Andres Jimenez discusses the ongoing violence in Syria and the fallacy of conflict resolution through further violence. Jimenez argues that the increasing participation of regional and international powers makes Syria a focal point of larger conflicting interests, frustrating peace efforts; rather, the role of the international community should be to
This paper offers a different perspective on the conflict within Kirkuk Governorate vis-à-vis the commonly held view of it being principally an ethno-national conflict based on territorial claims of Kurdish nationalism. The foundation of this analysis is the recognition that the local politics of the energy rich Kirkuk region are
In light of intensifying military actions in Iraq and Syria, Keith Gentry reflects on his recent visit to the Turkish-Syrian border and the many Syrian refugees he met. This article offers to share some of their stories.
The fertile lands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the wheat planes just south of Basra were, until the 1980s, the base of a robust agricultural sector in modern Iraq. This essay traces the steady and tragic decline of the Iraqi food system over the last 3 decades, emphasizing
Thinking the Unthinkable Author: Fraser Gray Originally published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on 05/01/2006 Officially since 1967, and arguably before then, the US has considered Israel a key ally in the Middle East. As the primary, and by far the largest, recipient of US military aid and diplomatic support