Syria

By Scott Lucas | – The last adult in the Trump White House playground has gone – and the president is throwing his toys around. James Mattis, as defence secretary, was one of three retired generals in the Trump administration whose hope was to contain an ill-informed, temperamental, and unpredictable president. Now they’re all gone: […]

Featured

With Trump leaving, Syrian Kurds seeking Support of Damascus, Moscow against Turkey

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Secretary of Defense James Mattis resigned on Thursday in part because he felt his president was violating the code of the Marines, that no man should be left behind. In abruptly pulling out of Syria, Trump was abandoning the Syrian Kurds, the only allies the US could find in the […]

Featured

Putin: ISIL Defeated; “Right” for “unneeded” US Military to Depart Syria

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Sarah Sanders, Trump’s spokesperson, alleged that the Russians are unhappy with Trump decision to get out of Syria. As usual, Ms. Sanders is building sandcastles in the sky with no foundation. BBC Monitoring reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at a news conference on Dec. 20 on Rossiya 1 […]

Featured

A New Middle East: Winners and Losers from Trump’s Abrupt Syria Withdrawal

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump shook up the Washington establishment and Middle Eastern and world politics on Wednesday by abruptly announcing by Tweet a full and immediate withdrawal of US military forces from northeast Syria. Trump’s motives for what he does are never easy to fathom. He may have been driven by a desire […]

Syria

Defeated by Russia and Iran, US Throws in Towel on Syria Regime Change

AFP

Washington, DC | AFP | – The United States said Monday it was no longer seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but renewed warnings it would not fund reconstruction unless the regime is “fundamentally different.” James Jeffrey, the US special representative in Syria, said that Assad needed to compromise as he had not yet […]

Russia

Is Putin using Syria Conflict to detach Turkey from NATO?

The Conversation

By Mustafa Demi | – Turkey, Russia and Iran have actively involved themselves in the Syrian conflict, each with their own divergent interests. Moscow and Tehran have put their support behind the regime of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, hoping it retains its influence over the strategic Syrian region. Meanwhile, since the very beginning of […]

Donald Trump

Trump’s Remarks on Kavanaugh ‘Con Job’ and Top 4 other Policy Lies that should be Disqualifying

Juan Cole

I plowed through the disturbed ramblings of Trump’s ‘very big brain’ for all the myriads of falsehoods that came out of his mouth Wednesday. Trump poisoned the well of the Kavanaugh hearings by openly doubting the women accusers of his supreme court nominee (before hearing Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony today) and by dismissing the groundswell […]

Syria

Syria: Israel should ‘Think Twice’ about Bombing after Russian S-300 Air Defence Installed

AFP

Damascus (AFP) – A top Syrian official has said a new air defence system from ally Russia will force Israel to “think carefully” before carrying out any more air strikes in the country. Moscow announced on Monday it would deliver the advanced S-300 air defence system, a week after the Syrian military downed a Russian […]

Syria

Syrian Extremist Militias Reject Turkey-Russia Agreement, Will Attack Syrian Troops

Middle East Monitor

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday that Syrian armed factions have rejected an agreement reached by Turkey and Russia on setting up a demilitarised zone between the armed opposition and Syrian government troops in Idlib as of 15 October. The Observatory said in a statement that the factions of Religious Guards Ansar Al-Tawheed, […]