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Newsweek
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Syria 2025 Is Iraq All Over Again
The al-Nusrah Front was removed from the U.S. terror list on July 7, 2025. Officially, it marked a shift. But under the surface, it looked a lot more like a pattern we've previously seen. America has been here before. We saw this exact playbook in Iraq: regime change, a rush to legitimize the replacement, sweeping sanctions relief, and a premature declaration of stability. It didn't work then. And it won't work now. The backdrop to this sudden policy shift is the meteoric rise of Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's new president. Less than a year back, al-Sharaa was still going by his old name, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. For years, he led al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate. That group eventually rebranded as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and now holds real control over large parts of the country. His troops helped remove Bashar al-Assad. And now, he's being treated as a legitimate head of state by Washington. Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 11, 2025, in Antalya, Turkey. Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 11, 2025, in Antalya, Turkey. Mert Gokhan Koc/ dia images via Getty Images This normalization has come fast and without accountability. The Trump administration's May 2025 announcement in Riyadh, and subsequent executive order in June, lifting all sanctions on Syria and praising al-Sharaa as a "young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter," which was followed barely two months later by the formal Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) delisting of al-Nusrah. The timing is not subtle. It signals a strategic pivot: from isolation to partnership, from punishment to pragmatism. But there's a problem. In March 2025, just four months ago, HTS-linked units participated in one of the worst sectarian atrocities of the post-Assad period. According to Reuters and Human Rights Watch, over 1,500 Alawite civilians were executed across Latakia and Tartus. Entire villages were emptied. Many were shot execution-style. These were not rogue factions. These were al-Sharaa's forces. The same man now photographed with American officials and heralded as Syria's transitional solution. The echoes with Iraq are deafening. In 2003, dictator Saddam Hussein was removed. Sanctions were lifted. Investments flooded in. We declared victory. What followed was a maelstrom: insurgency, sectarian bloodshed, and the birth of ISIS. The root cause wasn't just the power vacuum. It was the premature legitimization of a post-conflict authority before institutions, accountability, or even basic national cohesion had been established. Ahmed al-Sharaa did not simply inherit a war-torn state. He built it. Under his command, HTS didn't just fill a vacuum, they enforced it. Rivals were pushed out, sometimes violently. Dissent didn't last long. By the time they tightened their grip on Idlib, he'd already broken from al-Qaeda. But that break didn't change how he got there, or what people had to live under once he did. The U.S. response has been to reward this transformation with recognition and relief. In May, the Treasury Department issued General License 25, authorizing nearly all commercial activity with the Syrian government. That includes trade, investment, and infrastructure projects, even involving ministers and deputies still under Global Magnitsky sanctions. The justification? Stabilization. The reality? Strategic amnesia. The sanctions weren't about Assad's name, they were about his actions. Unless al-Sharaa shows he's actually governing differently, lifting sanctions doesn't mark progress, it just hands a pass from one regime to the next. U.S. officials said he's made promises: kick out foreign fighters, block ISIS from rebuilding, hold elections sometime in the next year and a half. These are good promises. But they're just that: promises. And they echo the same overconfidence we heard in Iraq. That local leaders would rise to the occasion. That militias would disarm. That money and markets would do the work of reconciliation. In Syria, the danger is even more acute. The al-Nusrah delisting was not a technical correction. It was a signal. One that tells future armed groups that if they wait long enough, hold enough territory, and rebrand effectively, Washington will meet them at the negotiating table. This is a dangerous incentive structure. It rewards tactical patience, not ideological reform. And it invites a future where today's insurgents become tomorrow's presidents, without ever accounting for the violence that brought them there. This is not a call for endless isolation. Engagement is necessary. But engagement must be disciplined. Sanctions relief should be conditional. Recognition should be phased. Aid should be tied to benchmarks: human rights, political pluralism, justice for victims. Instead, we've sprinted past all of that. In just five months, we've gone from labeling HTS a terrorist organization to legitimizing its leader as Syria's future. We must learn from Iraq. Not because history rhymes, but because this isn't rhyming, it's repeating. Foreign policy isn't about optics. It's about outcomes. And unless we slow down, apply pressure strategically, and demand real accountability from our new "partners," Syria may not just mirror Iraq. It may surpass it in the scale of our regret. Brett Erickson is the managing principal of Obsidian Risk Advisors. He serves on the advisory board of DePaul University School of Business and Loyola Law School-Center for Compliance Studies. