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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

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Brief Analysis
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
Akram and Abu Fadak, Basra, Jan 1, 2022
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
Islamic State fighters in Iraq
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
Lightbulb nighttime Beirut cityscape
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
Nujana Syria
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
Kurdish woman fighter
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
PolicyCast Russia Episode Cover
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
Putin's War in Syria book cover
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

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Featured experts

Michael Singh
Michael Singh
Michael Singh is the Managing Director and Lane-Swig Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley
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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