On Friday, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy hosted Andrew Tabler, distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and via Skype, Ambassador Robert Ford, the current American ambassador to Syria. Robert Satloff, executive director at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, introduced the discussion. Both Tabler and Ford gave brief speeches and then spent the majority of the time taking questions from the audience. For full event notes, ...

The PKK launched an attack on Turkish soldiers, resulting in the death of at least eight people. The soldiers were traveling in a convoy when a series of explosions hit their vehicle in the southeastern province of Hakkiri. One soldier died immediately, while another seven died of sustained injuries in the hours following the blasts. There were an additional 11 soldiers and personnel injured in the ambush. It is also ...

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been a source of contention within Turkey's borders for years, and now members may face the most imminent opposition in the days following the end of Ramadan, Today's Zaman reports. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has alluded to stepping up defense tactics to subdue PKK terrorist activity, and has allegedly planned to advance onto their northern Iraqi base. "Everything will be different after Ramadan," ...

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace released a report entitled, "The Turkish Constitution and the Kurdish Question," a publication that delineates the demands of Kurdish people in regards to rewriting a new Turkish constitution. The previous constitution was approved in 1982 as a result of a military junta. Drafting a new constitution in an attempt to quell grievances is just the first step, however, and the Kurds outline three main demands they'd like ...

Turkey is sending Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Damascus tomorrow to inform Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of "a decisive message". According to the Guardian, "Turkish alarm, bordering on anger, is humanitarian and strategic in nature." Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has officially condemned Syria's continued manslaughter and has referred to the regime's "savagery" in weekend rhetoric. Additionally, Turkey's concern over PKK fighters residing in the southern portions of the country has ...

In the Wall Street Journal, Elliott Abrams argues that American leadership can ultimately help prevent a civil war in Syria.  Thus far, Abram argues that the U.S. has not had a strategy toward Syria except "prayers that Syria doesn't turn into Libya." Abrams writes that because the Alawite society has different degrees of support for the Assads, it is important for the U.S. to address them both publicly and privately through ...

Daphne McCurdy, POMED Senior Research Associate, writing at OpenDemocracy discussed the political and legal crisis confronting Turkey since its June 12 election. She examined the apparent politicization of legal decisions that have precluded Hatip Dicle, an independent backed by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) from taking his seat. McCurdy used the Dicle case to highlight tensions within Turkish society, including those between the political and armed aspects of the Kurdistan ...

The Conference for Change in Syria took place from May 31 to June 2 in Antalya, Turkey, and established a 31-member Consultative Council that will be responsible for organizing and monitoring the activities related to the conference.  The conference also issued a final resolution demanding for President Bashar al-Assad's resignation and handing leadership to the vice president.  According to the resolution, the vice president will reside over the transitional period, ...

Maria Fantappie, of the Carnegie Middle East Center, in a piece for the Los Angeles Times' Babylon & Beyond blog, writes that the wave of protests across the Arab world is also having an effect in Iraqi Kurdistan.  Although protests have erupted in the Arab areas of Iraq over a variety of issues, Fantappie states that the Kurdish protests have focused on popular youth discontent with the traditional Kurdish leadership ...

On Thursday, Turkey sent a high-level delegation of government experts to advise the Syrian regime on how to implement rapid reforms.  According to Selim Yenel, deputy undersecretary for the Americas at Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision to send the team was agreed to in advance.  Marc Champion of the Wall Street Journal, writes that the sending of the delegation is a sign of Turkey's concern that "rising violence ...

On Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented the Justice and Development Party (AKP)'s election manifesto in which he outlined the government's economic vision for Turkey's future. He also criticized the opposition party, Republican People's Party (CHP)'s economic policy and the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP)'s incitement of violence against police officers in the southeast during protests over the ban of Kurdish candidates.  The CHP also released its election manifesto, ...

Last week, the Kurdish Parliament passed a  Law on Non-Governmental Organizations in the Kurdistan Region.  The law seeks to improve transparency of relations between regional authorities and civil society groups as well as simplifying the process for registering NGOs, creating conditions for NGO financial stability, removing restrictions on associational rights of foreign residents in Kurdistan,  and removing criminal penalties for violations of the NGO law.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has issued a decree granting up to 150,000 Kurds living in eastern Syria citizenship.  Many Kurds are currently registered as foreigners due to previous census results.  Kurdish leader Habib Ibrahim said that the decree would not stop Kurdish Syrians from pressing for more civil rights and democratic reforms: "Our cause is democracy for the whole of Syria. Citizenship is the right of every Syrian. It is not ...

Bilal Y. Saab, writing for The National Interest, argues that a collapse of the regime would have ripple effects across the Middle East and the country's network of external relations could collapse.  He outlines two ways in which a post-Assad Syria could develop.  On the positive side, Syrian intervention in Lebanese politics could essentially be eliminated along with its support for Hezbollah.  This would significantly weaken Hezbollah he argues.  The ...