The Demographics That Doomed a Kurdish National Project in Syria
A micro-level look at the demographics of northern Syria reveals how much Kurdish nationalist expectations have diverged from ground realities,…
Why Turkey’s PKK Peace Process Has Stalled
More than a year after Abdullah Ocalan called for disarmament from his prison on Imrali island, Turkey’s peace process with…
For the KDP, Mansour Barzani’s U.S. Bribery Case Comes at the Worst Possible Time
On April 22, the U.S. Justice Department filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central…
Written by
Arivan
How a Cross-Sectarian Bloc Led by Iraq’s Next Generation Is Reshaping the Country
Across-sectarian bloc led by five of Iraq’s next-generation political leaders has pushed a presidential vote through despite a boycott by Masoud Barzani and Nouri al-Maliki, and is now positioned to…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
Kobani’s new administrative formula shows what post-SDF integration looks like
The new administrative lineup in Kobani is beginning to reveal the kind of formula emerging in the district after the late January SDF-Damascus integration agreement. What is notable is not…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
Exposed and Disposable: Why Iranian Kurdish Groups May Be the War’s Biggest Losers
As the United States and Iran are reported to have reached a tentative two-week ceasefire, attention is already turning to the likely winners and losers. Most of that discussion is…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
Why Iran’s Sunni Kurdish Islamists Are Not Joining the Anti-Regime War
One of the misleading assumptions on the Iran war is that the Sunni Kurdish belt should naturally drift toward any project aimed at weakening the Islamic Republic. On paper, that…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
How the Strikes on Iraq’s Militias Followed the Country’s Divide
The pattern that emerged in the strikes on pro-Iran Iraqi militias between February 28 and March 11 was striking not only for the number of attacks but for where they…
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
A Sanctioned Broker, an Iranian Intelligence Link, and the Barzani Company Between Them
Court filings, leaked records, and UK and EU sanctions designations are building a picture of how a Barzani-linked financial system moved oil and money beyond the reach of scrutiny.
Read More (3 min. read)
Written by
Arivan
What happens to PKK strongholds in the Kurdistan Region after the PKK vacates them?
One year after Abdullah Ocalan’s call to the PKK to disarm, the peace process has entered a phase in which the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is the physical stage on…
Read More (3 min. read)