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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

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Articles & Testimony
Trump's Order to Strike Syria May End Future Chemical Weapons Attacks
Continuing to enforce the ban on such weapons via military action can give Washington some much needed leverage in the Geneva negotiations.
Apr 14, 2018
◆
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Articles & Testimony
Pull Troops Out of Syria? Trump Has a Point
By moving to an airpower-focused approach, Washington could avoid an unending stabilization mission, calm tensions with Turkey, and help allies with the bigger goal of countering Iran and Russia.
Apr 13, 2018
◆
  • James Jeffrey
Brief Analysis
Iran Is Outpacing Assad for Control of Syria's Shia Militias
Although Damascus has sought to maintain a grip over its network of brigades, Tehran is gaining ascendancy and could push more of them to attack U.S. forces or Israel.
Apr 12, 2018
◆
  • Phillip Smyth
Articles & Testimony
The Kremlin's Middle East Gambit
An image of imperial greatness is a matter of political survival to Vladimir Putin, which helps explain his aggressive efforts to fill any vacuum America may leave in the region.
Apr 10, 2018
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Brief Analysis
Israel Once Again Strikes Iran's UAV Base in Syria
Tehran continues to maintain significant drone forces at a base in western Syria, giving them dangerously easy access to the Israeli border and raising the risk of escalation.
Apr 10, 2018
◆
  • Farzin Nadimi
Brief Analysis
Military Strikes on Syria: Critical Considerations
Military action should seek to restore deterrence by hitting not just chemical weapons-related targets, but also ground and air units that are key to the Assad regime's war effort.
Apr 10, 2018
◆
  • Michael Eisenstadt
Brief Analysis
Turkish-Russian-Iranian Summit: Limits to a Tripartite Entente
Although any attempts at coordinated action will be hampered by historical rivalries and modern disagreements, Moscow and Tehran can still use the Ankara meeting to harm U.S. interests in Syria.
Apr 3, 2018
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  • Soner Cagaptay
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Nader Uskowi
Brief Analysis
Trump's North Korea Talks Need to Address Syrian and Iranian Proliferation
When Pyongyang was able to cooperate freely with Middle Eastern regimes in the past, it built a clandestine nuclear reactor in Syria, so Washington cannot afford to turn a blind eye to such activity again.
Mar 22, 2018
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  • Jay Solomon
Brief Analysis
Expect Assad, Iran, and Russia to Exploit Trump's Cabinet Changes
The regime and its allies will probably try to peel away U.S. partners or take military action in vulnerable areas, so Washington should prepare to counter such efforts.
Mar 19, 2018
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  • Patrick Clawson
Articles & Testimony
The U.S. Alliance With Turkey Is Worth Preserving
Ankara is a difficult friend, but that doesn't mean the United States should cut it loose.
Mar 19, 2018
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  • Michael Singh
  • James Jeffrey
Multimedia
Brief Analysis
A Survey of the Near East: Implications for U.S. National Security
The national intelligence manager for the Near East discusses the post-ISIS 'peace dividend,' the intelligence facets of Syria's humanitarian crisis, the sectarian hurdles to Iraq's reconstruction, and more.
Mar 13, 2018
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  • David Cattler
◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series
Russian president Vladimir Putin
Brief Analysis
Moscow and the Middle East After Russia's Election
Washington and its partners can expect Putin to pursue an increasingly aggressive regional policy that depends on confrontation with the West as the basis for domestic legitimacy.
Mar 12, 2018
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Video
Brief Analysis
Reporting Syria and Iraq
A journalist who has covered the wars in Syria and Iraq offers a rare eyewitness account of how the conflicts have defied expert predictions, eroded state identity, and threatened the wider geostrategic order. Watch video.
Mar 8, 2018
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  • Jonathan Spyer
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
Tentative Transition:
Civil-Military Relations in Turkey Since the July 15 Uprising
On July 15, 2016, Turkey survived a harsh test to its democracy when it pacified a coup attempt led by the ultrasecretive Gulenist movement. But the episode raised more questions than it resolved. Looking back, how had the Gulenists infiltrated the highest military ranks, thereby allowing the uprising to go
Mar 7, 2018
◆
  • Metin Gurcan
Articles & Testimony
Moscow Exploiting Israeli-Syrian Clashes for Regional Influence
By portraying itself as a neutral broker when Israel, Iran, and other parties clash over Syria, the Kremlin seeks to further its own interests in the Middle East.
Feb 23, 2018
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Brief Analysis
Washington's Militia Problem in Syria Is an Iran Problem
While Assad may nominally hold reclaimed areas in the south, he will never truly control them so long as Tehran tells its militia proxies to secure that corridor for its own purposes.
Feb 19, 2018
◆
  • Jackson Doering
Articles & Testimony
Letters from Home: Hezbollah Mothers and the Culture of Martyrdom
For many Lebanese Shia, blindly accepting the group's narrative may be less emotionally wrenching than questioning whether a youth's death was worth the pain.
Feb 16, 2018
◆
  • Kendall Bianchi
Articles & Testimony
The Case for a Tillerson to Israel Moment
Given the risks posed by Iran's expanding presence in Syria, Secretary Tillerson should add Israel to his travel itinerary as a signal of support and deterrence.
Feb 16, 2018
◆
  • Dennis Ross
Brief Analysis
Crossing Redlines: Escalation Dynamics in Syria
Tehran and its allies will test U.S. and Israeli limits again, requiring deterrent responses that are tough, consistent, and paired with political reassurances to allies.
Feb 13, 2018
◆
  • Michael Eisenstadt
  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
Israel Signaling a Heavy Price for Iranian 'Entrenchment' in Syria
If Tehran keeps trying to increase its military foothold in Syria, Israel may ramp up its strikes, so Washington should consider a more active posture that reduces the risks of escalation.
Feb 12, 2018
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  • David Makovsky

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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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