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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

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Articles & Testimony
Is ISIS Good at Governing?
The establishment of jihadi governance projects is becoming the new normal as ISIS and al-Qaida learn from past mistakes, but the long-term sustainability of these efforts remains unclear.
Feb 9, 2016
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Articles & Testimony
America Has No Business Calling ISIS 'Apostates'
Washington lacks the voice and vocabulary to rhetorically challenge the group's theology, so it should focus on making better use of other potent tools that can actually stop jihadist goals from becoming a reality.
Feb 7, 2016
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  • Jacob Olidort
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Battle of Aleppo Is the Center of the Syrian Chessboard
With ample Russian and Iranian help, regime forces have cut the rebels' main lifeline in the north, and they will likely steer their relentless steamroller to the west unless outside powers take action.
Feb 5, 2016
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  • Fabrice Balanche
Articles & Testimony
The Diplomatic Case for America to Create a Safe Zone in Syria
The potential risks of inaction -- including thousands more civilians killed, millions more refugees, the spillover of fighting into Turkey, Jordan, and Israel, and a Russian-Iranian military victory -- greatly outweigh the dangers of moving forward.
Feb 5, 2016
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  • Nicholas Burns
  • James Jeffrey
Brief Analysis
Jordan Reaches the Refugee Saturation Point
In addition to suffering from inadequate international humanitarian assistance, the kingdom's massive Syrian refugee population is threatening the domestic stability of a key strategic partner.
Feb 5, 2016
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  • David Schenker
Brief Analysis
Lining Up the Tools to Break the Islamic State Brand
Reversing the political, military, and ideological factors that led to the movement's rise will require substantive projects that are as self-sustaining and nimble as IS has proven to be.
Feb 2, 2016
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  • Alberto Fernandez
Articles & Testimony
Putin's Comment About Helping the Syrian Free Army
On 11 December 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the Russian Defense Ministry's expanded board meetings, where he said, for the first time according to Western press reports, that Russia is helping the Free Syrian Army -- an opponent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia has supported Assad unequivocally since
Jan 31, 2016
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Brief Analysis
A Turkish-Friendly Zone Inside Syria
Tighter border security would pose an existential threat to IS, not to mention hindering its travel, smuggling, and recruitment efforts.
Jan 29, 2016
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  • Ed Stafford
  • Soner Cagaptay
Articles & Testimony
In the Regional Power Struggle, has Erbil Decided to Join the Sunni Bloc?
The security of the Kurdistan Region-Iraq (KRI) depends more on agreements between Erbil and Kurdistan’s neighbors than the KRI’s own security and intelligence capabilities. Whenever the regional powers surrounding the KRI have suspected that their interests are at risk, they have not hesitated to put the KRI’s security and stability
Jan 29, 2016
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  • Frzand Sherko
Brief Analysis
Fixing Geneva III
Pushing the Syrian opposition to the negotiating table while the regime's onslaught continues will only worsen the situation, so Washington should press Russia for a true ceasefire if it wants the talks to produce actual progress.
Jan 28, 2016
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
Articles & Testimony
How U.S. Concessions Threaten the Syria Peace Talks Before They Start
Diplomacy is shaped by facts on the ground, not the reverse, so Washington must be prepared to alter those facts by increasing its support for the opposition or expanding its own military involvement.
Jan 28, 2016
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  • Michael Singh
Articles & Testimony
The Islamic State Comes to Russia
Moscow's decision to intervene in Syria is spurring further radicalization and terrorist recruitment among Russian Muslims, and the government's response at home and abroad has not helped the situation.
Jan 26, 2016
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
In-Depth Reports
The Islamic State's Territorial Methodology
In this new study, jihadi expert Aaron Y. Zelin provides a framework for understanding how the Islamic State goes from no control to full consolidation of control in a particular area. Three case studies show how this framework plays out ...
Jan 15, 2016
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Brief Analysis
What Is Behind the Istanbul Attack?
The Islamic State's choice of target likely reflects a very deliberate attempt to short-circuit U.S.-Turkish military efforts along the Syrian border and exacerbate tensions in Europe.
Jan 13, 2016
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  • Soner Cagaptay
Articles & Testimony
What Would a Saudi-Iran War Look Like? Don't Look Now, But It Is Already Here
Even a short, sharp burst of direct military clashes would serve as a reminder to both sides of the overriding imperative to keep their conflict limited to the territories of unfortunate third parties.
Jan 11, 2016
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  • Michael Knights
Articles & Testimony
How Obama Created a Mideast Vacuum
By taking an overcautious approach in Syria, the president has highlighted America's failure to have an open discussion about the real strategic lessons of the Iraq war.
Jan 10, 2016
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  • Dennis Ross
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Die Is Cast: The Kurds Cross the Euphrates
Although the latest Kurdish offensive runs the risk of spurring direct Turkish intervention, it could also help isolate Islamic State forces in the area from their capital, with significant implications for the rest of the combatants in Syria.
Jan 5, 2016
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  • Fabrice Balanche
Discussing Recent Poll Results from the Middle East
An Egyptian analyst and a Washington Institute expert discuss the results and implications of the latest Institute polls conducted in the region, touching on the Syria war, Iran, perceptions of U.S. policy, and other pressing issues.
Jan 5, 2016
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  • David Pollock
A U.S. Army soldier on patrol in Iraq
Articles & Testimony
How to Defeat ISIS: The Case for U.S. Ground Forces
Once Washington sees that defeating ISIS and dealing with the aftermath are two separate, albeit linked, operations, then the cost and benefits of using U.S. ground troops for the former can be soberly assessed.
Jan 4, 2016
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  • James Jeffrey
Articles & Testimony
Russia in Syria Because of Putin's Personal Ambitions
On 18 November liberal-leaning radio program Echo Moskvy (Moscow’s Echo) hosted Russian political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky on an approximately hour-long talk show, Personally Yours, with host Alexei Naryshkin to discuss Russia’s intervention in Syria. The accompanying excerpts are from the show transcript, posted on the radio’s web-site. Belkovsky made several
Dec 31, 2015
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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 the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner 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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