Kurds at a Crossroads as Middle East Shifts
Syrian Kurdish military leader Mazloum Abdi’s recent meeting with top Kurdish officials of northern Iraq points to the region’s shifting political landscape. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander...
Euphrates
Fifty Years of Gaslighting Israel at the U.N.
Five decades after its creation, it's long past time for the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to be shut down.
Op-eds
Two Years of Arab and Muslim Failure
Today marks the second anniversary of the horrific attacks when Hamas militants stormed out of the Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns. They killed, maimed and burned 1,200 civilians in a brutal door-to-door...
Op-eds
Can Syria’s New Leaders and U.S.-Backed Forces Unite to Defeat ISIS?
US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led a delegation to Syria that met with Syria’s transitional President, Ahmed al-Shara’a, on...
Op-eds
Assad Is Gone. The Syrian Problem Persists
Nine months after Bashar al-Assad’s fall and Ahmad al-Sharaa’s rise to power, the UN Security Council met to address Syria’s ongoing crisis. The Council urged Damascus to establish a government “of...
Op-eds
New head of anti-Islamic State mission in Iraq and Syria takes command
Brigadier General Kevin Lambert took over as the new commander of the anti-Islamic State coalition of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) in a ceremony in Iraq on...
Op-eds
Delegation from eastern Syria meets with government in Damascus
A delegation from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) met with the new Syrian government in Damascus on June 1. The talks are aimed at fully integrating the autonomous eastern...
Op-eds
Amid Syria troop reduction, will Trump repeat Middle East withdrawal mistakes?
Cameron McMillan and Bradley Bowman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies argue in this op ed that getting out of Syria too quickly could leave the US vulnerable.
Op-eds
Will U.S. Forces Leave Syria for Good in 2025?
U.S. forces in Syria continue to support their partners in the war against ISIS. This is part of a mission that dates back to 2015, when the U.S. first became involved in Syria. However, recent reports point to an increasing likelihood that the U.S. role in Syria may end within months.
Op-eds
American troops train Syrian Free Army at Tanf Garrison as US weighs next moves in Syria
US forces in Tanf continue to train with Syrian partner forces and support their work securing an area of southern Syria near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders. On April 11, Combined Joint Task Force...
Op-eds
Syrian government, SDF, and other factions move to end tensions over strategic dam
The transitional Syrian government and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have reached an agreement regarding the handover of the strategic Tishrin Dam from SDF’s control to Damascus’s control....
Op-eds
Naim Qassem explains Hezbollah’s vision for the future in first long-form interview
On March 09, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem gave his first lengthy interview to Manar Sabbagh from Al Manar, Hezbollah’s satellite TV station, after assuming his post. Qassem’s predecessor,...
Op-eds
Turkey increasing military assistance to Syria
Reports circulating on Syrian social media claim that Syrian interim President Ahmad al Sharaa is planning a visit to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to finalize a defense and military agreement between the two countries.
Op-eds
After SDF-Damascus deal, a spotlight on US forces in Syria
On March 10, Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), signed an agreement with Syria’s interim President Ahmad al Sharaa. The deal outlines a plan to integrate the SDF and other...
Op-eds
What Does Israel Want With Syria?
As Syria faces continued conflict, Israel may be planning a wider confrontation with the new government.
Op-eds
Can Syria Survive?
On February 25, Syria held a National Dialogue Conference, which is supposed to help the country come together after years of civil war and the toppling of the Assad regime. Syria’s new president,...
Op-eds
Suwayda Military Council: A new Druze coalition emerges in Syria
A group of Druze militants in Suwayda, southern Syria, has announced the formation of the Suwayda Military Council, a coalition of local armed groups aimed at protecting the region and maintaining...
Op-eds
The strategic Tishrin Dam has become a flashpoint in post-Assad Syria
The Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River in Syria has become a key point of conflict in the country’s post-Assad era. Since the fall of dictator Bashar al Assad’s regime on December 8, the dam has been...
Op-eds
Turkey and HTS: A New Era of Extremism in Syria?
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2023, Syria is now controlled by an alliance of opposition groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). While there has...
Op-eds
Iran-Backed Militias Face Crisis After Assad’s Fall in Syria
Four years ago, in January 2020, a US drone carried out a strike in Iraq near Baghdad International Airport, killing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force leader Qasem...