No, Kurdistan would not be a “failed state”
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN There is an article making its rounds claiming an independent Kurdistan would be a “failed state.” It has been republished by Newsweek, the website eKurd, and the […]
Tag Archives: Kurds
Countdown to conflict with YPG, Turkey over Afrin?
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN In the last week of June 2017 rumors began to spread of increased tensions on the Turkish border with Kurdish-run areas in Afrin. A small province, […]
Photo essay: Peshmerga and the war on ISIS
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Since August 2014 the Kurdish Peshmerga, the armed forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government, fought a tough war against Islamic State along a 1,000 kilometers of […]
Oped attacks “westerners fighting ISIS” as “no heroes”, but they are heroes
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Since 2014 dozens of volunteers have joined the Kurdish YPG in the war against ISIS. They came from all walks of life and from all over […]
When people say “instability in Middle East” it is a form of Orientalism and neo-colonialism
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN At the recent J Street conference Bernie Sanders said that the Iraq war “created a cascade of instability around the region that we are still dealing […]
Everything you need to know: H.R McMaster, Iraq and war
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN H.R. McMaster has been chosen by US President Donald Trump as the new National Security Advisor. Here is what you need to know about him from […]
Rex Tillerson’s oil background could be a game-changer for Kurdistan region
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Texas-born Rex Tillerson is Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of State. He received a degree from the University of Texas and has worked in the oil […]
Photo essay: Kurds on the frontline against ISIS in Bashiqa
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Two months ago we set off for the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq. We spent time at various locations of the war effort, including a night […]
Can the clusterf— of US policy in Syria today be unravelled
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN On August 24th Syrian rebel groups and the Turkish army rolled across the border into Jarabulus in an operation dubbed “Euphrates Shield.” The operation was aimed […]
Background and strategy of Kurdish Peshmerga operation to take 11 villages near Khazir-Gwer
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN In the early hours of August 14th Kurdish Peshmerga forces launched an offensive on the Khazir and Gwer fronts aimed at liberating 11 villages from Islamic […]
Seth J. Frantzman - author - analyst 