The Latest Syrian Ceasefire

by Derek Davison Raising hopes for an end to, or at least a pause in, the devastating Syrian civil war, a ceasefire negotiated last week by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov went into… Continue Reading

Why Victory Over IS Won’t Solve the Real Problem Facing Iraq and Syria

by Derek Davison A recent spate of high-casualty Islamic State-linked attacks in France, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and (arguably) Orlando, Florida, has raised fears about the group’s ability to carry out international terrorist strikes while also obscuring its failures at… Continue Reading

Turkey’s Geopolitical Aims in Syria

by Robert Olson Turkey hopes to use the 2.7 million Syrian refugees now in Turkey as vehicles to develop and consolidate it geopolitical and geo-economic position. This is a vastly different policy from the one Ankara pursued toward Kurdish refugees… Continue Reading

Syria: Pro-Regime Rampage in the North

by Wayne White A Middle East Institute (MEI) study on Russia’s aims in Syria (much of which I wrote) predicted on November 10 what the Russo-Syrian-Iranian forces are doing right now: seeking to overrun most rebel holdings in the northernmost… Continue Reading

Work with the Russians on Syria

by Paul R. Pillar There is no shortage of certitude in American commentary about what Russia is trying to do in Syria. For example, the Washington Post editorial page, unrelentingly hawkish on everything involving Syria, declares that “it has long been… Continue Reading