Iraq’s 2025 elections saw reported 56% turnout, but real participation among adults was just 38.5%—matching previous lows.
Browsing: Influence
The UAE and Israel export a “Muslim Brotherhood” bogeyman to Europe, fueling far-right narratives and polarizing debate.
Sadr’s 2022 withdrawal was a strategic repositioning; through social activism, his movement remains influential and poised for a comeback.
The UAE cultivates Europe’s far right to advance its anti-Brotherhood agenda, risking the spread of Islamophobia and distorted political discourse.
U.S. policy must prevent Syria’s fragmentation to diminish Russia’s strategic influence and stabilize the region as a neutral buffer.
Iran expands influence over Thailand’s Shiite community via religious and cultural institutions, posing a “soft power” threat to Israeli interests.
Syria remains a key front in the U.S.-Russia rivalry; preventing its fragmentation is essential to blocking Moscow’s path back to regional influence.
Riyadh’s strategy blends cooperation with Turkey against Iran, leveraging tribal networks in northeast Syria, and rallying Gulf diplomatic pressure against Israeli expansion. Success depends on Damascus’s ability to unify the country amid persistent external interference.
By supporting groups like the armed Jamaa al-Islamiyya to influence Lebanon’s parliament, Turkey’s strategy risks mirroring Iran’s use of Hezbollah as a proxy to project power and block undesired foreign policy shifts.