Political turmoil, the Moon Sect and US bases: South Korea, Asia’s ‘Ukraine’

By Orçun Göktürk, Beijing / China The Korean War, one of the most brutal scenes of the Cold War in East Asia, is undoubtedly a historical turning point that shaped South Korea’s destiny. The Korean Peninsula, divided by the US imperialist intervention, remains one of the hotspots of geopolitical conflict potential in the Asia-Pacific to this day. South Korea is ...

Statement by President Bashar al-Assad on the Circumstances Leading to his Departure from Syria

The President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar al-Assad made a first declaration after the conquest of Damascus and his moving to Moscow, Russia. The statement was published on his official telegram channel in English. UWI documents below the statement as published. Moscow – 16 December 2024 As terrorism spread across Syria and ultimately reached Damascus on the evening of ...

Israel from the west, PKK/YPG from the east: Establishing the “Second Israel”

Concurrent with HTS’s takeover of Damascus and the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Israel began to expand its occupation into Syria from the Golan Heights, moving Deeper into the country. Simultaneously, PKK/YPG is also expanding its area of control, moving closer to Israel. Israel and PKK/YPG’s moves taken together highlights the “Second Israel”, namely the establishment of a “Kurdish state” with ...

Former Turkish Head of Intelligence at the General Staff, Pekin: “I expect a cantonal structure in Syria”

On the actual situation in Syria, we interviewed Ismail Hakkı Pekin. Pekin is a qualified expert on the matter for various reasons. During his active service in the Turkish Armed Forces, he finished service as lieutenant-general and head of military intelligence of the General Staff, he was responsible to conduct the so-called Adana Agreement. Within it, the Turkish and Syrian ...

Syria: The Gulf position is still taking shape, but Qatar has already decided

By Islam Farag, Caro / Egypt In ancient history, the Levant was an important strategic location that empires fought over for thousands of years. None of them was able to decide influence by the standards of those times without imposing its control over it. In the modern era, after the division of that region into several countries, Syria became the ...

Andrey Lankov, a Korea expert: Sooner or later, the DPRK soldiers will appear at the Ukrainian frontline

Andrei Lankov is one of the leading Russian oriental studies experts. In 1985, he attended Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung University and currently works as a professor at Kookmin University, Seoul. Unlike lots of other pundits, Lankov does his best to analyse the DPRK issues impartially, ignoring propaganda of both sides. Exclusively to UWI, Andrei Lankov commented on the rumors of ...

Syria: Many questions and few answers

I must confess that in my 44 years of involvement in international relations, I have never encountered a problem as complex to study and understand as the one linked to the recent events in Syria. I have consulted my usual sources in the region, and like never before, have I received different and even contradictory opinions among people who generally ...

Sudan’s crisis and Western politics in East Africa

The door that keeps letting in the draught, shut it, and be at peace. (Sudanese Proverb) Introduction The ongoing conflict in Sudan has drawn significant international attention due to its humanitarian crisis and the broader implications for stability in East Africa. As Sudan grapples with internal strife, worsened by the military coup in 2021, the international community, particularly Western powers, ...

After Al Assad, the target is Türkiye

UWI author, historian and political scientist Associate Professor Mehmet Perinçek evaluated the fall of Bashar Assad. Perinçek focuses on the character of the actors and forces in the new government in Damascus. To foresee what might unfold in Syria from now on, we first need to understand the roles of those who have come into power. The US and Israel ...

How are Gazprom and Syria’s territorial integrity related?

We conducted an interview with Deniz Tansı on the sanctions on Gazprombank. Türkiye’s position regarding the sanctions. Tansı, relating the topic in a broader context, shared his views why Türkiye “should not compel to the sanction policy of the US” drawing its possible implications on Türkiye and Syria’s territorial integrity. Here’s what Tansı stated to UWI. “Since the beginning of ...

The ties between Israel and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)

By Yiğit Saner Speaking to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, Middle East expert Mordechai Kedar relayed messages of “goodwill” from HTS to Israel. Kedar, a former officer in Israeli Military Intelligence, emphasized that the HTS militants view Israel “not as a problem, but as a solution”. He also stated, “I conveyed a detailed list of equipment requested by HTS to officials ...

Vatan Party Chairman Doğu Perinçek: The US and Israel’s plan in Syria are to establish a federation and grant regional autonomies

On Tuesday, December 10, 2024, Doğu Perinçek, Vatan Party Chairman, held a press conference to explain the policies of the Vatan Party in a situation where Tahrir al-Sham has formed a government in Damascus, PKK/PYD is attempting to establish a puppet state with the support of the United States, and Israel has entered Syrian territory. Perinçek summarized the following: Prediction ...