Analysis Kurds, Damascus step back from brink as SDF signs fresh deal with Syrian government After intense US-led diplomacy, Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led SDF agreed to a ceasefire and phased integration, averting all-out conflict. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Interview YPG spokesman: Syrian forces' strategy is to isolate Kurdish towns and cities In an interview with Al-Monitor, YPG spokesman Siyamend Ali said Kurdish forces were successfully repelling advances by the Syrian army, while Damascus accused the Kurds of launching unprovoked attacks. Siyamend Ali YPG spokesman
Turkey detains nurse over hair-braiding video in support of SDF Authorities say the nurse’s social media post amounted to terror propaganda, while critics argue that her symbolic protest falls under freedom of expression as tensions over Syria spill into Turkey’s fragile peace process. Turkey
Analysis Turkey’s Syria gains come with risks as Damascus pushes Kurdish integration Turkey has benefited from the Syrian government’s rollback of the Kurdish-led forces, but whether those gains translate into lasting security, refugee returns and domestic de-escalation will depend on political inclusion in Damascus. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Analysis Could US shift on Syria’s Kurds unlock progress with Turkey? By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Trump praises Syria's Sharaa after truce reached with SDF By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Turkey’s attack on Syrian Kurds aims to deepen intra-Kurdish rift The Christmas day attack on members of the Syrian Revolutionary Youth marks a new level of escalation in Ankara's ongoing military campaign against Kurdish groups linked to the US-supported autonomous administration in northeast Syria. Turkey
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party seeks justice for murdered party volunteer The Peoples’ Democratic Party charges that the prosecutors are reluctant to fully investigate the links of the health worker who attacked the party’s office in June. Turkey
Kurdish leaders say poverty 'biggest threat,' driving Syrians into arms of IS Offers of money by the Islamic State to join its ranks prove "irresistible" to those hit hard by Syria's collapsed economy. Syria
Turkey rules suicide in death of Kurdish prisoner who alleged torture, rape A female Kurdish inmate who spoke up about rape, sexual harassment and torture in prison has died in solitary confinement in what the state has ruled suicide. Turkey
Kurdish politician's plight highlights Turkey's indifference to critically ill inmates Aysel Tugluk, who defended PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in his trial decades ago, is now suffering from advanced dementia behind bars, despite widespread calls for her release. Turkey
Ankara keeps jailed Kurdish leader from seeing lawyers, family Jailed Kurdistan Workers Party leader Abdullah Ocalan was banned from all outside contact reportedly for “chatting with his fellow inmates.” Turkey
Turkish police arrest alleged members of far-left organization Lawyers have accused Turkish authorities of unjustly detaining people for alleged Revolutionary Peoples’ Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) links. News Brief
Turkey's war of attrition against Syria's Kurds Alongside shelling and drones, Turkey is weaponizing water supplies in northeast Syria, turning an already horrible situation into a nightmare Syria
Syrian Kurdish commander says Russia opposes further Turkish land grabs Mazlum Kobane, commander in chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, also says Damascus is not yet ready for negotiations. Syria
Turkey’s Kurds revive fight for language rights Many Kurdish groups have joined forces to promote the Kurdish language and press Ankara for greater language rights. Turkey
Iraq's elections weaken PKK in Sinjar Iraq's October elections may have strengthened the Iraqi Kurdistan administration's hands in the Yazidi enclave of Sinjar. Turkey
With F-16 deal in limbo, Erdogan-Biden meeting postponed to Glasgow Following a diplomatic row this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters Tuesday he would seek to confirm a divisive F-16 deal with US counterpart Joe Biden at the COP26 conference in Glasgow. Turkey
