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
