Post-Assad Syria and Kurdistan: Chess of diplomacy and conflict

I would like to recommend three short articles for the next lecture. They analyze the current situation in the Middle East, focusing on the role of the Kurdish minority, and explore recent developments related to Ahmed al-Sharaa’s political transition from a jihadist background associated with the al-Nusra Front and HTS to his current leadership role in Syria. Authored by a highly ambitious young researcher surely known to you, these articles are essential reading for those interested in the region:

• Akbarov, Maharram. (2025, May 18). Neo-Metternich or Richelieu? Syria’s place in the Middle East order. politicon.co. https://politicon.co/en/analytics/199/neo-metternich-or-richelieu-syrias-place-in-the-middle-east-order

• Akbarov, Maharram. (2025, November 6). The Washington calculus: expected outcomes of Al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington. https://top-center.org/en/analytics/3822/the-washington-calculus-expected-outcomes-of-al-sharaas-visit-to-washington

• Akbarov, Maharram. (2025, May 17). The end of the PKK: Strategic consequences for the European Union. Maharram’s Substack. https://maharram.substack.com/p/the-end-of-the-pkk-strategic-consequences