Fighting rages in Syria despite international efforts to impose a ceasefire and advance a peace plan. How remote are the prospects for peace in Syria? A hospital destroyed in northern Syria, 15 February 2016 (EPA/Sam Taylor/Médecins Sans Frontières handout) Fighting...
By Rashad Mammadov Once again, diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict have stalled. Only two days after opening in Geneva, talks between the government, rebel forces and both sides’ international backers were suspended last week until...
Two new experts have agreed to join News-Decoder’s team of correspondents, adding depth in defense issues and international affairs to our pool of writers. Alexander Nicoll, from Britain, and Rashad Mammadov, from Azerbaijan, raise the number of...
Can increased air strikes by a U.S.-led coalition and a few hundred special forces bring the Islamic State into submission in Syria and Iraq? Air strike by the U.S.-led coalition in Kobani, Syria, 20 October 2014.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File) Can a growing...
The shooting down of a Russian warplane by Turkey could mark a turning point in President Vladimir Putin’s military muscle-flexing. A demonstrator protesting against Russian military operations in Syria. Istanbul, 3 October 2015 (AP Photo) Airspace violations...