Although the Syrian revolution started from Dar’a, a predominantly tribal area, there has been negligible focus on the tribal dimension of this conflict. Why will it be imperative for the new government to be well prepared for its interaction with the tribes?
Turkey’s combined efforts with the West, to crush the regime in Syria, seem unlikely to fructify soon, as the conflict inside Syria only intensifies each day. Ankara’s improved relations with the West, therefore, are unlikely to compensate for the regional instability it might face to its east in the future.
Incipient Sunni militant organisations in Tripoli, inspired by their stronger Syrian counterparts, have now entered into a sectarian conflict with the Lebanese Alawite community. What are the possible ramifications of a re-ignition of civil war in an already conflict-torn region?
Rivals Iran and Egypt have become the two most important powers in today’s West Asia. Yet, Iran is looking for neither a smooth victory nor a quick failure for Egypt’s rise. Tehran will remain the key regional player, while it’s too early to tell if Cairo is capable of overcoming Iran’s influence.
Is a focus on a nuclear Iran in international forums such as the UN General Assembly necessary and appropriate? At a time when other crises – including Syria and Palestine – require the world’s undivided attention, this inordinate focus raises major concerns.
In war-torn Syria, the historic dream for Kurdish nationhood has arisen yet again. Although the Kurds are presented with a historic opportunity, autonomy is still a far-fetched quest for the Syrian Kurds, today. Regardless of the outcome, no government in the region can wish away the Kurdish struggle any longer.
With the Free Syrian Army being supplied aid by the West and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the endgame for the Syrian regime has begun. Does Assad's exit guarantee the replacement of autocracy with democracy? What implications will it have on regional politics?
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in the summit held recently in Mecca, suspended Syria’s membership, citing the regime’s inhuman actions. Does this censure spell major consequences for the troubled nation? What alternate decision could the OIC have taken?
The involvement of Islamists in democratic movements is usually dismissed as a mere ruse to attain political power. However, evidence suggests that people in Muslim-majority democracies support Islamist groups which challenge a dishonest government, rather than those who seek to establish Islamic autocracy.
The Assad regime, ready to exploit the few cards it still has left to play, recently warned that it would use chemical weapons against 'external aggression.' How can the West use effective diplomacy to resolve the Syrian crisis?
