Written by
Blog
Damascus Won Aleppo. The Next Battle Could Decide the SDF’s Fate.
The Syrian government’s victory in Aleppo should not be underestimated. The Sheikh Maqsoud–Ashrafieh pocket, previously controlled by SDF-backed security forces, was a major urban settlement where an estimated 300,000 to…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
Three Theories, One Timeline: What Happened in Aleppo
The collapse of the ceasefire in Aleppo’s Kurdish-held neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh has generated a rush of competing explanations, from diplomatic timing to alleged fractures on the Kurdish…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
Al-Sudani Says He’s Dropping Out of Iraq’s PM Race. Is It a Trap for Al-Maliki?
Iraq’s incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has reportedly announced his withdrawal from seeking a second term at the last meeting of the ruling Shia coalition, ceding the field to…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
The Iran Protest Wave’s Surprise Epicenter: Shi’a Kurdish Ilam
As the January 2026 Iran protest wave continues, after first erupting on 28 December 2025, some of the largest protests and sharpest violence have concentrated in Ilam province and, to…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
The KDP and PUK Seek Backroom Deal on Iraqi Presidency
The KDP and PUK are locked in another episode of their ongoing power struggle over the Iraqi presidency. While both parties fielded candidates during the brief registration window, they are…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
Aleppo’s SDF Enclave Becomes a Test of Damascus’ “Integration by Pressure” Strategy
After days of intermittent clashes and fire exchanges, the Syrian army today declared the SDF-controlled pocket in Aleppo a closed military zone and called on residents to leave. Damascus has…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
In Damascus Talks, SDF and Syria Battle Over Optics and Command
Yesterday, top SDF commanders Mazloum Abdi, Sipan Hamo and Sozdar Derik met with Syrian officials in Damascus. The talks immediately produced two competing narratives: the SDF said the meeting was…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
As Iran Recedes, Two New Blocs Collide on Kurdish Ground
The post-October 7 Middle East is reorganising around three distinct formations, each with its own internal logic. Iran’s Axis of Resistance, though diminished by the loss of Assad and the…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Yaseen Taha
Kurdistan’s First Christians: How the Church Took Root – and Who They Really Were
Historic Kurdistan has long been defined by religious and cultural plurality, and Christianity has been one of its enduring strands. From the earliest phases of Christianity’s emergence in the East,…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
Northeast Syria’s political geography turns every option into a trap
As the stated deadline of the Damascus–SDF March 10 agreement for the integration of the SDF into the Syrian army passes without a deal, the risk of military escalation rises.…
Read More (3 min. read)