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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

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Brief Analysis
Rojava Seeks to Break Out in Syria
Despite their desire for greater independence, Syria's Kurds have shown a willingness to broker agreements with the Assad regime in order to secure their near-term economic interests, and they may soon do the same with Iran.
Apr 12, 2017
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  • Fabrice Balanche
In-Depth Reports
The Narrowing Field of Syria's Opposition
Six years after the outbreak of Syria's civil war, the parties involved, whether aligned with the Assad regime, the Sunni jihadists, or others, have increasingly wielded extreme tactics to pursue noninclusive goals. But a number of entities still emphasize -- to varying degrees -- pluralism, religious tolerance, and individual freedoms
Apr 11, 2017
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  • James Bowker
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Brief Analysis
Military Strikes on Syria: Historical Lessons and Implications
Assad's track record indicates that he will likely continue challenging the chemical redline, and that additional strikes and other pressures may be necessary to deter him from doing so.
Apr 7, 2017
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  • Michael Eisenstadt
Articles & Testimony
Trump Raises the Stakes for Russia and Iran
Even if the U.S. strike in Syria has not fundamentally changed the dynamic in the war, opening a new window of possibility, Washington has sent the powerful message that using chemical weapons carries a price.
Apr 7, 2017
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  • Dennis Ross
Brief Analysis
Altering Assad's Course
As the Trump administration decides whether to pursue a limited military response, it should use existing international legal mechanisms to pressure Damascus and Moscow right away.
Apr 6, 2017
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
Articles & Testimony
Is Khan Sheikhoun a Game Changer for Russia?
The United States should not expect any change from Putin until Washington changes its approach first.
Apr 6, 2017
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Articles & Testimony
America Must Send a Strong Message to Syria That Using Chemical Weapons in War Is Not Acceptable
The latest regime attack has once again shown that any effort to confront the Islamic State in Syria must also confront Assad.
Apr 4, 2017
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  • Dennis Ross
Brief Analysis
Gulf Support to the Counter-ISIS Campaign
Some Gulf states are showing interest in providing additional support to the counter-ISIS coalition, and Washington should seize these emerging opportunities.
Mar 21, 2017
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  • Lori Plotkin Boghardt
In-Depth Reports
Eyeing Raqqa
A Tale of Four Tribes
For the past three years, the Islamic State has held Raqqa, the capital of its self-proclaimed caliphate. But lately, both the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-based Syrian Democratic Forces and the Turkish-backed Euphrates Shield forces have stated their intention to take Raqqa, raising complex questions about future governance in eastern Syria. Whatever the
Mar 21, 2017
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
Articles & Testimony
The President's Syria Conundrum
In deciding whether to cooperate with Russia militarily, the U.S. administration must consider the Kremlin's ties to Iran and its Shiite proxies, and the associated risks of fueling future Sunni jihadist movements.
Mar 15, 2017
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  • Dennis Ross
In-Depth Reports
Defeating Ideologically Inspired Violent Extremism
A Strategy to Build Strong Communities and Protect the U.S. Homeland
Preventing and countering violent extremism is not a soft alternative to counterterrorism, but an essential toolkit to complement law enforcement's ongoing efforts to prevent violence.
Mar 13, 2017
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  • Matthew Levitt
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
  • Katherine Bauer
  • Jacob Olidort
  • Rand Beers
  • Adnan Kifayat
  • Samantha Ravich
  • Eric Rosand
Articles & Testimony
U.S. Credibility in the Middle East
Symbolic gestures from Washington can be especially effective in a region where context is often more important than substance, and whose conflicts are based around perceptions of those contexts.
Mar 8, 2017
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  • Jacob Olidort
Articles & Testimony
Bureaucracy and Jihadism
Defeating today’s decentralized jihadi threat means treating the soil in which the weeds grow, not pulling them out one by one.
Mar 1, 2017
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  • Jacob Olidort
Articles & Testimony
Trump Needs Political-Military Plan for ISIS
While ignoring Turkey's concerns and going all in with the Syrian Kurds may seem like the best military option for defeating ISIS, bringing Ankara into the fold for a multilateral campaign is the best way of avoiding bigger problems down the road.
Mar 1, 2017
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  • James Jeffrey
  • Soner Cagaptay
Brief Analysis
A Safe Zone in Southern Syria: Jordan's Role
At a time when Russia is firmly in the Syrian driver's seat and Assad shows no sign of going away, brokering a deal to establish a humanitarian buffer area would be one way to address Washington and Amman's pressing concerns about ongoing refugee flows.
Feb 27, 2017
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  • David Schenker
In-Depth Reports
Combating Terrorism and Alleviating Human Suffering in Syria
Syria Paper Explains How to Fight Terror, Stop Refugee Flow... In this new Transition 2017 paper, Institute expert Andrew J. Tabler argues that Syria remains de facto partitioned, making the establishment of safe zones in non-Assad-controlled areas the Trump administration's most expedient course of action. Moreover, it would further Washington's
Feb 23, 2017
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
Brief Analysis
Hezbollah Losing Its Luster Under Soleimani
Many Hezbollah fighters believe their Iranian supervisor in Syria views them as easily replaceable Arab cannon fodder, and the resultant tension is generating disillusionment about Tehran's claims of pan-Shiite unity.
Feb 22, 2017
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  • Hanin Ghaddar
Brief Analysis
Middle Eastern Reactions to the U.S. Travel Ban
As the Trump administration prepares to revise its controversial entry restrictions, a sampling of quotes from officials around the region indicates that certain provisions will be a hard sell abroad.
Feb 22, 2017
Articles & Testimony
One Battle, But 'Six Campaigns'
An updated look at the immediate military issues and longer-term 'day after' concerns that the Trump administration should focus on as the campaign to retake Mosul continues.
Feb 22, 2017
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  • James Jeffrey
Articles & Testimony
Why Two New Kurdistans Are Better Than One
The rise of the Islamic State brought the Kurds together, but its impending fall now threatens to tear them apart.
Feb 22, 2017
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  • Bilal Wahab

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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.
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley is the Meisel-Goldberger Senior Fellow and Director of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
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.
Elizabeth Dent - source: The Washington Institute
Elizabeth Dent
Elizabeth Dent is a Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where she focuses on U.S. foreign and defense policy toward the Gulf states, Iraq, and Syria.
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