Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

The Key to Pressuring Assad Is UNSCR 2118

By focusing on the Syrian regime's faltering commitment to eliminate its chemical weapons, Washington can decisively push Damascus and Russia toward real progress on larger issues -- and also set the table for limited military strikes if they prove necessary.

Feb 21, 2014

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Andrew J. Tabler

Brief Analysis

Saudi Arabia's Domestic and Foreign Intelligence Challenges

A fatal shootout involving security forces and Shiites coincides with a change in the kingdom's intelligence leadership.

Feb 21, 2014

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Jordan Not Out of the Woods Yet

President Obama's reaffirmed pledges of assistance to Jordan are helpful, but they may not be enough to safeguard the country if the situation in Syria continues to fester.

Feb 19, 2014

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David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

Imad Mughniyeh's Legacy Six Years On

Why Hezbollah is fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad -- and how it almost didn't.

Feb 12, 2014

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Matthew Levitt

Brief Analysis

Israel, America, and a Churning Middle East (Part II)

On February 4, 2014, Ambassador Dennis Ross addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute after participating in the Institute for National Security Studies annual conference in Tel Aviv. He was joined by Washington Institute executive director Robert Satloff and former national security advisor Stephen Hadley. The following is a

Feb 12, 2014

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Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

An Assertive Plan of Action for Syria

Washington Institute senior fellow Andrew Tabler addressed the Canadian parliament's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development regarding the current situation in Syria. The following are his prepared remarks and policy recommendations. Mr. Chairman and Ranking Members: Thank you for the opportunity to testify. Following the outbreak of the

Feb 12, 2014

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Andrew J. Tabler

Video

Brief Analysis

Israel, America, and a Churning Middle East (Part I)

On February 4, 2014, former U.S. national security advisor Stephen Hadley addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute after participating in the Institute for National Security Studies annual conference in Tel Aviv and the Munich Security Conference. He was joined by Robert Satloff and Dennis Ross, The Washington Institute's

Feb 10, 2014

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Stephen Hadley

Articles & Testimony

Inside Baseball on Syrian Rebel Infighting

The weeks-long internecine clashes are expected to continue hampering the rebel struggle against the Assad regime, with ISIS fighting on despite being ostracized by al-Qaeda and other jihadists.

Feb 7, 2014

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Brief Analysis

A New Approach to the Syria Crisis

The Obama administration seems to be understating the risks of minimalist engagement in Syria and overstating the risks of greater involvement, despite the achievable, worthwhile goals of military assistance and limited use of force.

Feb 4, 2014

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James Jeffrey

Brief Analysis

Al-Qaeda Disaffiliates with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham

The recent action highlights a central element in the battle for the global jihadist movement's future -- and could have important implications in the fight for Syria.

Feb 3, 2014

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Articles & Testimony

Zawahiri Aims at Israel: Behind Al Qaeda's Pivot to the Levant

The latest terrorist plot against Israel may have resulted from a need to reassert al Qaeda's position among other jihadist groups, especially in Syria, but that doesn't make the threat of attacks against the West any less real.

Feb 3, 2014

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Matthew Levitt

Articles & Testimony

Syria Cheats

The regime's long history of reneging on promises and legal obligations does not bode well for full implementation of the chemical weapons deal.

Jan 30, 2014

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David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

The Vocabulary of Sectarianism

Many players in Syria are pursuing a long-term sectarian dehumanization strategy because they view the war as an existential religious struggle between Sunnis and Shiites, indicating that peace conferences are unlikely to resolve the conflict.

Jan 29, 2014

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Aaron Y. Zelin
Phillip Smyth

Video

Brief Analysis

Conflict in Syria: Geneva II and the Road Ahead

On January 27, 2014, Andrew Tabler, Jeffrey White, and Aaron Zelin addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Tabler is a senior fellow in the Institute's Program on Arab Politics and author of In the Lion's Den: An Eyewitness Account of Washington's Battle with Syria. White is a Defense

Jan 29, 2014

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Andrew J. Tabler
Jeffrey White
Aaron Y. Zelin

Brief Analysis

Israel's Growing Role in Southern Syria

Concerned about the possible drift of al-Qaeda affiliates to areas adjacent to the Golan Heights border, Israel finds itself obliged to increase its assistance to local rebel militias in southern Syria.

Jan 28, 2014

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Ehud Yaari

Brief Analysis

Indecisive Inter-Rebel Fighting in Syria Benefits the Regime

The ongoing clashes between rival rebel factions will likely be protracted and indecisive, and the resultant diversion of effort is already working to the regime's advantage.

Jan 28, 2014

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Jeffrey White

Video

Syria's Spillover: Will Israel Be Drawn In?

The complexities and dynamics of the Syrian conflict make it distinctly possible that Israel could become militarily involved -- even though none of the actors are interested in that outcome.

Jan 28, 2014

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Jeffrey White
David Schenker

A mural of slain prime minister Rafiq Hariri in Beirut

Brief Analysis

Trials and Tribulations in Lebanon

The controversial Hariri trial will unfold amid growing sectarian violence in Lebanon, the seemingly interminable war in Syria, and a longstanding political stalemate regarding Hezbollah's role in government.

Jan 23, 2014

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David Schenker

Brief Analysis

Assad's Indispensable Foreign Legions

Assad is still standing, but he is not standing alone -- and he likely no longer makes decisions alone either.

Jan 22, 2014

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Jeffrey White

Brief Analysis

Avoiding Assad's Forced Solution to the Syria Crisis

Given that Assad and his backers want to gut the transition process called for in the Geneva Communique, Washington should plan to take other steps in parallel to the Geneva process.

Jan 21, 2014

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Andrew J. Tabler

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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 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 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 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

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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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

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