In the aftermath of the earthquake, minimal aid is reaching north-west Syria, the most affected region in the country. European governments need to put humanitarian imperatives first, even if this means temporarily abandoning longstanding political positions
Europeans should adopt a new approach to supporting Syrian refugees – one that would also benefit host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan
Iraq’s new prime minister is well placed to negotiate both the pitfalls of domestic politics and to play a mediating role within the Middle East
Europeans should avoid supporting a snap election simply because a political leader is unsatisfied with the result of a government formation process and threatens violence in response
Iraqi leaders’ inability to form a government or deal with national challenges is destroying the legitimacy of the state. They need to appoint a new type of prime minister.
Climate change is increasing the strain on Iraqi society and public services. Despite this, the country’s political figures are overlooking the huge benefits that climate investment would bring.
Much of Iraq’s post-war history has been a question of survival of the state. Now, Shia politicians are driving an intra-sect competition for leadership.
If Turkey and other countries begin deporting more Syrians back to Syria, Europe could experience a new wave of arrivals. European policymakers need to devise a more sustainable, longer-term approach to the issue.
Iraq’s recent election upended the informal political agreement that had dominated its politics since 2003. European countries should press Iraqi leaders to break the current deadlock in parliament.
Europe needs to prepare for a breakdown of multilateral cooperation with Russia. Yet, in doing so, it should be careful not to provide space for Moscow to justify unilateral action of its own.
Europeans should adopt a new approach to supporting Syrian refugees – one that would also benefit host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan
Climate change is increasing the strain on Iraqi society and public services. Despite this, the country’s political figures are overlooking the huge benefits that climate investment would bring.
Lebanon is home to key strategic interests for the EU, which does not want another failed state on the Mediterranean
An Iraq that has diverse regional relationships is more likely to be stable and secure, in line with European interests in the Middle East
Europe should help the Kadhimi government undertake political and economic reform, increase its geopolitical autonomy, and take on a greater security role
EU member states can find ways to cooperate with Turkey to support stabilisation in parts of the safe zone, without violating their interests and core principle
European governments should pivot to a strategy focused on protecting those societal forces that are still standing and that can help salvage a better future
EU member states have failed to come up with a coherent policy on how to handle the hundreds of their citizens having travelled to join ISIS in Syria
Introduction After eight years of war, the Syrian government has reasserted control over much of the territory it lost to opposition and foreign forces. As…
Introduction After eight years of fighting and destruction resulting in the largest humanitarian and refugee crisis of our time, the government of Bashar al-Assad…
In the aftermath of the earthquake, minimal aid is reaching north-west Syria, the most affected region in the country. European governments need to put humanitarian imperatives first, even if this means temporarily abandoning longstanding political positions
Iraq’s new prime minister is well placed to negotiate both the pitfalls of domestic politics and to play a mediating role within the Middle East
Europeans should avoid supporting a snap election simply because a political leader is unsatisfied with the result of a government formation process and threatens violence in response
Iraqi leaders’ inability to form a government or deal with national challenges is destroying the legitimacy of the state. They need to appoint a new type of prime minister.
Much of Iraq’s post-war history has been a question of survival of the state. Now, Shia politicians are driving an intra-sect competition for leadership.
If Turkey and other countries begin deporting more Syrians back to Syria, Europe could experience a new wave of arrivals. European policymakers need to devise a more sustainable, longer-term approach to the issue.
Iraq’s recent election upended the informal political agreement that had dominated its politics since 2003. European countries should press Iraqi leaders to break the current deadlock in parliament.
Europe needs to prepare for a breakdown of multilateral cooperation with Russia. Yet, in doing so, it should be careful not to provide space for Moscow to justify unilateral action of its own.
Heightened conflict in Ukraine could have serious consequences for European interests in the Middle East and North Africa. It could further disrupt energy supplies, exacerbate food insecurity, and help states in the region gain leverage over the US and Europe.
Europeans who have at heart the sustainable return of refugees, in line with Europe’s core interests and with the will of the Syrian people, should focus on ensuring that conditions on the ground in Syria allow for safe, voluntary, and dignified returns
European states face accusations of neglecting the matter of human rights in their southern neighbourhood, and even of being complicit. Yet they are failing to maximise the influence they could bring to bear.
The eastern Mediterranean is becoming ever more perilous as geopolitical fault lines steadily enmesh the region. These rifts emerge from the Cyprus ‘frozen conflict’, competition for valuable gas fields, and the increasingly entangled wars in Libya and Syria.
