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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

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Articles & Testimony
The Assad Regime’s Business Model for Supporting the Islamic State
The international community stepped up to the ISIS challenge but has failed miserably to address the multifaceted problems presented by Assad, whose regime has worked with the terrorist group on and off for years.
Sep 26, 2021
◆
  • Matthew Levitt
President Biden addresses the UN General Assembly
Articles & Testimony
Biden UN Speech Misunderstands the Point of ‘Forever Wars’—in the Mideast and Elsewhere
U.S. military deployments create the strong alliances and local partnerships that the president said he wants.
Sep 20, 2021
◆
  • Ido Levy
Brief Analysis
A Tale of Two Islamic State Insurgencies in Syria
The SDF has made remarkable progress in its anti-IS operations while Assad’s forces have stagnated, but the coalition and its local partners must still prepare for a renewed terrorist threat on their exposed southern flank.
Sep 17, 2021
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  • Ido Levy
Articles & Testimony
U.S. Policy on the Mediterranean and the Role of PMCs
Although Biden may not see Russia as his top priority, Moscow’s proxy military activities in the Mediterranean are directly aimed at diluting Washington’s leverage in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
Sep 10, 2021
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
A Taliban fighter at a police station in Kabul
Articles & Testimony
How Not to Repeat My History with the Taliban
To avoid the worst outcomes, Washington needs to assiduously enforce any deals with the new Afghan leadership, cooperate effectively with other world powers, and explain to a domestic audience how the withdrawal will facilitate a focus on different priorities.
Sep 2, 2021
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  • David Pollock
Badr Troops
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Badr Organization
Badr is the wellspring of many of today's armed resistance groups and still operates under the indirect and sometimes direct control of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Sep 2, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Photo showing 1983 terrorist attack at U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.
Articles & Testimony
Stop the Doomsaying, U.S. Credibility Will Weather Afghanistan
Regional mistakes and setbacks stretching back to the Carter administration did not stop countries from relying on Washington, and the Kabul crisis will be no different in the end.
Aug 29, 2021
◆
  • Dennis Ross
The Taliban flag on display in Kabul, Afghanistan
Brief Analysis
Return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: The Jihadist State of Play
Regardless of the Taliban’s promises to keep foreign terrorist elements in check, its victory is already boosting elements within the jihadist movement and may once again spur foreign fighter traffic to Afghanistan.
Aug 18, 2021
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Flag of the Syrian Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
Brief Analysis
From Global Jihad to Local Regime: HTS Builds Different Forms of Legitimacy
Ironically, the Syrian jihadist group now acts much like a typical Middle Eastern regime, from the way it mobilizes local support to the abuses it commits against those who oppose its rule.
Aug 6, 2021
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Brief Analysis
Russia and Iran Are Supporting Assad’s Latest Attack on Deraa
The actions of Moscow and Tehran’s local forces say much about each country’s true intentions in the area, and the most immediate result could be more ethnic cleansing.
Aug 5, 2021
◆
  • Oula A. Alrifai
Russian soldiers in Syria
Brief Analysis
Iran and Russia Are Exploiting America’s Absence in Northeast Syria
By redeploying their military and proxy forces, boosting Assad’s political campaigns, and resorting to various local intimidation tactics, the two countries are increasingly working together on establishing full control in Deir al-Zour.
Jul 29, 2021
◆
  • Oula A. Alrifai
  • Ali Alleile
Kataib Hezbollah Logo
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Muqawama Are Focusing Attack Claims on U.S. Bases in Syria
Iraqi militias have said more about attacking such bases in the past six weeks than they did in preceding years.
Jul 28, 2021
◆
  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Syrian flag over a ruined building destroyed by bombing
Articles & Testimony
The Search for a Syria Strategy: What Biden Can Learn From Trump’s Successes and Failures
Washington needs a special envoy to develop a coherent, intelligence-supported political strategy aimed at isolating Assad, limiting his facilitators, and enabling humanitarian NGOs.
Jul 27, 2021
◆
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Jazira drones
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Drones of Kataib Hezbollah's Jazira Command
KH-commanded militia units appear to have exclusive control over Iranian-provided drones, highlighting the group's links to Tehran and its involvement in recent UAV operations.
Jul 20, 2021
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
Iran Nuke Deal or Not, Some Syrians Still See Assad’s Fall
In their view, the regime remains vulnerable to widening political rifts, nationalist grumbling among military officers, and heightened U.S.-Israeli concerns about Iranian domination.
Jul 19, 2021
◆
  • David Pollock
Articles & Testimony
The Role of the Islamic State in the Assad Regime’s Strategy for Survival
Without years of tolerance and outright support from Damascus, the terrorist network could not have evolved into the powerful organization it became over the past decade.
Jul 14, 2021
◆
  • Matthew Levitt
Brief Analysis
The UN Votes on Syria: A Mixed Success Within a Diplomatic Deadlock
The Security Council’s decision to renew the cross-border mechanism averted a humanitarian disaster, but it leaves Russia with more leverage than ever to advance its political goals in Syria.
Jul 13, 2021
◆
  • Calvin Wilder
Rouhani, Putin, Erdogan
In-Depth Reports
Triangular Diplomacy:
Unpacking Russia's Syria Strategy
Moscow has repeatedly played actors off each other to secure its own interests and keep the Assad regime in power.
Jul 7, 2021
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Articles & Testimony
When Humanitarian Aid Becomes a Bargaining Chip
Cross-border access into Syria has become a stress test for Putin and Biden’s nascent relationship, so what exactly will it take for their governments to reach a durable agreement?
Jul 1, 2021
◆
  • Jomana Qaddour
Figure 1: Rocket and drone attacks on coalition "points of presence".
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraq’s Drone and Rocket Epidemic, By the Numbers
Attacks on coalition points of presence are increasing in quantity and quality, making U.S. fatalities increasingly likely unless deterrence is restored.
Jun 27, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight

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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, and Director of the Institute's Junior Research Program.
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.
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.
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