Articles By Md. Muddassir Quamar
Turkish Foreign Policy: From ‘Zero Problem’ to Zero Friends
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 11 Nov , 2020
In recent years, Turkey’s foreign policy has attracted scrutiny because of its aggressive postures in the neighbourhood and a confrontational approach towards regional and international powers....
The UAE-Israel Agreement: A Step Towards Peace?
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Issue: Courtesy: IDSA | Date: 26 Aug , 2020
The US-Israel-UAE joint statement of August 13 might have come as a surprise for many, but for those following the trajectory of the growing contacts between the Arab Gulf States and Israel, this...
Soleimani’s Killing Redefines US-Iran Rivalry
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 15 Jan , 2020
Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was killed in an American drone strike at Baghdad Airport on January 03, 2020....
Will Turkey be Able to Establish a ‘Safe Zone’ in Syria?
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 13 Oct , 2019
On October 09, Turkey launched Operation ‘Springs of Peace’, a military excursion into north eastern Syria to establish a ‘safe zone’ with the objective of preventing the Syrian Democratic...
Turkey Treads a Fine Line in Syria
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 08 Jan , 2019
President Donald Trump’s December 19, 2018 decision to withdraw US troops from Syria received a euphoric response in Turkey. That was not surprising since the US military presence and support...
India and the UAE: Progress towards ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership'
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 08 Jul , 2018
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the UAE has emerged as India’s preferred partner in the Gulf. Since the coming to power of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in New Delhi in May...
Turkey’s Afrin Offensive can pitch Ankara against both Washington and Moscow
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 23 Jan , 2018
Turkey has announced that its armed forces are set to start a military offensive against the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwest Syria. Afrin is part of the Kurdish autonomous region known as...
The Turkish Military Base in Doha
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 29 Sep , 2017
Turkey’s reaction to the rift among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—the June 5, 2017 embargo imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt against...
Will Khan Sheikhoun Reshape the War in Syria?
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Issue: Courtesy: IDSA | Date: 12 Apr , 2017
Late on April 6, the United States carried out missile attacks on the Shayrat airbase outside Homs in Syria targeting “aircraft, hardened aircraft shelters, petroleum and logistical storage...
What makes India-UAE Relations Unique and Thriving
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 24 Feb , 2017
India has good relations with countries in the Gulf and Middle East. In fact, it has no outstanding issues with any country in the region. Through delicate balancing it has been able to maintain...
India and Israel: Growing Warmth in Bilateral Ties
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 03 Dec , 2016
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s visit (November 14-21, 2016) to India has come a year after President Pranab Mukherjee visited Israel in October 2015. In the meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath...
Saudi Arabia’s Yemen Conundrum: No End in Sight
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Issue: Courtesy: IDSA | Date: 12 Nov , 2016
One and a half years after it began a military intervention in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has not achieved any significant gains. The war in Yemen is proving to be costly for the Saudi economy which if...
Is Turkey’s insistence on a military role in Mosul a strategic miscalculation?
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Issue: Courtesy: IDSA | Date: 28 Oct , 2016
Turkey’s insistence on a role for itself in the ongoing joint offensive of Iraqi armed forces and Kurdish Peshmarga supported by limited US ground forces and air strikes to liberate Mosul from...
Battle for Mosul: Defeat of ISIS will send Important Message
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 27 Oct , 2016
In June 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) captured Mosul, the capital of northern Iraqi province of Nineveh, and later in the month, the ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi chose the...
US-Israel Military Agreement holds little Promise for Middle East Peace
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 23 Sep , 2016
On September 14, 2016, the US and Israel signed a defence aid agreement worth USD 38 billion for ten year between 2019 and 2028. This is a USD 8 billion increase from the previous deal that that...
A Responsible Rising Power: India’s Widening Engagements in the Middle East
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 04 Sep , 2016
The week-long visit of Minister of State for External Affairs M. J. Akbar to Lebanon (17-18 August), Syria (19-20 August) and Iraq (21-23 August) has come at a crucial time. The situation in the...
Saudi-Israeli Rendezvous: Does it indicate a Policy Change?
By: Md. Muddassir Quamar | Date: 05 Aug , 2016
The July 22 visit of a Saudi delegation led by retired Major General Anwar Eshki, head of the Jeddah-based Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Studies, to Israel to meet Ambassador Dore...