Trump can’t leave Syria to others
After the fall of Bashar Assad‘s regime in Syria, the incoming Trump administration faces a complex set of challenges. Despite President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to reduce U.S....
Manbij
‘Slip of the Tongue’: Turkey Denies Ceasefire Deal with Kurds, as Erdogan Teases Expansionism
Turkey Denies Ceasefire With U.S.-Backed Syrian Forces: Turkey’s Defense Ministry denied on December 19 that it had agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal with the Kurdish-led...
Flash Briefs
Expect Turkey To Be the Decisive Foreign Player in Post-Assad Syria
The ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other rebel groups have created an opening for Turkey to assert itself as the primary external...
Policy Briefs
‘Unfriendly Takeover’: Turkey Offers to Train New Syrian Army While Maintaining Threat Against Kurds
Turkey’s ‘Unfriendly Takeover’ in Syria: Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said on December 15 that Turkey is willing to provide military training for Syria’s army if...
Flash Briefs
Turkey moves to isolate the Kurds in Syria, and prepares a way for new attacks
The main group in Ankara's cross-hairs is the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which was formed in 2015 with US backing.
Op-eds
Why are Iran and Turkey moving to condemn Israel’s role in Syria?
It is interesting how quickly Iran, Turkey and also voices in Qatar have mobilized to single out Israel for critique regarding Syria.
Op-eds
Turkish-Backed Syrian National Army Seizes Manbij from U.S. Allied, Kurdish-Led Forces
Turkish-Backed Forces Advance on SDF Territory: On November 30, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) launched “Operation Dawn of Freedom” targeting the Manbij region...
Flash Briefs
America Must Stand with Syria’s Kurds
Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan is playing with and stoking fires in Syria. Following the major military offensive mounted by the Salafi-jihadist forces of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in...
Op-eds
Are Kurds under threat amid civil war resurgence in Syria?
Many wheels are in motion in Syria, which could leave Kurds and other minorities exposed.
Op-eds
U.S. designates al Qaeda financial facilitator based in Turkey
The U.S. Treasury Department announced today that two money men working for al Qaeda and Hay’at Tahrir al Sham (HTS) have been designated. The designations are part of a broader U.S. effort to sanction...
Op-eds
Turkey Plans Fresh Offensive in Syria
On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of an impending...
Policy Briefs
Get Serious About Human Shields
“Given the kind of precision weaponry you are using,” a French TV reporter...
Op-eds
Erdogan Threatens to Expand War Against U.S. Partners in Syria
A bomb blast near the city of Manbij in northern Syria...
Policy Briefs
Syria: Options Remain If America is Willing to Take Them
One of the biggest foreign policy challenges that President-elect Donald Trump will face is Syria. Here are how things look on the ground today and some of the scenarios the new American presiden...
Op-eds
How Many Fighters Does the Islamic State Really Have?
Estimates of the number of fighters in the ranks of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are extraordinarily wide-ranging. On the low end of things, CNN’s Barbara Starr recently...