Syria

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Hard Truths in Syria

With the impending troop reductions decreed by Trump, Washington must lower its sights in Syria. It should focus on protecting only two interests: preventing ISIS from coming back and stopping Iran from establishing a fortified military presence there that might threaten Israel.

Brett McGurk

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Foreign Policy Jun 4, 2018 Snapshot

The Pro-Assad Alliance Is Coming Apart

Emerging divisions within the pro-Assad alliance may finally provide Washington with the opportunity it has been seeking to check Tehran’s ambitions in Syria.

Ilan Goldenberg and Nicholas A. Heras

Rouhani, Erdogan, and Putin in Ankara, April 2018.

Refugees & Migration May 28, 2018 Snapshot

What Will It Take for Syrian Refugees to Return Home?

International forums have taken for granted that refugees will return to Syria once a political settlement is in place, but it might not be that simple.

Maha Yahya

Syrian refugees in Lesbos, Greece, November 2017

Post-Conflict Reconstruction Mar 15, 2018 Snapshot

A U.S. Containment Strategy for Syria

Washington’s best bet is to negotiate a withdrawal of its own forces, which would leave Russia to manage the costs of the seven-year-old Syrian war.

Aaron Stein

A U.S. soldier near Raqqa, November 2016.

Post-Conflict Reconstruction Mar 2, 2018 Snapshot

Strategic Incoherence in Syria

Turkey’s cross-border intervention demonstrates that the war’s main external actors are strategically adrift and potentially unable to realize their own goals without...

Aaron Stein

Turkish-backed fighters near Mount Barsaya in Syria, January 2018.

Post-Conflict Reconstruction Feb 27, 2018 Snapshot

Why Civil Wars Are Lasting Longer

Although particularly complex, the Syrian civil war is an example of a general trend: civil wars are lasting longer and are increasingly likely to end with a one-sided...

Lise Morjé Howard and Alexandra Stark

A man carries water during the siege of Eastern Ghouta, Damscus, February 2018.

War & Military Strategy Feb 26, 2018 Snapshot

Russia’s Mercenary Debacle in Syria

With its ability to control the Assad regime already in question, Russia now appears to be facing issues restraining even its own mercenary contractors.

Neil Hauer

Yevgeny Prigozhin (left) with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, February 2018.

Post-Conflict Reconstruction Jan 23, 2018 Snapshot

Turkey’s Afrin Offensive and America's Future in Syria

Now that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s victory over the remaining elements of the antiregime opposition looks inevitable, how will Washington manage that victory?...

Aaron Stein

Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army fighters in Azaz, Syria, January 2018.

ISIS Jan 18, 2018 Snapshot

How ISIS’ Strategy Is Evolving

U.S. policy needs to change quickly to meet the evolving threat, both in terms of its operations in the region and of its counterterrorism priorities at home.

Michael P. Dempsey

An Afghan security force inspects bullet holes at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, December 2017.

From the Archives Dec 15, 2017 Snapshot

ISIS Could Rise Again

The victory over ISIS is incomplete: the group could resurrect its caliphate where it was born, in Iraq and Syria.

Benjamin Bahney and Patrick B. Johnston

Post-Conflict Reconstruction Dec 13, 2017 Snapshot

Putin’s Plan for Syria

Russia will be as involved in the Syrian peace as it was involved in the Syrian war.

Dmitri Trenin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at Syria's Khmeimim air force base, December 2017.

Middle East Dec 14, 2017 Snapshot

Israel Draws a Redline in Syria

As Israel becomes increasingly assertive in Syria, it might find an unlikely partner in Russia.

Meir Javedanfar

Putin and Netanyahu at the Kremlin, June 2016.

Terrorism & Counterterrorism Dec 8, 2017 Snapshot

The Bloody Split Within ISIS

In the years after 2014, ultra-radicals within ISIS began to condemn their leaders and fellow militants—and were hunted down in response.

Vera Mironova, Ekaterina Sergatskova, and Karam Alhamad

Post-Conflict Reconstruction Nov 29, 2017 Snapshot

Iran and Russia, Growing Apart

The IRGC wishes not only to secure Iranian influence in post-war Syria, but also to transform its allied Syrian militias into an institutionalized military-political...

Alex Vatanka

(L to R) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russian President Vladmir Putin, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, November 2017.

Syria Nov 23, 2017 Snapshot

Russia’s Questionable Counterterrorism Record

Russia’s record suggests it will never be an honest broker or reliable partner for the West in combating terrorism.

Anna Borshchevskaya

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, November 2017.

Strategy & Conflict Nov 8, 2017 Snapshot

Kurd Your Enthusiasm

Any U.S. policy toward the Kurds must contemplate the wide-ranging implications of Kurdish autonomy rather than simply viewing the group as an instrument in the fight...

Behnam Ben Taleblu and Merve Tahiroglu

Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani at a news conference in Erbil, September 2017.

War & Military Strategy Oct 31, 2017 Snapshot

Syria’s Fair-weather Friends

The story of how Syria’s failing regime rebounded to win the war isn’t just about who supported Assad. It’s also about the coalition, the Friends of Syria, that...

Aron Lund

A Syrian opposition fighter in Aleppo, August 2012.

Trump Administration Oct 30, 2017 Snapshot

Syria’s Extremist Opposition

There are of course some worthy allies among the Syrian rebels, but not nearly as many as Western regime-change enthusiasts have spent the past few years claiming.

Max Abrahms

Rebel fighters stand guard as a convoy of buses carrying Sunni rebels and civilians, who were evacuated from Zabadani and Madaya, as part of a reciprocal evacuation deal for four besieged towns, travel in al-Rashideen to journey towards rebel-held Idlib,

Security Oct 24, 2017 Snapshot

The Moderate Face of Al Qaeda

Al Qaeda is seeking to cultivate an image as a relatively moderate jihadist group.

Colin P. Clarke

Nusra Front fighters north of Aleppo, Syria, November 2014.

ISIS Oct 13, 2017 Snapshot

Inside ISIS’ Dysfunctional Schools

Much of what is known about ISIS’ educational system is based on the group’s own propaganda, but there is a significant gap between the group’s virtual world and the...

Kinana Qaddour

Foreign Aid Oct 4, 2017 Snapshot

Don’t Fund Syria's Reconstruction

Syria’s reconstruction cannot be dictated or meaningfully shaped by Western donors—at least not to any satisfactory political ends.

Sam Heller

A man walks past damaged buildings in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, August 2017.

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Syria

Hard Truths in Syria

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The Pro-Assad Alliance Is Coming Apart

What Will It Take for Syrian Refugees to Return Home?

A U.S. Containment Strategy for Syria

Strategic Incoherence in Syria

Why Civil Wars Are Lasting Longer

Russia’s Mercenary Debacle in Syria

Turkey’s Afrin Offensive and America's Future in Syria

How ISIS’ Strategy Is Evolving

ISIS Could Rise Again

Putin’s Plan for Syria

Israel Draws a Redline in Syria

The Bloody Split Within ISIS

Iran and Russia, Growing Apart

Russia’s Questionable Counterterrorism Record

Kurd Your Enthusiasm

Syria’s Fair-weather Friends

Syria’s Extremist Opposition

The Moderate Face of Al Qaeda

Inside ISIS’ Dysfunctional Schools

Don’t Fund Syria's Reconstruction

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NATO’s Turkey Ties Must Change

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The United States Is Done Caring About Syria

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Aung San Suu Kyi’s Major Speech on Rakhine State

Creating a State Department Office for American State and Local Diplomacy

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Hard Truths in Syria

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