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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

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Articles & Testimony
Is America No Longer the Middle East's Greatest Power?
Despite the recent challenges to Washington's regional supremacy, one irreducible reality is clear: the United States is still the only actor capable of forging partnerships that advance not just parochial, short-term interests, but the broader security, stability and prosperity needed to prevent further collapse.
Feb 16, 2017
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  • Richard Fontaine
  • Michael Singh
Articles & Testimony
Terrorist Abuse of Charity in the Age of the Islamic State and the Syria War
The war in Syria and other conflicts have spurred terrorist supporters to renew tactics such as funneling money through NGOs, submitting fraudulent claims for government assistance, and otherwise exploiting the charitable sector.
Feb 13, 2017
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  • Matthew Levitt
Brief Analysis
The Trump-Netanyahu Meeting in the Context of Emerging U.S. Middle East Policy
The two leaders will need to figure out where Israel's pressing concerns about Iran fit in with the Trump administration's emerging regional policy, particularly its emphasis on quickly destroying the Islamic State.
Feb 9, 2017
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  • Robert Satloff
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Campaign to Retake Raqqa Is Accelerating
Kurdish-led forces are in good position for a final assault on the Islamic State's Syrian stronghold, and other actors seem ready to either support them or stand aside and benefit from their faster progress on the battlefield.
Feb 9, 2017
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  • Fabrice Balanche
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Islamists in Kurdistan: Challenges and Aspirations
February 7, 2017 Counter to what many believe, Islamists in Kurdistan are characterized by their openness to change and their intellectual and practical development. But challenges within and outside their parties, defined by political, economic, and administrative realities in the region, prevent them from playing an effective role in resolving
Feb 7, 2017
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  • Mohammad Abu Bakr
Articles & Testimony
The Plan to Defeat ISIS: Key Decisions and Considerations
Washington should pursue a 'day after' scenario that keeps the United States in the region, maintains its new (YPG) and old (Turkish and Iraqi) relationships, pushes back Iranian ambitions, and 'manages' an inevitable Russian presence.
Feb 7, 2017
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  • James Jeffrey
Video
Brief Analysis
President Trump and the Middle East: Views from Israel
Two Israeli statesmen discuss their country's strategic situation and relations with the United States in the Trump era.
Feb 2, 2017
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  • Tzachi Hanegbi
  • Itamar Rabinovich
Articles & Testimony
Is Erdogan a Russian Ally or Putin's Puppet?
The Turkish-Russian relationship is an unequal one, and Erdogan may not realize the extent of Putin's capacity for manipulating and abandoning temporary allies.
Jan 27, 2017
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Articles & Testimony
Rethinking American Military Intervention in the Middle East
An in-depth look at how the United States can reverse its policy missteps and subpar performance in various regional conflicts, in large part by correcting its inadequate understanding of the operational environment.
Jan 26, 2017
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  • Michael Eisenstadt
Brief Analysis
Will Astana Displace Geneva in the Syrian Peace Process?
The circumstances of the Russian-sponsored peace conference raise several concerns, but failure to participate could signal acquiescence to Moscow's plans in Syria and further U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East.
Jan 20, 2017
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  • Fabrice Balanche
In-Depth Reports
General Principles to Guide U.S. Middle East Policy
Given the unprecedented turmoil and uncertainty afflicting the Middle East, the new administration will need to devote particular care and urgency to understanding the essence of America's interests in the region, and applying clear principles in pursuing them. This is the advice offered by two U.S. diplomats with a distinguished
Jan 19, 2017
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  • James Jeffrey
  • Dennis Ross
Brief Analysis
Trump's First Foreign Policy Win Could Be in Syria
The incoming Trump team has a quick shot at averting worse disasters in Syria, with its new Russian gambit.
Jan 19, 2017
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  • David Pollock
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
How Should the New U.S. President Play the "Kurdish Card" in the Middle East?
Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the United States administration divided the world conceptually into good and evil blocs, with most of the evil blocs located in the Middle East. Pushing al-Qaeda out, toppling the Taliban in Afghanistan, and overthrowing the Ba’ath regime in Iraq further inspired the White House
Jan 10, 2017
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  • Frzand Sherko
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Battle for al-Bab Is Bringing U.S.-Turkish Tensions to a Head
Helping Erdogan take the city could greatly decrease the civilian death toll and preserve U.S.-Turkish cooperation in Syria, but Washington will still need to decide what to do with the Kurds, its other key ally against the Islamic State.
Jan 9, 2017
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  • Fabrice Balanche
Articles & Testimony
A Tactical -- Not Strategic -- Ceasefire in Syria
The post-Aleppo lull on the western front is likely just an excuse for Russia to rotate new forces and equipment into Syria and prepare for the next major offensive.
Jan 6, 2017
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  • Fabrice Balanche
Brief Analysis
The Latest Ceasefire Will Not Change Hezbollah's Role in Syria
Iran and Russia may find a way to push past their strategic differences and make the ceasefire work, but it will be much more difficult to forge agreements on Syria's other intractable issues at the upcoming peace conference.
Jan 6, 2017
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  • Hanin Ghaddar
Brief Analysis
Al-Qaeda's Patient Approach in Syria May Be Paying Off
By advising its Syrian affiliate to coopt other armed groups, avoid alienating the locals, and (for now) eschew international terrorism, al-Qaeda is laying the foundation for a permanent base in the heart of the Levant.
Jan 6, 2017
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  • Kelsey Segawa
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Assad Needs 'Useless Syria' Too
Eastern Syria holds major hydrocarbon and agricultural resources that make it a vital asset in Assad's quest for regime self-sufficiency, and a potentially powerful source of U.S. leverage against him.
Jan 4, 2017
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  • Fabrice Balanche
A Turkish soldier stands guard at a rally. Image source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Istanbul Attack: Turkey Must End Blame Game and Look for Solutions
The perpetrators of the ongoing string of major terrorist attacks are obvious, but Turkey's bitterly divided pro- and anti-Erdogan camps refuse to focus on the foreign and domestic policy factors underlying the violence.
Jan 1, 2017
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  • Soner Cagaptay
Putin Praises Trump, Downplays Arms Race
The Washington Institute's Anna Borshchevskaya and Cipher Brief's Leone Lakhani review Moscow's 2016 track record on the Syria war, Iran, and other Middle East-related issues.
Dec 23, 2016
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya

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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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