For half a century, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been the linchpin of Mideast policy. A guaranteed supply of oil has bought a guaranteed supply of security. Ignoring autocratic practices and the export of Wahhabi extremism, Washington stubbornly dubs its ally "moderate." So tight is the trust that U.S.
Regional partners and allies are going to be crucial for success in Libya, especially with the lack of one stable government and infighting between the various factions. Tunisia is becoming crucial in not only the fight against ISIS in Libya but also to the success of the Libyan government. This article looks at Tunisia allowing for the training of Libyan military forces by the Germans, inside of Tunisia, effectively giving the Libyan military forces a safe place to train.
said it could only have been carried out by Syria's government.
regime and its ally Russia blamed rebels.
More than 3 million people have fled Syria since the start of the conflict,
A further 6.5 million people, 50% of them children, are believed to be internally displaced within Syria,
Western powers,
half the country's population.
rebel groups are also deeply divided
most prominent is the moderate National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces
Iran and Russia have propped up the Alawite-led government of President Assad and gradually increased their support,
support of Lebanon's Shia Islamist Hezbollah movement.
The Sunni-dominated oppositio
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Arab states along with the US, UK and France.
rise of radical Islamist militia in rebel ranks and the arrival of Sunni jihadists from across the world has led to a marked cooling of international and regional backing.
This website offers eight steps to understanding the Syrian conflict. The sections include: uprising turns violent, descent into civil war, war crimes, chemical weapons, humanitarian crisis, Syrian refugees in the region, rebels and the rise of the jihadists, peace efforts, & proxy war
More than 250,000 Syrians have lost their lives in four-and-a-half years of armed conflict, which began with anti-government protests before escalating into a full-scale civil war. More than 11 million others have been forced from their homes as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule battle each other - as well as jihadist militants from so-called Islamic State.
This article, released on February 19th, details Turkey's attack on Kurdish targets post Ankara bombing. Heightened tensions between the Turks and the Kurds after a car bombing in Ankara killed 28 people. The YPG, a Syrian Kurdish group denied the accusations of involvement.