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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

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The DEA's Targeting of Hezbollah's Global Criminal Support Network

The head of the Counter-Narcoterrorism Operations Center discusses how the group uses drug trafficking and other schemes to fund its activities, and what the DEA is doing to stop it.

John Fernandez

Eight Reasons Why the United States and Iraq Still Need Each Other

A host of crucial multilateral interests are baked into the U.S. presence, from keeping the Islamic State down, to protecting vulnerable regional allies, to preventing Iran from taking Iraq's oil revenues.

David Pollock

Russian president Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov

Russian Reactions to the U.S. Strike on Soleimani

State officials and media are condemning the incident, but Putin is well aware that his fragile role as regional mediator depends on treading carefully around Washington’s unpredictability.

Anna Borshchevskaya

Does Soleimani’s Death Matter? Findings from a 2019 Workshop

Last year’s Washington Institute forum on post-Soleimani succession suggested that the IRGC would lose a unique coordinating capability and its most important totem once he left the scene.

Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Assad Is Growing Stronger Under Trump’s Nonexistent Syria Policy

The Caesar Act will not put an end to the Syrian catastrophe so long as Washington keeps ceding political and military leverage to adversaries who do not care about human rights.

Oula A. Alrifai

Articles & Testimony

Russian Private Military Companies: Continuity and Evolution of the Model

In a bid to ensure plausible deniability, address internal rivalries, and advance its competition with the West, the Kremlin has increased its use of such contractors in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Anna Borshchevskaya

A Decisive Vote for Humanitarian Support in Syria

Renewing the UN cross-border mechanism is crucial to helping millions of needy Syrian civilians, preventing Russia and Assad from weaponizing aid deliveries, and safeguarding future international assistance efforts.

Dana Stroul
Charles Thépaut

After Losses, Islamic State Plots Comeback

An in-depth interview on the scope of the terrorist group's remaining activities in Syria, Iraq, and other countries, including the potential for future insurgencies and mass-casualty attacks.

Aaron Y. Zelin

Articles & Testimony

What Will It Take to Repair Middle Eastern Economies?

Directly investing in nongovernmental enterprise and giving international approval to private competition can change the dynamic in individual countries, promote liberal economies, and give citizens greater agency.

Bilal Wahab

The Counter-ISIS Coalition Has Much to Do After Baghdadi’s Death

From dissolving the group’s caliphate to killing its leader, the coalition has notched major achievements, but all that work may be for naught if the United States and other members do not renew their cooperation at the upcoming ministerial meeting.

Charles Thépaut
Matthew Levitt

Erdogan in Washington: Setting the Agenda for a Pivotal Visit

The Trump administration needs to treat the meeting as a chance to frankly address congressional concerns and defuse a host of hot-button issues, from Syria policy to F-35 production.

Soner Cagaptay
Anna Borshchevskaya
Conor Hiney
Dana Stroul
Charles Thépaut

Articles & Testimony

Why the Talk of 'Endless Wars' Misses the Mark

Military means have often been used to promote peace and stability, such as during the Cold War deployments to Europe and the 1990s NATO mission in the Balkans.

Michael Singh

The Islamic State in Syria: What's Next?

Three leading scholars assess the group’s status and ambitions following the death of its leader, and discuss how to handle the numerous potential supporters still residing in Syrian camps.

Aaron Y. Zelin
Devorah Margolin
Amarnath Amarasingam

Articles & Testimony

Baghdadi Is Dead but His Legend Lives On

The Islamic State no longer governs territory, but aspiring jihadists can now point to a caliphate project achieved in their lifetime, a long-held yearning of the international movement.

Aaron Y. Zelin

After Baghdadi: How the Islamic State Rebounds

The back-to-back deaths of the IS leader and allegedly one of his likely successors mark a significant counterterrorism accomplishment, but neither high-profile deaths nor the territorial loss of the so-called caliphate will translate into the organization’s defeat.

Katherine Bauer
Matthew Levitt
Aaron Y. Zelin

Articles & Testimony

The U.S.: Between Being the World’s Policeman and Trusting Regional Partners

Despite long-documented public weariness with Middle East conflicts, Trump’s successor could well recognize the value of reestablishing American credibility in the region.

Dennis Ross

Kurdish Reactions to Their Abandonment in Syria

The U.S. withdrawal of troops from northeast Syria has placed Kurdish fighters in a near-impossible situation, while alarming Kurdish communities in other countries, but Washington can still take steps to mitigate the damage.

Bilal Wahab

The Islamic State in Syria After the U.S. Withdrawal

Recent U.S. decisions have seemingly ignored the degree to which the group is continuing its insurgent attacks and reorganizing its supporters inside increasingly vulnerable detention facilities.

Aaron Y. Zelin

The Sochi Summit: Potential Outcomes and Implications

As Washington pushes Erdogan to act responsibly in northeast Syria, the Turkish leader may face contrary pressures from Russia and Iran, who are keeping forces on the ground to back up whatever demands are made at this week’s summit and beyond.

Anna Borshchevskaya
Soner Cagaptay

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

Wilayat al-Hawl: 'Remaining' and Incubating the Next Islamic State Generation

Even before the United States precipitously withdrew its troops from northern Syria in October 2019, observers fretted over the situation at al-Hawl refugee camp. The camp is populated predominantly by women and children and has drawn attention for its unsanitary conditions, inadequate medical care, lack of education for children, and

Aaron Y. Zelin

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