Syria is a moral defeat for Europeans

After 1945 Europe said “never again” but never again is happening before our eyes in the Middle East, says Guardian columnist Natalie Nougayrède.  Syrian civilians flee airstrikes in eastern Ghouta, February 2018. Photograph: Abdulmonam Eassa/AFP/Getty Images Syria is a European … Read More

Europe is facing a potential crisis in the Balkans. It has to act soon

The promise of EU membership for states in the region is welcome, but Russia, China and Turkey could create instability.  ‘Many factors have brought the Balkans back to the fore – not least the recent refugee crisis, which deeply rattled … Read More

Turkey is using Syrian refugees as bargaining chips as it moves against the Kurds

posted in: Middle East, News

Kurdish protestors against the Turkish operation in Afrin outside the EU building in Lebanon on January 28. Wael Hamzeh/EPA When Turkish ground troops rolled into Afrin, a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria, in January, the regime was making a considered political calculation. … Read More

‘This is a massacre’: Turkey’s bombs drive families into caves

(CNN)Kurdish families huddle on blankets in a dimly lit cave. Others hide in the rubble of a bombed-out building, gathered around a campfire. Those that have basements seek shelter there. This is life in Afrin. Turkey’s cross-border military offensive against … Read More

Trump Confounded by Turkey’s Invasion of Syria: Fight ISIS or Back NATO Ally?

posted in: Middle East, News

Turkish offensive against Syrian-Kurdish forces in Afrin leaves U.S. in a bind: “They were ‘our guys’ in Syria, and now they are under attack and the U.S. doesn’t seem to have any real solutions” Turkish troops advance near the Syria … Read More

Russia, Iran open their arms as Turkey loses patience with U.S.

LONDON — Relations between the U.S. and Turkey have hit a new low over Washington’s support of militias battling the Islamic State, according to analysts. The government in Ankara views the Kurdish fighters as terrorists. Experts warn that the crisis … Read More

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