A U.S. soldier speaking with a fighter from the Kurdish YPG in 2017 in northeastern Syria. (Photo: Delil Souleiman, AFP/Getty Images) By Kevin Truitte, Columnist Photo by: Getty Images The prevalence of inter-state war has declined since the end of the Second World War.[i] The Cold War and introduction of nuclear weapons witnessed the employment of … Continue reading Strategic Divergence: A Problem with Proxy Warfare
Author: Kevin Truitte
The Implications of Turkey’s Anti-American Messaging
A Turkish protester holds a sign with a photo of US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone during a protest held by leftist Workers’ Party outside the US Embassy in Ankara on Dec. 23, 2013. (Photo: AP) By: Kevin Truitte, Columnist Photo by: AP Over the past decade, the Turkish government has slowly consolidated its power; media outlets … Continue reading The Implications of Turkey’s Anti-American Messaging
Cracks in Haftar’s Coalition? Internal Challenges to a Strongman’s Political-Military Alliance
By: Kevin Truitte, Columnist Photo by: The Guardian Rogue general Khalifa Haftar has emerged as the preeminent military and political leader in eastern Libya. Since declaring his goal of defeating Islamist groups and “liberating” the country in 2014, Haftar has built a political-military coalition of forces in eastern Libya, including the self-styled Libyan National Army … Continue reading Cracks in Haftar’s Coalition? Internal Challenges to a Strongman’s Political-Military Alliance
The New Major Middle East Divide: How Intra-Sunni Power Competition is Reshaping the Region
By: Kevin Truitte, Columnist Photo by: http://www.sharqforum.org Regional competition between Middle East countries in the four decades since the Iranian Revolution centered on the Sunni-Shia divide. Sectarian tensions triggered a number of conflicts, from the Iran-Iraq War to the Saudi Arabia-Iran feud. However, since the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, a new, intra-Sunni … Continue reading The New Major Middle East Divide: How Intra-Sunni Power Competition is Reshaping the Region