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Top Turkish officials to visit Pakistan Wednesday, source says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan gestures as he speaks during a press conference at Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, April 13, 2025. REUTERS/Kaan Soyturk/File Photo ANKARA - Turkey's foreign and defence ministers will visit Pakistan on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss bilateral ties, regional issues, and defence industry cooperation, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Tuesday. Turkey has strong ties with Pakistan and expressed solidarity with it during its military conflict with India in May, angering India. During the visit, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will express Turkey's desire to deepen ties in every field and offer Ankara's support in taking steps toward regional peace, the source said. Fidan will stress the countries "need to strengthen their cooperation in the defence industry," the source said. Ankara also has cordial ties with India, but after its support for Pakistan, small Indian grocery shops and major online fashion retailers boycotted Turkish products, while New Delhi also cancelled Turkey-based aviation service provider Celebi clearance over "national security" reasons. REUTERS
India.com
04-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
Anti India Yunus plans big conspiracy against India, may join hands with this country to open weapon factories, not Pakistan, China, country is....
Anti India Yunus plans big conspiracy against India, may join hands with this country to open weapon factories, not Pakistan, China, country is... Dhaka: Amid the ongoing tensions between India and neighbouring Bangladesh, Turkey is going to enter into a strategic defence partnership with Dhaka. As per reports, a top Turkish defence industry official will visit the Middle East country next week, and during the same period, both countries can hold important talks to expand the defence-industry partnership. People familiar with the development have said that Haluk Gorgun, head of Turkey's Defence Industry Agency (SSB), will visit Dhaka on July 8, on a one-day visit. He is scheduled to meet Chief Advisor of the Interim Government Muhammad Yunus. Is Mohammad Yunus Preparing To Enter A Strategic Defence Partnership With Turkey? It is speculated that Mohammad Yunus is preparing to enter into a strategic defence partnership with Turkey. Notably, the Middle East country helped Pakistan against India during the recent conflict. Haluk Gorgun's visit to Dhaka can not be seen as a normal formal meeting, but through this, Ankara is planning to strengthen its presence in Bangladesh at the strategic level. As per a report by the Economic Times, Gorgun is scheduled to meet Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral M. Nazmul Hasan and Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmud Khan. Why Turkey Struggled to Gain Ground in Bangladesh Under Sheikh Hasina? During Sheikh Hasina's tenure, Turkey did not get any chance to set its foot in the country. But now under the Mohammad Yunus-led government the country has a chance as he supports Erdogan's 'Caliphate rule'. The report states that Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), which is an apex investment promotion agency, is planning to set up defence industrial complexes in Chittagong and Narayanganj in collaboration with Turkish defence companies. Notably, BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashiq Mahmud Bin Harun recently completed a five-day trip to Turkey. During the visit, he held talks with major Turkish defence companies. It is worth mentioning that in recent years, Turkish companies have gained global recognition in drone technology, radar systems, missile development and aircraft manufacturing. Does Turkey Want To Be In A Position To Directly Challenge India? It is believed that Pakistan's friend Turkey, by setting up defence factories in Bangladesh, wants to be in a position to directly challenge India. The Middle East country also wants to sell its defence materials in Asia and African countries. Bangladesh also wants aerospace collaboration with Turkey. Following a meeting between Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Advisor Mohammad Tauhid Hussain and Turkish Aerospace Chief Mehmet Demirolu at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in April 2025, Mohammad Yunus is pursuing an aerospace agreement with Ankara. During the meeting, both the sides possibilities of cooperation in the field of advanced fighter aircraft, training aircraft and satellite systems. Does Bangladesh Want To Become Turkey's Strategic Partner? Bangladesh's evolving relationship with Turkey signals a shift beyond a simple buyer-seller dynamic towards a strategic partnership. This development, alongside China's growing influence, suggests Turkey aims to exert pressure on India through Bangladesh. Furthermore, the involvement of the United States in a potential plan to separate Myanmar into a Christian state, with Bangladesh's possible assistance, indicates Bangladesh is becoming a key player in regional geopolitical manoeuvring. This situation raises concerns that Bangladesh could become a battleground for competing global interests, potentially exploited by nations opposed to India.
