List of Balkans articles
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A Syrian boy watches as Turkish military vehicles, part of a U.S. military convoy, take part in joint patrol in the Syrian village of Hashisha on the outskirts of Tell Abyad town along the border with Turkey on Oct. 4. The Security Stories That Shaped 2019, Part One
Five events that shifted national security, from Juan Guaidó’s failed coup in Venezuela to Turkey’s incursion in northern Syria.
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A member of the Kurdish Internal Security Police Forces of Asayish Greenlighted by Trump, Turkey Invades Syria
Five essential reads on the Turkish invasion of northeastern Syria.
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tessa-fox-northeast-syria-looting Who Exactly Is Turkey Resettling in Syria?
Ankara claims it’s helping displaced Syrians return home. Kurds and international observers accuse Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government of demographic engineering.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkey Pitches Plan to Settle 1 Million Refugees in Northern Syria
Questions arise as to whether Erdogan’s $26 billion megaproject is intended to clear his border of Kurds.
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Mazloum Abdi, the commander in chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces Kurdish Commander Calls on Trump to Prevent ‘Ethnic Cleansing’
The SDF’s Gen. Mazloum Abdi wants international observers to stop Turkish-backed forces from displacing the Kurds.
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The S-400 air defense system U.S. Lawmakers Move to Punish Turkey for Buying Russian Missile System
Congress stopped short of imposing sanctions but signaled it may act unilaterally if Trump does not.
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Pro-Turkish Syrian fighters carry away remains of the victims of a car bomb explosion at the industrial zone in the northern Syrian town of Tal Abyad Turkey Begins Resettling Refugees in Northeastern Syria
Continued reports of atrocities by Turkish-backed forces raise concerns about ethnic cleansing.
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A migrant walks among tents at the Vucjak camp on the outskirts of Bihac in Bosnia and Herzegovinia on Nov. 20. Croatia Is Abusing Migrants While the EU Turns a Blind Eye
The evidence of Croatian police violence toward migrants is overwhelming, but Brussels continues to praise and fund Zagreb for patrolling the European Union’s longest external land border.
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Turkish-backed Syrian Arab fighters man a checkpoint in the Kurdish-majority city of Afrin in northern Syria after seizing control of it from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) on March 18, 2018. The Fight for ISIS’s Old Territory Is Just Beginning
A host of forces including Turkish and Iranian proxies to Russian troops and Syrian government forces are jockeying for control of the lands that once were held by the Islamic State.
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US President Donald Trump speaks during his meeting with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at Winfield House, London on Dec. 3, 2019. NATO Defense Funds Have Been Building for Years, but Trump Wants the Credit
Renewed defense spending by European states is in part a response to Russian aggression.
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French President Emmanuel Macron (right) jokes with U.S. President Donald Trump (center) next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) as they arrive for the NATO summit in Brussels on July 11, 2018. Don’t Blame Turkey for NATO’s Woes
Emmanuel Macron thinks the Atlantic alliance is brain-dead, but its problems have deeper roots than the recent U.S.-Turkish spat over Syria.
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(L-R) Leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom Geert Wilders, Belgian Vlaams Belang party member Gerolf Annemans, Italy's League party leader, Matteo Salvini, president of the French National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, and others at a rally of European nationalists ahead of European elections on May 18 in Milan. How Europe’s Nationalists Became Internationalists
Many European far-right parties made their mark by railing against the EU. Now they are appealing to a pan-European identity to further their goal of a racially pure, white Christian continent.
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Nzeyimana Consolate arrives carrying her baby at the Nyabitara transit site, among other Burundian refugees, on Oct. 3, 2019 in Ruyigi, Burundi. Nearly 600 Burundians who fled political violence in their home country to Tanzania were repatriated voluntarily, the U.N. refugee agency said. Sending Refugees Back Makes the World More Dangerous
Repatriating refugees to dangerous countries violates international law and breeds conflict, instability, and future crises. Regional work visas and long-term integration into host countries are more promising solutions.
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Fatima Khode al-Shalla, 36, walks through her home in Malkef, Syria, on Nov. 6 as her family prepares to move to another village about 15 miles to the west to avoid the advancing war. Life on the Front Lines in Northern Syria
With echoes of shelling from Turkish-allied forces nearby, families sheltering in abandoned villages wonder when they can go home.
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Former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Erdogan’s Attacks on His Old Ally Could Backfire
The Turkish president is shutting down a university to punish former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu for leaving the AKP and starting a new party, but he risks alienating precisely the voters he claims to champion.