Journalist-Writer
U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said that his country no longer needs the SDF as the “primary ground force” in the fight against ISIS in Syria, and that its original purpose has “come to an end.” In a long message published on his X account (*) following his January
After the Syrian army pushed back SDF forces during a military operation that has been ongoing for the past two weeks, Syrian President Ahmed Shara announced on the evening of January 18 that a ceasefire had been reached with the SDF in northeastern Syria. According to the ceasefire agreement, the SDF will hand over
On January 10, around 15:00, Aleppo Governor Azzam El Gharib held a press conference stating that the clashes between the Syrian army and SDG/PKK militants, which had lasted four days, had ended as of 12:00, and that the militants had begun withdrawing from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood. At that moment, the building was shaken by
When you rotate the Google Earth application 90 degrees vertically instead of horizontally, the map above appears, clearly revealing why U.S. President Donald Trump set his sights on Greenland the very day after his military intervention in Venezuela. The area that looks like a sea in the center is the Arctic Ocean. It is covered
The reactions—both spoken and unspoken—of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) following U.S. President Donald Trump’s abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reveal more than diplomatic caution. They point to deep unease in Ankara’s relations with Washington. Trump’s recent posture—issuing implicit threats to countries from Iran to Cuba, Colombia
Ankara did not take seriously—did not even consider a threat—the attempt by Israel, Greece, and Southern Cyprus to form an alliance against Türkiye. On December 24, President Tayyip Erdoğan described the statements made by the three leaders in Jerusalem on December 22 as “tin clatter” and a “provocation” that Türkiye would not fall for. The
On December 22, the very day Ankara virtually launched an SDF-focused diplomatic offensive toward Damascus, Israel formed an anti-Türkiye alliance together with the governments of Greece and Southern Cyprus. As Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Director İbrahim Kalın were meeting in Damascus with President Ahmed
Tension over Syria is rising in Ankara on two interconnected levels. One is the military pressure Israel is exerting on the Ahmed al-Shara administration and on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The other is the SDF’s reluctance to take responsibility for the disarmament process—acting as if it has no connection whatsoever with the PKK—while keeping
As Syria’s new regime completes its first year on Dec 8, Ankara has sent three warning messages—via the SDF to the PKK and to the SDF’s patron, the United States—indicating that “the wind may turn” if the current course continues: 1. Statements by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the Doha Forum 2. Visits to Damascus
TBMM Commission’s 4 December Meeting Seen as Critical for 2026 Phase of “Terror-Free Türkiye” The 4 December meeting of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Commission is viewed as a crucial milestone for the AK Party–MHP alliance’s “Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative as it enters the first half of 2026. In his opening remarks on 5