Daily News Egypt
04-06-2025
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Manufactured Discord and the Arab Mirage: The Trump-Netanyahu Nexus and Gaza's Tragedy
As the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens in mid-2025, Israel's military machine relentlessly pounds the besieged enclave, fueling global scrutiny of the murky, controversial relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. Their interactions oscillate between fiery public exchanges, contradictory diplomatic rhetoric, and synchronized actions—all sustaining one grim reality: ongoing Palestinian bloodshed under blatant American political and military protection. The increasingly urgent question circulating across Arab and international streets is this: Are Trump and Netanyahu genuinely at odds, as American and Israeli media narratives suggest? Or is this an elaborately staged spectacle, serving a mutual economic-political agenda—a carefully orchestrated charade concealing a darker scheme unfolding on the ground? Sachs' Address: A Strategic Bombshell During an exceptional panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in March 2025, renowned American economist Jeffrey Sachs ignited what analysts deemed a 'political bombshell' when he declared: *'Israel cannot continue its war on Gaza for even a single day without direct American support. This is not solely Israel's war—it is unmistakably America's war too.' The statement rippled across policy circles and media outlets, sharply exposing the extent of Washington's complicity. What made Sachs' remarks even more consequential was not just their delivery but their timing—emerging amid growing regional unrest and mounting evidence of US military shipments to Israel despite humanitarian pleas. More significantly, Sachs' comments confirmed long-held suspicions—that behind the performative diplomacy lies a bipartisan, corporate-military strategy aimed not only at suppressing resistance but reengineering the region's demographics and economy. Bernie Sanders: Naming the Betrayal Sachs was not alone in highlighting this grim reality. On May 8, 2025, Senator Bernie Sanders addressed Congress, branding Netanyahu's policies as acts of 'mass starvation and calculated destruction aimed at transforming Gaza into a Riviera for wealthy investors.' According to Sanders, Trump's much-touted post-war reconstruction plans for Gaza—sold as a path to peace—amount to nothing more than a repackaged 'Deal of the Century,' this time cloaked in economic jargon. His words sparked heated debate over the true nature of these public disputes: Are they mere clashes of ego and political ambition, or a deliberately executed strategy to reshape Gaza's geography for international profit? The Manufactured Rift: A Strategic Play Investigative reports emerging from Trump's May 2025 Gulf tour exposed the illusory nature of the alleged 'cooling relationship' between Trump and Netanyahu. The most telling episode was Trump's direct negotiations with Hamas over the release of dual national Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander—a move quickly labeled by the press as a 'snub' to Netanyahu. However, a closer, more objective analysis suggests that this was a calculated publicity maneuver, designed to win favor with Arab audiences. Beneath this superficial discord, Trump's administration continued its military aid to Israel, shielded it diplomatically, and protected its leadership from international accountability. In essence, what appeared to be tension was a meticulously choreographed performance—a strategy of visible divergence concealing a deeper, unbreakable alliance. Gaza Riviera: The Economic Facade of Ethnic Cleansing During a joint press event in February 2025, Trump proclaimed Gaza would be rebuilt as 'the Riviera of the Middle East,' managed by American and Gulf-based companies. Netanyahu publicly voiced concerns in media interviews, seemingly distancing himself from the idea. Yet on the ground, mass starvation, systematic neighborhood demolitions, and the suffocating blockade aligned perfectly with the conditions necessary for executing this luxury redevelopment project. Analyses across American and European media converged on a chilling conclusion: for 'Gaza Riviera' to materialize, Gaza must first be depopulated. The relentless military operations and engineered humanitarian crisis serve precisely this goal. These atrocities are not mere collateral damage but an orchestrated prelude to property seizures and international land deals, disguised as 'post-war reconstruction.' Sachs' and Sanders' declarations only reinforced what