NEW COMMENTARY | The Global Impact of the New Middle East War The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is approaching its second week with no end yet in sight. Our experts offer a 360-degree view of its impact around the world. www.crisisgroup.org/cmt/middle-e...

Where does the region stand a week into the war? Read our @CrisisGroup.org 360 degree view, with colleagues’ insights from Iran, Israel, the Gulf, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Turkey and Egypt. www.crisisgroup.org/cmt/middle-e...

“Israel is hammering Iran. [But] the question is, how long can we go on like this? What is the endgame?” Our analyst Mairav Zonszein reports from Tel Aviv as the U.S., Israel and Iran enter a perilous new phase of direct confrontation. www.crisisgroup.org/how-we-work/...

NEW STATEMENT | The U.S. and Iran Can Still Avoid a War Both have never been so close to a major war. Escalation risks make any conflict scenario perilous for all concerned. A narrow path to averting war exists, but time is of the essence. www.crisisgroup.org/stm/middle-e...

NEW ANALYST’S NOTEBOOK | Iraqi Politics in Ferment after Trump’s Broadside @lahibhigel.bsky.social assesses the reasons behind the U.S. president’s swipe at a former Iraqi prime minister and how political forces are responding. www.crisisgroup.org/anb/middle-e...

In the new @dissentmag.bsky.social issue, out today, @yguichaoua.bsky.social and I diagnose the crisis of conflict studies in a piece that is part intellectual history, part personal experience. What was conflict studies for? And what can its travails tell us about how wars have changed?

NEW COMMENTARY | How the World Sees the U.S. Raid in Venezuela The U.S. operation grabbing President Nicolás Maduro caused disquiet in many capitals around the globe. @crisisgroup.org offers a 360-degree view of the reactions and their implications. www.crisisgroup.org/latin-americ...

‘Risks of violence in any post-Maduro scenario should not be downplayed. The U.S. decision to go it alone has sent a chilling message across the region.’ Our recent statement explains why Washington should be wary of the fallout following events in Venezuela. www.crisisgroup.org/latin-americ...

NEW STATEMENT | The World’s Shame in Gaza Israel’s Gaza campaign has entered an even more nightmarish phase. The world must press Israel harder to stop the war, lest its offensive destroy Palestinian life in the strip beyond hope of recovery. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...

ONLINE EVENT | What Next in the U.S.-Israeli Confrontation with Iran July 1 | 9.30am Washington DC | 3.30pm Brussels w/ @mwhanna.crisisgroup.org, Naysan Rafati, @mairavz.bsky.social, @lahibhigel.bsky.social Registration ⬇️ us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

My latest in @foreignpolicy.com. Trump has promised to lift sanctions on Syria. I explain why it's not that easy to fully end the sanctions—and their effects. foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/02/t...

Europe is finally finding its voice on the Gaza Strip. A better and braver friend would have spoken out earlier and louder, but what matters now is that Europe acts. There is much that European leaders can do as @crisisgroup.org sets out here ⬇️ www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...

✍️ My quick take for @crisisgroup.org on how last week's UNSC votes on South Sudan and Libya reflect on the broader sanctions debate at the UN. www.crisisgroup.org/global-south...

The PKK decision to disband is a huge deal for Türkiye and prospectively well beyond. But getting to peace will take additional effort. New @crisisgroup.org statement reflects terrific work by @berkaymandiraci.bsky.social, @lahibhigel.bsky.social, @dibanigar.bsky.social & Dareen Khalifa.

‘These attacks risk undermining Lebanon’s new political leadership, quite possibly to Hizbollah’s benefit.’ The attack on Beirut marked a serious escalation in Israel’s post-war military posture. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...

NEW: My thoughts for @crisisgroup.org on the Trump administration's framing of migration and organized crime as "terrorism" and as a military threat, and how this may be laying the groundwork for US military action in Mexico. www.crisisgroup.org/united-state...

If Sudan’s war merely concerned Sudanese, its course might be easier to predict. What’s clear however is that heavy outside involvement makes escalation more likely. So here’s some de-escalatory ideas which reps of states that back the belligerents could lead on. www.crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-...

