We are entering a period of immense complexity for the Middle East. What happens in the next few months will set the tone in our region for years.
If managed correctly, there is the possibility of building a more peaceful political situation. If mismanaged, the consequences could be dire. One arena which will receive much attention in the next few weeks is Syria. Russia, a key player in the conflict and power dynamics of the country, is in an uncomfortable position. Like all involved in the war, it is trying to predict President-elect Joe Biden’s policy towards the country. Moscow wants to be done with the Syria issue in 2021. But this seems unlikely due to a lack of co-operation with Turkey, as well as reports of rifts emerging among the Syrian ruling elite. Moscow, therefore, has difficult choices to make, including how to settle the question of Idlib, a notoriously unstable area in the country, in which anti-Assad sentiment remains strong. A harsh military response in the province seems increasingly likely.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 14, 2020
Israel-Morocco Deal: Another Mess for U.S. -- Bobby Ghosh, Bloomberg
The Blessings of the Morocco-Israel Agreement -- Ahmed Charai, National Interest
Iran's Supreme Leader: Who might succeed Ali Khamenei? -- Rana Rahimpour, BBC
Iran Really Has Only One Option: Return To Talks With The West -- Ahmad Ra'fat, WorldCrunch
China's rise exposes the 'myth' of the liberal global order -- Stan Grant, ABC News (Australia)
How China's Communist Party Trains Foreign Politicians -- Economist Xinjiang’s System of Militarized Vocational Training Comes to Tibet -- Adrian Zenz, Jamestown Foundation
Is Europe Ready to Work With the United States on China? -- Judy Dempsey, Carnegie Institute
Will young voters decide Uganda's presidential election? -- Julius Mugambwa, DW
How a mining dispute in New Caledonia inflamed tensions between pro-French loyalists and Indigenous Kanaks -- Prianka Srinivasan, ABC News (Australia)
The Syrian mercenaries used as 'cannon fodder' in Nagorno-Karabakh -- Ed Butler, BBC News
Latest Navalny Investigation Puts an Increasingly Paranoid Kremlin on the Spot -- Mark Galeotti, Moscow Times
AMLO’s Broken Campaign Promise: Demilitarizing Mexico -- Catalina Perez Correa, America's Quarterly
What Shifts to Expect in Biden's Middle East Policy -- Kirsten Fontenrose, RCW
Will Biden Give In to the Hydroxy Effect? -- Victor Davis Hanson, NRO
