سوریه

Without a defined strategy, events will determine policy.

By helping Assad's forces bridge the river, Moscow is increasing the risk of direct confrontation while obstructing U.S. efforts to defeat IS, stabilize eastern Syria, and limit Iranian arms transfers.

Local knowledge will be central to any U.S. endeavor to persuade Syrian residents against allying with an ascendant -- and ideologically flexible -- HTS.

Instead of decertifying the nuclear deal, and thus isolating the United States from its allies, Washington should impress upon Tehran the immense costs of producing a weapon.

Conflict with Israel might be inevitable, but the context has become more complicated than ever for both sides.

A lasting Turkish shift toward Tehran and Moscow would require a perfect storm, but anti-U.S. sentiments in the country offer reason for concern.

The SDF and U.S.-supported Arab fighters likely lack the might and unity to overcome Assad-regime advances and other obstacles.

The Powell Doctrine, a set of principles devised in the 1980s, can guide the United States in promoting regional stability and averting future disasters.

The cost-effective, nonpartisan institute can help promote broader reconciliation in Mosul and other areas now retaken from the jihadist group.