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Showing posts with the label Syria

Berlin Attack in Context

An exchange A study on why Tunisians were the biggest number to go to Syria and join ISIS. Multiple comprehensive studies, including those by the  National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ,  The Washington Institute , and  International Alert , reveal that between  6,000 and 7,000 Tunisians  traveled to join ISIS due to a unique intersection of  post-revolution state absence, severe youth marginalisation, structural economic failure, and easy regional logistics .  [1, 2, 3]  While Tunisia was celebrated as the sole democratic success story of the 2011 Arab Spring, this rapid political transition paradoxically created the perfect breeding ground for radical recruitment.  [3, 4]  1. Political Transition and "Security Vacuum" Amnesty for Radicals : Following the 2011 revolution, the transitional government issued a general amnesty, releasing hundreds of hardline Islamist political prisoners and violent jihadists who quickly formed recrui...

Turkey: Wanting to Have It Both Ways on Israel

“Metin Cihan, a Turkish journalist exiled in Germany, has documented what a growing number of observers see as Turkish duplicity: all talk and no action , Turkey speaks out against Israel but without cutting trade ties. “Basically,’ explains Henri Barkey, emeritus professor of international relations at Lehigh University (Pennsylvania), ‘Israel and Turkey find themselves in similar situations in Syria. Both occupy a significant amount of Syrian territory. They face parallel security challenges: the Kurds for the Turks, and Hizbullah and other groups for Israel. Neither wants to see the Iranians return, even though that’s unlikely to happen.’ The weakening of Iran, a historic rival, suits Turkey.” The article is available in 9 languages. Socio-economic indicators and political prospects Türkiye's Gini Realities:  The top 20% of earners capture  48% of total national income , whereas the bottom 20% receive just 6.4%. The richest segment earns roughly  9 times more  tha...