ISIS is not a Product of Intervention in Iraq 2003, but Non-Intervention in Syria

Julie Lenarz June 18, 2014 Iraq and Syria, Middle East and North Africa, Security and Defence

On Tuesday, the jihadist group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham) launched a long-planned assault on Iraq, seizing control of Mosul, the country’s second largest city, after taking large parts of the central city of Fallujah and nearby Ramadi in December 2013.

Under threat: We must stand up for Syria’s Christians

Julie Lenarz and Michael Miner March 15, 2014 Iraq and Syria, Religion and Politics

The Arab Spring has turned into an Orwellian Winter for the ancient Christian communities of the Middle East. Persecution has reached unprecedented levels and throughout the region Christians are being killed, displaced, tortured, kidnapped, enslaved, and forced to convert.

Back to the Quagmire: Beyond Diplomacy in Syria

Matthew Lower March 2, 2014 Iraq and Syria, Middle East and North Africa, The Policy Unit

Whilst there is reason to be positive about the ongoing Geneva negotiations between the Assad government and the opposition, the general consensus is that there is little chance of these talks leading to any substantial progress. The reason for this underlying feeling is as clear as it is familiar, the rebels ultimately demand Assad goes, Assad refuses to do so.

Syria: The Wages of Inaction

Julie Lenarz and Michael Miner February 27, 2014 Iraq and Syria, Middle East and North Africa

The unrest in Syria has quickly spiralled beyond a sectarian civil war and into a regional crisis.

Robert Halfon MP: Western Intervention in Iraq saved a Nation from being Exterminated

Guest Contributor January 20, 2014 Iraq and Syria, Opinion

Guest Contributor: Robert Halfon MP 20th January 2014 Robert recently visited Kurdistan in Northern Iraq with the All-Party Kurdistan Group. In this article he describes the three challenges facing the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). When people ask me if the Iraq ...

Not nearly enough of the President’s men: Obama’s Inaction is quietly devastating the Middle East

Julie Lenarz January 14, 2014 HSC in the Media, Iraq and Syria, Middle East and North Africa

While the Middle East is going through one of the most turbulent periods in history, America is governed by one of the most, if not the most, risk-averse post-war Presidents. The consequences of this unfortunate match are devastating, far-reaching and long-lasting.

Syria and the Inconsistency of the European Foreign and Security Policy

David Innerhuber September 29, 2013 Europe, Iraq and Syria, Security and Defence

The EU somehow managed to cover up its failure in Libya and Mali, but the disaster of its Syria policy cannot be squashed as easily. The time has come for the member states to ask themselves how far they want to go in terms of a common foreign and security policy.

Robert Halfon MP: We must intervene in Syria – the arguments against doing so do not stack up

Guest Contributor August 27, 2013 Iraq and Syria, Opinion

Guest Contributor: Robert Halfon MP 27th August 2013 There are always three and half arguments against intervention: first, that it is outside the framework of international law; second, that Realpolitik should be the order of the day; and third, ‘What ...

Whatever you think of the Iraq War, for the Kurds it was a Liberation

Julie Lenarz June 2, 2013 Iraq and Syria, Middle East and North Africa

When I walked towards the memorial in Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan a fortnight ago to attend the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the genocide, I passed by a seemingly endless stream of images.