Syria

"Karin Von Hippel, director-general of the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies, a think tank in London, said al-Baghdadi's death is likely to usher in “a new phase” for ISIS, with the expectation that a new leader will emerge in the coming weeks. It might also provide the opportunity for a rapprochement between al Qaeda and ISIS, which split in 2014, Von Hippel added. “Both have been weakened to a degree on the battlefield, especially ISIS after losing its so-called Caliphate earlier this year. But both have considerable skills sets, notably in the virtual and physical worlds, in grooming and recruiting, training, bomb making and directing attacks,” she said "

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's death 'hard blow' for ISIS, but not group's death knell

"“There is no other way to say this other than Assad has basically won,” said Michael Stephens, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. “The agreement between Assad and the Kurds has effectively handed Assad back almost the entire country and of course it’s a benefit for Russia,” he said. "

As the U.S. withdraws, Assad and Putin are emerging as the winners in Syria

"Taking nuclear weapons out of Turkey would cause NATO a significant headache. "I could imagine NATO nuclear planners working overtime to work this one out," Plant noted. "If they were to move, there would be some gap that would need to be addressed in some way. And the alliance as a whole could decide that it could tolerate that, that's possible as possible. Or it could decide to move things around in some way." "

U.S.-Turkey Tensions Raise Fears Over Future Of Nuclear Weapons Near Syria

Dr Karin von Hippel on ISIS in Syria for BBC Today Progamme

"Michael Stephens, research fellow for Middle East studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think-tank in London, said: "It is fair to say that this decision has not gone down well in the UK or France, and I think we have been left in the lurch a bit and are having to play a reactive strategy to a president who doesn't have a strategy." "It is very difficult to know exactly what the US is aiming at here and what their strategic priorities are... So from a European perspective, it's a confusing time and difficult to come up with a response." "

Trump's Syria policy dismays Europe as Turkey launches campaign

"Raffaello Pantucci, director of international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said that European countries were concerned returnees “are likely to be the really hardened fighters and ideologues with a range of links which mean that among them there are people who will present a significant risk”. "

Turkey’s military incursion into Syria threatens to revive Isis cells