by Derek Davison The Syrian civil war is at something of a crossroads. With the Syrian government having secured the area around Damascus its attention now seems to be turning to both Idlib province in northwestern Syria and Daraa province… Continue Reading
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
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
by Derek Davison A series of Russian moves to bolster support for dictator Bashar al-Assad and for a negotiated political settlement to Syria’s four-and-a-half-year civil war may allow for a new, unified focus on combating the Islamic State (ISIS or… Continue Reading
by John Feffer The classic image of the dictator clinging to power, resisting the world’s entreaties to resign, and fending off internal attempts at ouster is that of an old man, stubborn and long past caring what others think. He’s… Continue Reading