Author: Mehmet Alaca
The specter of Iran looms over relations between Iraq and Syria. Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa will not attend the 34th Arab League summit in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on May 17, after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al Sudani’s invitation spurred controversy over his background, since he once fought and was jailed in Iraq. Syria’s delegation to the summit will be headed by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani. While the fact that Al Sudani’s invitation was met with aggression from pro-Iran Shiite leaders signals a tense future for Baghdad-Damascus ties, it also shows Iran’s capacity to manipulate the relations of…
The overthrow of Bashar Assad’s brutal regime in Syria has seen the collapse of one of the cornerstones in Iran’s regional politics and the emergence of new power dynamics in the volatile region. The faultlines caused by Israel’s aggression in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, and more recently in Lebanon have shaken Iranian regional influence and destabilized its proxy networks. For all practical purposes, Tehran has suffered an unprecedented blow to its desire for regional dominance. In a situation where Hezbollah – and, to an extent, Hamas – have become significantly ineffective, Syria came under the control of Sunni armed…