Damascus’s Hasakah advance threatens the KDP’s border leverage
The KDP, the dominant party in the Kurdistan Region, has made a dramatic shift in its approach to the SDF…
Syrian Kurdish Leaders Say They Were Promised One Thing. The Deal Says Another.
As the Syrian army advances toward Hasakah city and presses deeper toward Syria’s core Kurdish areas, the SDF is increasingly…
Syrian Army Presses Toward Tabqa as SDF Seeks U.S. Lifeline in Erbil
The Syrian army is continuing its westward pressure on SDF-held Tabqa, the last Kurdish-controlled pocket west of the Euphrates, after…
Written by
Arivan
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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