Can Israel preserve the Druze Mountains?
On July 16, 2025, the Syrian army left the city of Sweida, as well as every other piece of land it controlled within that region, having held them for just two days. This was due [...]
Climate Change and Conflicts in the Middle East
Despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, it is easy to overlook the impact of climate change. The regional conflicts are largely determined by classical geopolitics. However, it is important not to overlook the [...]
Geography of the Alawites Massacre
The early-March 2025 massacres against the Alawites caused the deaths of thousands of people. Analyzing these events helps to understand the motivations of their perpetrators and the sequence of operations. Published in French in Revue [...]
Rebuilding Syria May Require Federalism
The original article is published by The Washington Institute by Fabrice Balanche, Feb 28, 2025 If Sharaa wants to avoid repeating Assad’s mistakes, he may have to genuinely decentralize political power and establish a federal system, [...]
Homs resists, Damascus besieged, the SDF cuts the Iranian axis
The city of Homs is resisting the assault of the jihadists who are blocked by the defense line established on the northern ring road. To break it, they could use suicide bombers like in Aleppo. [...]
Trump’s Middle East Vision: Stability, Strategic Alliances, and Regional Power Dynamics
DeFacto, November 13, 2024 On the global stage, Donald Trump’s key objective remains ensuring the United States retains its status as the preeminent world power in the 21st century. At the core of this vision [...]
No Olympic truce in the Middle East
After Fouad Cheker, head of Hezbollah's armed operations, killed on July 30, 2024, it is now Ismaël Hanyeh, the leader of Hamas abroad, who was eliminated today, July 31, 2024, by Israel. The first was [...]
Heatwave and Migration in Iraq
Drawing on his field-research and experience following the recent international symposium in Erbil: ‘Drought, and the Impact of Climate Change on the Political, Economic, and Demographic Situations of Iraq’, Fabrice Balanche presents his analysis of [...]
Deciphering of the political and security perspectives in Iraq
The specialist in Iraq and Syria, Fabrice Balanche, author of “The lessons from the Syrian crisis” (2024), examines the political and security news in Iraq in view of recent events in an interview for the [...]
The destruction of Israel is Iran’s ultimate goal
After the destruction of its consulate in Damascus, on April 1, Iran will retaliate against Israel. What will be the nature of Iranian retaliation? Iran does not want a direct confrontation against the Hebrew state [...]