All Policy Analysis by أندرو جيه. تابلر

Washington Institute senior fellow Andrew Tabler addressed the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, outlining steps the United States can take to help the Syrian opposition maintain its national character and contain the influence of extremist groups. The following is an excerpt from his prepared remarks; download the PDF

Traveling through southern Turkey, an expert spoke with Syrian opposition members about how to come together politically while keeping al-Qaeda affiliates at arm's length.

Amid international efforts to rid Syria of chemical weapons, opposition leaders are offering advice about how to prevent extremist groups from gaining a permanent foothold.

Members of the Syrian opposition are correct in describing Alawite army general Ali Habib Mahmoud's "defection" to Turkey over the past few days as a "blow to the morale" of the Assad regime. He is the most prominent military official to leave Syria since the July 2012 departure of Brig

Many options for direct military action in Syria have been on the table, ranging from token strikes with small numbers of weapons to much broader operations such as attacks on leadership targets or the imposition of no-fly and no-drive zones. In addition, the United States could respond indirectly by providing

Achieving U.S. objectives in Syria would help pressure Tehran into making hard choices regarding both the Assad regime and the Iranian nuclear program.

Experts discuss the nature and capabilities of Syria's various rebel groups and assess U.S. options for shifting the strategic landscape beyond punitive strikes.

The regime's cadres have held together through two years of war, and they will likely continue doing so unless Washington and its allies present them with a stark choice: leave and live, or stay and die.