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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

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Protesting Syrians in the town of Suwayda hold signs and Druze flags - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
How to Support the Latest Revolt in Syria
Opening a low-cost Jordanian humanitarian corridor in the south would go far toward bolstering the Druze and preventing Assad from besieging and starving them.
Sep 2023
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  • Ehud Yaari
A woman at the Al-Hawl (or Al-Hol) detention camp in Syria - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
The Agency and Roles of Foreign Women in ISIS
An in-depth study on how authorities can pursue justice for victims of ISIS atrocities while simultaneously addressing rehabilitation, reintegration, and the broader aim of redirecting women away from supporting such groups.
Aug 2023
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  • Devorah Margolin
  • Joana Cook
Articles & Testimony
The Islamic State’s Shadow Governance in Eastern Syria Since the Fall of Baghuz
Given the group’s multileveled efforts to exert local authority, it could resurge quickly into full territorial control if the coalition pulls back too soon.
Sep 22, 2023
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
  • Devorah Margolin
Russian sailors parade with their national and Navy flags in the port of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Understanding Russia’s War on Ukraine Starts with Understanding Russia’s Black Sea Politics
Putin views the Black Sea as an important springboard for projecting power into the Middle East, Europe, and the Mediterranean, and the West should push back accordingly.
Sep 20, 2023
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Protesting Syrians in the town of Suwayda hold signs and Druze flags - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Syria’s New Protests Highlight Vulnerabilities in Assad’s Minority Base
Growing unrest in Suwayda and other traditionally loyal areas may help force Assad’s hand on longstanding local, U.S., and allied demands.
Sep 8, 2023
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  • Erik Yavorsky
Families of Islamic State fighters in Syria - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Trends in the Return and Prosecution of ISIS Foreign Terrorist Fighters in the United States
An in-depth update on Washington's complicated but crucial efforts to repatriate fighters and their families from northeast Syria and other hotspots.
Aug 29, 2023
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  • Tanya Mehra
  • Merlina Herbach
  • Devorah Margolin
  • Austin Doctor
Two Ukraine-owned and operated Bayraktar drones
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
A "System of Systems" Approach to Countering Drones:
Examining Recent Operations from the Middle East to Ukraine
Military officials are seeking not a silver bullet but instead advances based on existing layered, interoperable systems.
Aug 7, 2023
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  • Eric Feely
Syrian refugees leaving Turkey after earthquake
Articles & Testimony
Deterring Russia’s Horizontal Escalation in Syria
To dissuade Moscow from further provocations that endanger coalition forces, the West needs to demonstrate that it has other military and political options in Syria.
Aug 3, 2023
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
The logo of the Russian mercinary force The Wagner Group on an office door in Moscow - source: Reuters
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
The Wagner Group in Syria: Profiting Off Failed States
Despite discord between the Wagner Group and the Russian government, the entrenched economic and military engagement of Wagner forces in Syria is unlikely to change soon.
Jul 21, 2023
◆
  • Emad Bouzo
Brief Analysis
On Syria Aid, Don’t Bet on the Security Council
Seventeen Russian vetoes have hobbled the council’s ability to keep humanitarian assistance flowing, so Washington and its allies should look to the General Assembly instead—or take matters into their own hands on the Turkish border.
Jul 19, 2023
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Autonomous_Administration_of_North_and_East_Syria
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
The SDF’s Approach to Erdoğan’s Victory
Worried by the implications of Erdoğan's reelection, the Kurds in northeastern Syria need active support from the United States now more than ever.
Jul 19, 2023
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  • Baraa Sabri
A woman at the Al-Hawl (or Al-Hol) detention camp in Syria - source: Reuters
Video
Articles & Testimony
The Problem with al-Hol: The Future for ISIS-Affiliated Families
Watch this video explainer detailing the challenges arising from the tens of thousands of foreign detainees awaiting repatriation in Syrian camps.
Jul 18, 2023
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  • Devorah Margolin
The logo of the Russian mercinary force The Wagner Group on an office door in Moscow - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Wagner vs. Russia’s Defense Ministry in the Middle East
Russia’s domestic military crisis could hold significant consequences for its regional operations, from heightening the risk of clashes with U.S. forces in Syria to putting a public face on its destabilizing activities in Libya.
Jun 29, 2023
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Ben Fishman
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Families of Islamic State fighters in Syria - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The Future of Repatriation from Northeast Syria
From potential SDF trials to Assad’s steady normalization, the widening number of “known unknowns” has increased the urgency of taking action on Islamic State detainees.
Jun 26, 2023
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  • Devorah Margolin
Articles & Testimony
How the Caesar Act Restricts Normalisation with Syria
The landmark legislation has played a critical role in the evolution of American sanctions, and follow-on congressional restrictions will largely prevent any efforts to bring Assad back into the economic fold.
Jun 17, 2023
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
  • Matthew Zweig
Articles & Testimony
How Israel Lost the Syrian Civil War
As part of its strategic blueprint against Israel, Tehran is prepared to pay a steep price to continue consolidating its military presence in Syria, and Arab normalization with Assad will not change that trend in the least.
Jun 2023
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  • Ehud Yaari
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Syrian Perspectives on the Turkish Elections
Though Syria policies were at the center of the Turkish elections, the future for many Syrians remains unclear even after an Erdoğan victory.
Jun 12, 2023
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  • Emad Bouzo
Qazi Muhammed salutes at the founding of the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad in 1946 - source: Wikimedia Commons
Articles & Testimony
Russia and the Kurds: A Soft-Power Tool for the Kremlin?
An in-depth look at how Russian leaders have played the Kurdish card over the past two centuries, including recent engagement in Syria and Iraq.
Summer 2023
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
A woman at the Al-Hawl (or Al-Hol) detention camp in Syria - source: Reuters
Video
Brief Analysis
What to Do With Families of Islamic State Foreign Fighters
Backed by hard data, on-the-ground observations, and best practices, three experts explore the thorny question of repatriating the children and spouses of imprisoned jihadists.
Jun 5, 2023
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  • Martyn Warr
  • Austin Doctor
  • Devorah Margolin
◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series
Brief Analysis
Sanctioning a Syrian Jihadist Leader: Implications of a Joint U.S.-Turkish Designation
Their willingness to sanction the top HTS money man after years without a designation suggests that the group’s charm offensive has not assuaged concerns in either capital.
Jun 2, 2023
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin

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Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics focuses on social, political, and economic developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the Arab countries of the Levant.

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Featured experts

Andrew J. Tabler
Andrew J. Tabler
Andrew J. Tabler is the Martin J. Gross Senior Fellow in the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute, where he focuses on Syria and U.S. policy in the Levant, and Director of the Institute's Junior Research Program.
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley is the Goldberger Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he specializes in military and security affairs in the Middle East.
David Schenker
David Schenker
David Schenker is the Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics. He is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
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