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As the SDF Integration Deadline Nears, the Leaks Tell the Real Story
As the year-end deadline for SDF integration into the HTS-led Syrian army looms, a war of leaks is sweeping the media. This comes amid reports of an expected, US-pushed visit…
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Arivan
Iraq’s Customs War Is Quietly Rerouting Trade and Draining Kurdistan’s Gateways
Customs revenue at the Kurdistan Region’s border crossings has collapsed by fifty percent, and traders across northern Iraq now face the punishing reality of paying duties twice on the same…
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Arivan
Turkey’s Legal Reforms Due by Late February as PKK Gara–Hakurk Pullout Is Expected to Follow
The Turkish parliament’s peace commission has extended its work through the end of February—aimed at advancing legal reforms—amid Turkish media reporting that a PKK evacuation from the Gara and Hakurk…
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Arivan
A New Account of Israel–SDF Ties Raises the Stakes for Syria’s Northeast
The Washington Post reports that the SDF “maintains ties to Israel,” and that Druze figures linked to Israel’s security establishment funneled money to Druze militants in Sweida via the SDF…
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Arivan
Mapped, Exposed, Targetable: How Strike Risk Is Forcing a Managed Militia Transition
In an unusual statement, the head of Iraq’s top judicial body, Faiq Zaidan, has said Shia militia leaders have accepted to hand over their weapons to the “state” and transition…
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Arivan
Damascus Tests the SDF With a “Three Divisions” Offer
The Syrian government and the SDF are accelerating talks ahead of the end-of-2025 deadline set out in the March 10 Damascus–SDF agreement, but the chances of a last-minute, full integration…
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Arivan
How a bitter Washington divorce unravelled the secret U.S. fortune of the Barzani brothers
In a sprawling series of federal lawsuits filed between August 2023 and late 2025, Mahtaub Moore — a former Republican congressional candidate and veteran political operative — has alleged that…
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Arivan
Syria’s Kurds Are Stronger Than Ever. That May Not Be Enough.
Trump’s newly released National Security Strategy offers the clearest lens for understanding why northeast Syria’s political options are foreclosing. The document is not a Syria policy memo, but it establishes…
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Arivan
US House Repeal of Caesar Sanctions Is a Major Win for Ahmed al-Sharaa – Here Is Why
The US House of Representatives has passed a repeal of the Caesar sanctions on Syria as part of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Despite earlier reports that any…
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Arivan
Iraq Posts 8.8 Trillion Dinar Deficit in First Nine Months of 2025 as Wage Bill and Pensions Surge
Iraq’s Ministry of Finance close the first three quarters of 2025 with a budget deficit of 8.81 trillion dinars, as total government expenditure of 99.98 trillion dinars outstripped revenues of…
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