magnitude of the destruction and loss of lives... Read More
Entering a fracture zone
The refugees in the park in Belgrade seem to be part of a fracture zone that is becoming increasingly easy to trace; across Greece, Macedonia... Read More
The great wandering
Mass migration continues to define Europe as a system of human fluid dynamics.
Prospects for a future Kurdistan
A future independent Kurdish state faces many political, economic, and administrative challenges, but its success could be a game-changer in the Middle East.
Yugoslavia, Syria and Iraq – lessons learnable?
The demise of Yugoslavia has several important lessons for other divided contexts. First, if you want to maintain the stability of internally divided states, it... Read More
The fractured response of humanitarian aid in Syria
Humanitarian response to the Syrian crisis remains a high priority of national governments and intergovernmental organisations. But the multiplying regional conflicts are hampering all efforts... Read More
Integration is the open secret to deradicalization
Western governments must develop a long-term deradicalization strategy to stem the flow of Muslim volunteers with the objective of substantially reducing the threat they pose... Read More
Women and the Arab Spring – a dream turned nightmare
Change must start from within each individual. As quoted in the Quran, “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change... Read More
The shortcut to deradicalization is the long road
Given the continuing widespread death and destruction sweeping the Middle East, however, the Arab states have little choice but to develop a long-term comprehensive strategy... Read More
The active defense of the cultural heritage of humanity
Today we face the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage, such as the large Buddha statues in Afghanistan, manuscripts in Timbuktuica and religious and cultural artifacts... Read More
Israel’s exploration of the Golan Heights – is it just about oil?
Israel’s decision to begin drilling on the Golan Heights will not only help quench its thirst for oil and water, whilst establishing greater control over the... Read More
Living with the Islamic State
Even if the Islamic State’s current modus operandi revolts us, the political logic to its existence remains firm. The West and the regional powers alike... Read More
War crimes in Syria – a missed opportunity for international justice
The war crimes in Syria in the absence of any response from the International Criminal Court (ICC) cry out for a mechanism that prevents international... Read More
In praise of buffer states
The United States and its NATO allies have long neglected an historical and geo-strategic truism: we need buffer states to avoid direct confrontation between regional... Read More
What if the Islamic State wins?
If Islamic State cannot be defeated militarily, and if “degrading” it remains a distant and uncertain outcome, then everyone may have to accept that the... Read More
Confronting ISIS – military intervention or peaceful alternatives?
In the absence of a viable solution the crimes committed by ISIS, it is arguable that intervention is the only available route. However, the first step to... Read More
Iraq, Syria and the MidEast – what is to be done?
The essential fact of the sectarian conflicts (internal and external) that have characterized the MidEast for decades has been the artificial boundaries left behind by... Read More
Syria – missed opportunities and future perils
One cannot deny that action in Syria is long-overdue. The question that remains – which is currently being debated by Western power-brokers – is what form such action should... Read More
Islamic State in Iraq-Syria – the standards of world law
The UN Human Rights Council Special Session on Iraq was a major advance for world law as for the first time, a non-state actor is... Read More
Kosovo, Ukraine, Syria and Iraq
The struggles by ethnic and religious groups left behind by empire cannot be resolved by outsiders. These competing groups need to find their own way... Read More
Time to do a deal with Assad?
The military options for the West vis-a-vis Iraq and the IS are limited without some ability to operate permissively in Syria. This would require movement... Read More
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