Tribes, Alliances, and Margins: Inside Kirkuk’s Tight Parliamentary Race
Kirkuk will send thirteen lawmakers to Baghdad next month—twelve through Iraq’s modified Sainte-Laguë proportional system and one Christian quota seat…
Trump’s Special Envoy Appointment Signals Shift to “Backstage” Deals in Iraq
U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed Mark Savaya as his special envoy to Iraq, signaling a renewed American focus on…
A Year After Kurdistan’s Regional Elections, Government Formation Remains Stalled
The Kurdistan Region’s two main parties, the KDP and PUK, remain deadlocked over cabinet formation as a full year passes…
Written by
Arivan
Three Divisions or Three Corps? Damascus and SDF Give Conflicting Accounts
While SDF commander Mazloum Abdi has been publicly optimistic about recent meetings with Damascus regarding the SDF’s integration into the Syrian army, even suggesting a “preliminary agreement” has been reached,…
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Arivan
Tribal Alliances, Party Machines and Big Money Fuel Anbar’s Fiercest Election Battle
Anbar province is heading into one of the most heated and complex electoral battles in post-2003 Iraq, as tribal blocs, party organizations and external backing converge to reshape the balance…
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Arivan
Syria–SDF Talks Intensify But Core Disputes Over Governance and Military Integration Block Breakthrough
A senior official from the SDF-backed northeast Syria administration has told The National Context that the SDF and Syrian government have so far only agreed to “engage in dialogue as…
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Arivan
Damascus and the SDF sketch terms for integration as talks intensify
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi says Damascus and the SDF have reached a “preliminary understanding” on how to fold the Kurdish-led force into Syrian state structures: existing SDF…
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Arivan
Verbal Agreements, No Roadmap: SDF and Damascus Circle the March 10 Deal
The SDF commander Mazloum Abdi has denied in an interview with pro-SDF Rohahi TV that any localised breakthrough has been reached in Deir Ezzor to hand over key assets to…
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Arivan
Nechirvan Barzani has phoned Mazloum Abdi ahead of his meeting with Erdoğan
Today, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, in the presence of Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın. He also held a separate meeting…
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Written by
Arivan
Can the PKK Peace Process Survive if Ocalan Stays Silent on the SDF?
The Turkish political agenda has now shifted to one crucial question: will the parliamentary commission on the peace process visit the PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan? Nationalist MHP leader and…
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