U.S. Policy

Sustaining U.S. and Turkish assistance to the Syrian Kurds is crucial to blocking ISIS and stemming Russian influence, as is resolving Ankara's Kurdish problems at home, but sending heavy weapons to the PYD would likely have unintended consequences.

The next president will have a rough start if the next fifteen months are marked by more U.S.-Israeli fighting over the root causes of violence with the Palestinians, unfettered Russian and Iranian military operations just north of the Israel-Syria border, and deepening holes in the Iran nuclear agreement.

The bold military gamble in Syria surprised and confused the international community, but Putin has given the United States and Turkey a reason to more assertively counter Russia's ambitions in its own backyard.

As Russia, Iran, and Assad fight to carve out their future spheres of influence in Syria, Washington needs to help its Sunni allies establish their own spheres and retake eastern territory from ISIS and al-Qaeda.

Renewed security upgrade talks would go a long way toward mending relations, and Netanyahu could further help matters by engaging members of Congress who may have been rankled by his previous U.S. visit.

Two former senior intelligence officials assess the new challenges of collecting, sharing, and acting on information about Iran's nuclear activities, political decisionmaking, and regional intentions under the JCPOA.

Now that the president has won the big fight, Americans across the political divide hope he will stop quashing attempts to repair the nuclear deal's flaws.

The royals will likely try to smooth relations that have been strained by the Iran nuclear deal and differences over Syria and Yemen.

If the president's bet on Iran's transformation does not prove to be immediately and demonstrably right, his larger project could suffer the same fate as Bush's in the hands of his successor.