was already unfolding: This war's purpose extends beyond eliminating armed resistance—it is a forced clearance of land for private capital, justified under the guise of regional stability. Arab Gulf Placation: Cosmetic Diplomacy Trump's diplomatic visits to Gulf capitals—accompanied by pronouncements about 'facilitating humanitarian aid'—amounted to little more than a smokescreen. Carefully crafted photo ops projected goodwill, yet they failed to yield any meaningful restraint on Israel's aggression, nor imposed serious pressure on Tel Aviv to halt its onslaught. On the contrary, American military shipments to Israel accelerated, even as Trump's administration issued hollow statements of 'concern for civilian casualties.' The superficial diplomacy masked an unchanged strategic position: unconditional US support for Israel's war objectives, irrespective of civilian suffering. Calculated Silence Amid Ethnic Displacement In May 2025, Netanyahu publicly unveiled plans for permanent Israeli control over Gaza, enforcing mass displacement of its residents. Thousands of families were left without food or medical care, as confirmed by multiple UN reports. Yet Trump's response amounted to nothing more than vague appeals for 'restraint.' There was no suspension of military aid. No diplomatic pressure. No effort to halt arms shipments. Instead, the US exercised its veto power to block international warrants and ceasefire initiatives targeting Israeli leadership. The message was clear: Beneath the media spectacle of disputes, the Trump-Netanyahu partnership remains intact—coordinated, strategic, and fundamentally driven by mutual economic and geopolitical interests. Conclusion: The Arab World's Choice In light of these developments, one fundamental question remains: Are we witnessing a carefully choreographed political farce designed to mislead Arab audiences through orchestrated contradictions and media-engineered disputes? Or is the Trump-Netanyahu axis something even more dangerous—a supra-political, profit-driven enterprise operating under the guise of diplomacy, seizing Palestinian land and manipulating demographic shifts under the facade of 'humanitarian reconstruction'? And most crucially, can the Arab world—its governments and citizens alike—afford to remain passive spectators in this grim theater, or has the time for confrontation finally arrived? Marwa El-Shinawy – Academic and Writer
Libya Review
29-05-2025
- Business
- Libya Review
Syria to Resume Flights & Reopen Embassy in Libya
Syria is preparing to restore its diplomatic and aviation presence in Libya as part of a broader effort to revive ties between the two nations after more than a decade of strained relations. A government delegation is expected to visit Tripoli soon, with direct flights and embassy services to follow. Sameh Arabi, Director of Syrian Airlines, confirmed that Libya will soon be added as a new destination for the state-run airline. In a statement to Syria's official news agency SANA, Arabi noted that the carrier currently operates four daily flights serving Gulf and Middle Eastern cities, including Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Doha, and Kuwait. He added that efforts are underway to resume routes to Egypt, although some administrative hurdles remain. The revival of the Libya route aligns with Syria's renewed diplomatic outreach. On May 15, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani announced the reopening of the Syrian embassy and consulate in Libya, saying it was based on instructions from Syria's newly appointed President, Ahmad Al-Shara. 'This step aims to provide services to our Syrian community in Libya and to strengthen fraternal relations between the two nations,' Al-Shibani wrote on X (formerly Twitter). He added that a field team will be dispatched in preparation for an official visit to Libya's Government of National Unity, although no specific date was given. The developments come amid a broader political realignment in Syria. In January 2025, Ahmad Al-Shara was appointed transitional president following the ousting of Bashar Al-Assad in December 2024. His administration has since emphasized reengagement with regional partners, including Libya. During the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in April, Libyan interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbaiba and Syrian President Al-Shara agreed to reactivate the Libyan–Syrian High Joint Committee. The body, designed to enhance bilateral cooperation across political, economic, and social spheres, had been dormant for years. Tags: HajjlibyaMakkahPilgrimageSaudi Arabia
