Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

Recasting Syria’s Cross-Border Aid Debate

The UN aid mechanism is alive for another six months, but the threat of famine, Russian vetoes, and military escalation will persist unless Washington takes appropriate steps before the next round of renewal negotiations.

Jan 21, 2022

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Andrew J. Tabler
Calvin Wilder

Brief Analysis

How to Keep the Islamic State Down in 2022 and Beyond

The group and its offshoots pursue conventional warfare campaigns as a rule, not an exception, so the United States needs to enhance its regional military partnerships accordingly.

Jan 13, 2022

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Ido Levy

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Muhandis Replaced by Not One Man, But Two?

Abu Fadak and Akram Kaabi seem to have inherited the PMF and "resistance" parts of the late militia leader's portfolio.

Jan 12, 2022

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Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Militia with 23mm driving west outside IZ, May 26, 2021

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Making Sense of Militia Attacks in Iraq and Syria in Early 2022

The process of assuaging the militia support base was carefully stage-managed in the first week of the new year, with Iran and Nujaba setting the ground rules.

Jan 6, 2022

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Michael Knights
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

Solving Syria’s Crisis Starts with Sanctioning Iranian Oil

Instead of quietly greenlighting the Assad regime’s diplomatic rehabilitation, U.S. officials should escalate economic pressure on its Iranian enablers to regain leverage at the negotiating table.

Jan 3, 2022

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Andrew J. Tabler
Matthew Zweig

In-Depth Reports

Soldiers of End-Times

Assessing the Military Effectiveness of the Islamic State

The IS military project led not only to the announcement of a “caliphate,” but to the proliferation of jihadist franchises that devastated countries, displaced millions, and killed tens of thousands.

Dec 21, 2021

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Ido Levy

Articles & Testimony

Would Russia Ever Help Syria Break Away From Iranian Influence?

Israel seems to hope that differences between Moscow and Tehran will emerge with greater clarity as the fighting ends, but this view reflects wishful thinking more than reality.

Dec 16, 2021

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Anna Borshchevskaya

In-Depth Reports

Power to the People?

Scrutinizing the U.S.-Arab Effort to Supply Energy to Lebanon via Syria

Residents of the beleaguered country desperately need electricity, but a U.S.-Arab scheme carries complications that could benefit Syria's Assad regime.

Dec 16, 2021

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Katherine Bauer
Ben Fishman
Hanin Ghaddar
Simon Henderson
David Schenker
Andrew J. Tabler

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Militia Playground: Kinetic Operations Refocus on East Syria

Iran-backed groups seem to be directing their more dangerous attacks against coalition forces in Syria, not Iraq, and the trend could accelerate in early 2022.

Dec 14, 2021

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Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

In-Depth Reports

Seasoned Skeptics

Why Syrian Kurds Have Resisted Political Islam

The historic role of Sufism, an inclination toward the secular left, and recent repression under extremists have all driven the Kurds away from religiously informed ideology.

Dec 13, 2021

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Sirwan Kajjo
Oula A. Alrifai

US Army soldiers fire artillery in Syria

Brief Analysis

The Future of al-Tanf Garrison in Syria

The remote U.S. base remains a relatively low-cost, high-impact tool for preventing an Islamic State resurgence, disrupting hostile Iranian activity, and exerting leverage over Syria’s long-term outlook.

Dec 6, 2021

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Grant Rumley
David Schenker

Brief Analysis

Delta Crescent Energy: Refining U.S. Stabilization Strategies in Northeast Syria

If the Biden administration moves forward with canceling the company’s license, it will need to prepare for increased military and economic pressure in the northeast amid further encroachment by Russian personnel.

Nov 24, 2021

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Calvin Wilder
Kenneth R. Rosen

Audio

Brief Analysis

Podcast: Russia's War in Syria

Leading scholars examine the origins and current trends of Russian involvement in the Middle East, as well as implications for U.S. strategy in the region.

Nov 23, 2021

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Lester Grau
Michael McFaul

◆ Middle East PolicyCast

A Middle Eastern migrant with guards at the Belarus/Poland border. Source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

The EU Migrant Crisis: Options for Border Security and U.S. Interests

Spurred by conflicts in the Middle East, North Africa, and Afghanistan, the migration emergency in Belarus gives Washington an opportunity to foster cooperative agreements and goodwill.

Nov 19, 2021

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Kenneth R. Rosen
Calvin Wilder

A Turkish soldier stands guard at a rally. Image source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Turkey vs. the YPG: What’s Next?

As Ankara and Moscow mull a potential exchange of Syria border incursions for Idlib concessions, Erdogan risks endangering his intertwined goals of improving Turkey’s economy and minimizing tensions with Washington.

Nov 16, 2021

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Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

Helping Syria’s Kurds Weigh Their Options

By reassuring its Kurdish allies via temporary diplomatic, military, and economic measures, Washington can gain greater leverage over Russia and other players at acceptably low risk and cost.

Nov 15, 2021

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David Pollock

Video

Brief Analysis

The Future of Putin's War in Syria

A former U.S. ambassador to Russia joins two experts for a discussion on what the six-year intervention can tell us about Moscow’s broader foreign policy.

Nov 8, 2021

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Lester Grau
Michael McFaul

Quadcopters in Syria and Iraq, 2019-2021

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Muqawama Meltdown, Part 2: Drone Attack on the Prime Minister

Militias followed up Qais al-Khazali's threats against Kadhimi by attacking his residence, shattering the narrative of victimhood they had been building through protests.

Nov 7, 2021

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Crispin Smith
Michael Knights
Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Brief Analysis

Top Agenda Items for the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue

In addition to continuing the discussion of withheld U.S. funding, Secretary Blinken’s team should focus on steering Cairo toward productive steps in Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, Lebanon, and Syria.

Nov 5, 2021

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David Schenker

In-Depth Reports

Putin's War in Syria

Russian Foreign Policy and the Price of America's Absence

The Russian leader defied expectations of a quixotic, costly outcome for his country’s 2015 intervention in Syria. As it actually played out, explains Anna Borshchevskaya in her recently published book, Russia leveraged the conflict and U.S. inaction to position itself as a leading power in the Middle East.

November 4, 2021

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Supported by the

Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's 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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Grant Rumley is the Goldberger Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he specializes in military and security affairs in the Middle East.

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