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....
Qamishli
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
Syria’s regime holds symbolic legislative ‘elections’
The elections are worth watching for what they may tell us regarding the regime’s attempts to return to regions in Syria illegally occupied by Turkey.
Op-eds
U.S. kills Islamic State officials during raid in Syria
The U.S. military killed two Islamic State “officials” during a special operations raid in eastern Syria on Dec. 11. The U.S. military has targeted the Islamic State’s top tier leadership cadre with...
Op-eds
Turkey Plans Fresh Offensive in Syria
On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of an impending...
Policy Briefs
Al Nusrah Front Claims Suicide Attack at Hospital, Joint Operation with Chechen Fighters
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that is fighting Bashir al Assad's regime in Syria, has claimed credit for yet another suicide attack as w...
Op-eds
Iranian Islands of Influence
At a Pentagon news conference on Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that Iran is building and training a militia to buttress the Assad regime in Syria. As the S...
Op-eds
Syria’s Assad No Longer in Vogue
It was slow in coming, but the Arab revolutionary wave of 2011 has reached Syria. Its arrival has forced a reassessment of the Bashar al-Assad regime’s domestic legitimacy and prospects for...
Op-eds
Middle East Strongmen, Ancient and Modern
The war in Iraq has exposed fissures in the structure of that modern Middle Eastern state earlier camouflaged by Arab nationalism and Saddam's brutal rule. While Arab leaders speak of unity,...
Op-eds
Divided They Stand: The Syrian Opposition
His son and successor, Bashar, has failed to manage these divisions. Unfavorable international conditions, colossal foreign policy failures, and a precarious economy have left the regime wi...