An ECFR guide to the key disputes threatening to spark a wider Middle Eastern war
This series examines the reaction of key Middle Eastern actors, as well as looking at European policy options, the dynamics driving IS itself, and the impact within Syria and Iraq respectively.
What does the re-engagement of regional actors mean for the future of Syria? And what role can Europe play to create breathing space in the country?
How can the EU prevent the Turkey-UAE rivalry from destabilising European security and foreign policy?
ECFR Conversation with Ibrahim Kalin, Spokesman and Senior Advisor to the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Chaired by Julien Barnes-Dacey, Director of ECFR’s…
The European Union faces a multi-crisis situation at the moment. As the conflict in Idlib and the circumstances at the Greek-Turkish border has erupted, Europe…
How will IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s killing impact ISIS as a terror organisation and the situation in Syria? Host Mark Leonard is joined by…
Turkey's offensive into northeast Syria is moving at an unprecedented pace with grave consequences. Europe's utter irrelevance in the face of US withdrawal from the Turkish/Syrian…
Anthony Dworkin steps in for Mark Leonard and discusses the US strategy in Syria with Asli Aydintasbas, Julien Barnes-Dacey and Jasmin El-Gamal. The podcast was recorded…
Podcast de notre conférence du 1 octobre en partenariat avec l’Institut d’études de sécurité de l’Union européenne (EUISS) : « Russia and the Middle East…
Mark Leonard examines the looming Syrian-Russian military action in Idlib in discussion with ECFR experts Asli Aydıntaşbaş, Julien Barnes-Dacey, and Almut Möller. What do Turks…
Is France alone in the desert? ECFR experts Julien Barnes-Dacey and Manuel Lafont Rapnouil discuss how France can lead Europe in the Middle East
How can Europeans more effectively advance their human rights agenda as part of, and while maintaining, their broader relationships with regional states?
Madame, Monsieur, cher.e.s ami.e.s de l’ECFR, Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning sur le thème suivant :…
The ECFR chairs a morning session on the highly sensitive topic about Europe´s ISIS fighters who left the continent and are now detained in Syria. What should Europe do? This is the question the experts aim to answer in this open black coffee morning event.
An off-the-record discussion on the need for a pan-European effort for repatriating the children of ISIS members
A panel discussion on the effects of the withdrawal of American troops from Syria and the EUs possibilities with regards to reacting to the ongoing crisis
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à une table-ronde avec Jasmine El-Gamal, Bassma Kodmani et Julien Barnes-Dacey sur le thème suivant : « Where next for Syrians ? »
Discussion of recent developments in Syria and the implications for European policy toward the ongoing crisis.
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning, en présence de Marc Hecker, Sharon Weill, Anthony Dworkin et Manuel Lafont Rapnouil, directeur du bureau de Paris de l’ECFR sur le thème suivant : « Le retour des combattants terroristes étrangers dans l’Union Européenne ».
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning, en présence de Delphine O, Florence Gaub et Camille Lons sur le thème suivant : « Irak : quels enjeux pour l'Europe ? ».
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à une table ronde avec Nicholas Westcott, Directeur la Royal African Society de Londres, Gurvan Le Bras, Chargé de mission au CAPS, Manuel Lafont Rapnouil, Directeur du bureau de Paris de l’ECFR, et Claude Guibal, grand reporter à France Inter
When confronted with the choice of either returning [to Syria] or fleeing to a third country, many might consider the latter, and Europe is a top choice
Zelensky’s attendance serves as a counterbalance to the presence of the Syrian leader al-Assad, and allows the Saudis to display their interest in the concerns of the Western world
Arturo Varvelli comments on the presence of Ukrainian President Zelensky at the Arab League summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Nearly all political parties, with the exception of pro-Kurdish HDP, are running on a platform for voluntary or involuntary repatriation of Syrians
Asli Aydintasbas comments on the immigration and refugee issue in the Turkish elections
This sets a precedent of impunity for war crimes, the effect of which can reverberate around the world, all the way to Russia and Ukraine
Kelly Petillo outlines potential impacts of Syria’s readmittance into the Arab League
These moves are most definitely not driven by a primary focus on the plight of Syrians inside the country or any unified regional desire to improve the country’s pretty desperate circumstances
Julien Barnes-Dacey comments on the rapprochement between the Syrian government and its Arab neighbors