The US no longer matters in Syria Turkey’s military incursion into northeast Syria last week set into motion a humanitarian crisis that was effectively enabled by the United States, after President Trump green-lit the Turkish operation and then withdrew 1,000 U.S. troops from the area. It constituted a betrayal of Syria’s Kurds, who have been critical to the war against jihadi groups…
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 19:56:11 +0000 Why North Korea walked away from negotiations in Sweden Sixteen months after the Singapore summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, nuclear negotiators finally met for eight hours in Stockholm earlier this month. The talks fell apart after just one day, with North Korea’s representative Kim Myong Gil blaming the U.S. for its “failure to abandon its outdated viewpoint and…
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 17:52:01 +0000 Russia finds few fruits to harvest in the scramble for eastern Syria With the Turkish incursion into Kurdish fighter-controlled northeastern Syria, the war has taken a new turn. It was long in the making, yet most stakeholders are reevaluating risks and losses rather than counting benefits. The damage to U.S. positions and influence is heavy, as my Brookings colleagues have carefully assessed. The hastily negotiated ceasefire deal…
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 13:50:40 +0000 Is the tide turning against right-wing populism and nationalism in Central Europe? Last Sunday’s elections in Hungary and Poland gave democrats in Central Europe new cause for hope, as the ruling right-wing nationalist parties in both countries suffered setbacks at the polls. In Hungary’s municipal elections, a unified opposition defeated autocratic Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz in the capital of Budapest and a series of regional administrative capitals.…
Thu, 17 Oct 2019 15:40:03 +0000 Can the Turkish opposition develop a sustainable Kurdish policy? Since 2002, the rule of Turkish politics has been clear and simple: Turkey periodically holds elections, and the winning party remains the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan. The last local election held on March 31 and Istanbul’s re-run election on June 23 were exceptions to this rule. The AKP…
