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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

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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.
Dec 8, 2019
◆
  • Bilal Wahab
Brief Analysis
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.
Nov 7, 2019
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  • Matthew Levitt
Brief Analysis
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.
Nov 7, 2019
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  • Soner Cagaptay
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Conor Hiney
  • Dana Stroul
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.
Nov 6, 2019
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  • Michael Singh
Video
Brief Analysis
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.
Nov 1, 2019
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
  • Devorah Margolin
  • Amarnath Amarasingam
◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series
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.
Oct 29, 2019
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Brief Analysis
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.
Oct 28, 2019
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  • 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.
Oct 28, 2019
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  • Dennis Ross
Brief Analysis
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.
Oct 25, 2019
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  • Bilal Wahab
Brief Analysis
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.
Oct 23, 2019
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Brief Analysis
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.
Oct 21, 2019
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Soner Cagaptay
A view of the Al-Hawl (or Al-Hol) ISIS detention camp in Syria - source: Reuters
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
Wilayat al-Hawl:
'Remaining' and Incubating the Next Islamic State Generation
Many inhabitants of the al-Hol camp still profess loyalty to the jihadist group and have sought to impose a fundamentalist lifestyle on their fellow residents.
Oct 18, 2019
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Articles & Testimony
The Geopolitical Stakes in Iraq
Russia has steadily inserted itself into Iraq's military, energy, and educational sectors, and these relationships could turn Baghdad further away from the United States now that the Trump administration has ceded Syria to Moscow.
Oct 17, 2019
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Articles & Testimony
Syria Study Group: Recommendations for U.S. Policy
The following joint statement was submitted to the House Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism in advance of testimony by Dana Stroul and Michael Singh, the Washington Institute fellows who serve as co-chairs of the bipartisan Syria Study Group. Chairman Deutch, Ranking Member Wilson, and members
Oct 16, 2019
◆
  • Dana Stroul
  • Michael Singh
Articles & Testimony
Trump’s Letter to Turkey’s Erdogan Shows the U.S. Is Struggling to Keep Up with Ankara
Erdogan has achieved his primary goal of breaking the U.S.-YPG partnership by leveraging Trump and Putin against each other, but Russia and Iran won’t let him exit Syria scot-free.
Oct 16, 2019
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  • Soner Cagaptay
Brief Analysis
Turkey’s Syria Incursion: What Spurred It, and What’s Next?
The Trump administration is implicitly backing Ankara’s policy imperatives for now, but its approval comes with an imminent expiration date that could arrive even sooner if the operation goes awry.
Oct 11, 2019
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  • Soner Cagaptay
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
What Is Iran Up To in Deir al-Zour?
Tehran and its proxies have been exerting hard and soft power in northeast Syria, combining military consolidation with economic, social, and religious outreach in order to cement their long-term influence.
Oct 10, 2019
◆
  • Oula A. Alrifai
Turkey’s Syria Offensive Puts Alliance with U.S. Near Breaking Point
Erdogan is relying on his personal relationship with President Trump to stave off congressional anger, but bilateral ties cannot function if civilian and military agencies lack faith in each other.
Oct 9, 2019
◆
  • Soner Cagaptay
Articles & Testimony
Trump’s Troop Withdrawal Gives Turkey Access to Syria—and ISIS Space to Rebuild
If the president insists on removing U.S. forces before conditions on the ground are sufficiently stable, he will clear the way for a terrorist resurgence.
Oct 8, 2019
◆
  • Dana Stroul
In-Depth Reports
Shifting Landscape:
Russia's Military Role in the Middle East
In September 2015, Moscow made its first push outside former Soviet borders when it authorized airstrikes in Syria. More pertinently, the move—and Russia's broader intervention in Syria—constituted a step toward reshaping the whole regional balance of power, taking advantage of a diminishing U.S. footprint. According to the Russian defense minister
Sep 25, 2019
◆
  • 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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