ONLINE EVENT | What’s Driving the Red Sea Crisis and How to Stop It? 8 April 2025 | 4pm Sanaa | 3pm Brussels | 9am Washington Registration ⬇️ us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

The Red Sea has become a flashpoint of global competition, with military build-up outpacing diplomacy. As tensions rise between the US, Iran, and regional actors, curbing naval escalation and addressing the root conflicts in Gaza and Yemen are essential. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...

NEW Q&A | President Trump has used a 1798 law to deport alleged members of the criminal network Tren de Aragua to El Salvador, in whose notorious prisons they are now held. We explain the group’s origins and the policy’s potential consequences. www.crisisgroup.org/global-unite...

Undermining the rule of law internationally is self-defeating, writes @bcfinucane.bsky.social (@crisisgroup.org) He writes on why the prohibition on the use of force and U.S. alliances matter and what should happen next: www.justsecurity.org/109537/upend...

A call for 🇮🇱 to rethink its Syria strategy or risk pushing country toward one of the very scenarios it says it wants to avoid: fostering chaos that Iran &/or jihadist militants could exploit, or nudging new govt in Damascus closer to Ankara. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-... @mairavz.bsky.social

The interim authorities in Syria have adopted a new 'constitutional declaration', which is the equivalent of an interim constitution. This is another major step in the transition and is deserving of attention. I summarise its contents and offer some analysis in the thread below

📰Sunday extras! "What does the PKK ceasefire mean for Türkiye, Iraq and Syria?" with Berkay Mandıracı, @lahibhigel.bsky.social and Dareen Khalifa. [1/5]

In unsettled times, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House looks set to shake things up further. But how does a disrupter deal with an already disrupted world? Welcome to an unpredictable 2025 in association with @foreignpolicy.com www.crisisgroup.org/global/10-co...

In this 360-degree view, @crisisgroup.org experts offer a brief survey of the discussions in Turkey, Iran, Russia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, the oPt, Gulf Arab states, the US and at the UNSC about the latest developments in and around Syria. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...

My colleague @nicolegrajewski.bsky.social captures perfectly what prompted Iran to intervene in defence of the Assad regime in Syria in 2012, and why it so abruptly abandoned him: carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...

NEW STATEMENT | Priorities after Assad’s Fall At last, Syria is free of the despised Assad regime. The long-suffering Syrian people deserve respite and a chance to rebuild the country on their own terms, with help not interference from outside. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...

Published minutes ago and may remain up to date for several minutes more! Read it before the rebels seize your computer!

Amidst further territorial losses of the Syrian regime, the Iraqi Shiite Coordination Framework (incl. all major Shia parties except for Sadr) has reportedly unanimously decided not to support Assad military. Meanwhile, the Iraqi resistance groups in eastern Syria have retreated to Iraq.

As the SDF is taking over areas from Deir Ez-Zor to Albu Kamal after the Syrian Army’s withdrawal, Iraqi groups are retreating into Iraq’s Anbar province.

THREAD 🧵: This is the second time since the offensive started that Jolani has sent a message to Iraq, trying to reassure the government that their fight is with the regime and will not extend to Iraq. He called on Prime Minister al-Sudani to keep the PMF/Hashd out of Syria. 1/8

THREAD 🧵: The ceasefire in Lebanon and the current turmoil in Syria has prompted a recalibration of priorities among Iraqi resistance groups. Before, their attacks on Israel kept the government busy trying to avert potential Israeli strikes on Iraq. 1/9

NEW Q&A | Can the Hizbollah-Israel Ceasefire Hold? In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts Heiko Wimmen, David Wood and @mairavz.bsky.social examine the truce’s terms and the chances that it will hold. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...

Online Event | Lebanon-Israel ceasefire: What’s at stake? 🗓️ Wednesday 4 December ⏰ 17pm Beirut/Tel Aviv | 16pm Brussels | 10am Washington D.C With Heiko Wimmen, David Wood, ​​@mairavz.bsky.social Moderated by @lahibhigel.bsky.social 📝 Registration: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...