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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

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Articles & Testimony
How to Make Russia Pay in Ukraine: Study Syria
Washington needs to show Putin that this will not be the limited intervention he was able to get away with in Syria, but rather a catalyst for dramatic NATO entrenchment and strategic setbacks.
Feb 15, 2022
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
ISIS leader al-Hashimi, who died in a U.S. special forces raid in Syria on February 2, 2022 - source: U.S. Government
Brief Analysis
Second Islamic State Leader Killed in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Territory
To shed light on the intentions and capabilities of the jihadist group that runs Idlib province, the Biden administration should clarify its relations with HTS, including any counterterrorism cooperation.
Feb 3, 2022
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Brief Analysis
Battle for al-Sinaa Prison: The Enduring Islamic State Threat in Syria
The military response to a major prison attack exhibited the strength of the U.S.-SDF partnership, but it also highlighted ongoing counterterrorism shortcomings.
Jan 31, 2022
◆
  • Ido Levy
Turkish President Erdogan meets Ukrainian President Zelenskiy in Kyiv - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
The Ukraine Crisis: East Meets Mideast?
In theory, Iran, Turkey, the Gulf, and other regional players offer potential leverage of various kinds over Moscow, but closer examination suggests that most of these links are of limited utility at best.
Jan 28, 2022
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  • David Pollock
Articles & Testimony
Is It Time to Get Tough With Russia?
If Washington wants Putin to act differently, it must demonstrate less risk aversion, whether in Ukraine or in Middle East conflict zones like Syria and Iraq.
Jan 27, 2022
◆
  • Dennis Ross
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Sailors aboard a Turkish Naval Forces warship - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Will Turkey Help Washington If Russia Invades Ukraine?
Fears of Russian military power may keep Ankara out of the spotlight, but its Black Sea calculations and Crimean Tatar sympathies indicate a willingness to assist behind the scenes if necessary.
Jan 26, 2022
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  • Soner Cagaptay
Illustration of chess pieces and the Russian and Ukrainian flags - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Russia’s Desert Storm: Putin’s Plan to Use America’s Military Playbook Against Ukraine?
The lessons Moscow learned from the 1991 Gulf War and the 2015 Syria intervention reveal much about the strategy, tactics, and weapons systems it might use (or already be using) in Ukraine.
Jan 23, 2022
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Articles & Testimony
Russia’s Strategic Success in Syria and the Future of Moscow’s Middle East Policy
Washington’s tacit acquiescence to normalization with a war criminal has shown the world who won the Syria war—and, by extension, what can be gained from challenging U.S. policy.
Jan 23, 2022
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
syriaaid
Brief Analysis
Recasting Syria’s Cross-Border Aid Debate
The UN aid mechanism is alive for another six months, but the threat of famine, Russian vetoes, and military escalation will persist unless Washington takes appropriate steps before the next round of renewal negotiations.
Jan 21, 2022
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Andrew J. Tabler
  • Calvin Wilder
Brief Analysis
How to Keep the Islamic State Down in 2022 and Beyond
The group and its offshoots pursue conventional warfare campaigns as a rule, not an exception, so the United States needs to enhance its regional military partnerships accordingly.
Jan 13, 2022
◆
  • Ido Levy
Akram and Abu Fadak, Basra, Jan 1, 2022
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Muhandis Replaced by Not One Man, But Two?
Abu Fadak and Akram Kaabi seem to have inherited the PMF and "resistance" parts of the late militia leader's portfolio.
Jan 12, 2022
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Militia with 23mm driving west outside IZ, May 26, 2021
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Making Sense of Militia Attacks in Iraq and Syria in Early 2022
The process of assuaging the militia support base was carefully stage-managed in the first week of the new year, with Iran and Nujaba setting the ground rules.
Jan 6, 2022
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  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
Solving Syria’s Crisis Starts with Sanctioning Iranian Oil
Instead of quietly greenlighting the Assad regime’s diplomatic rehabilitation, U.S. officials should escalate economic pressure on its Iranian enablers to regain leverage at the negotiating table.
Jan 3, 2022
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
  • Matthew Zweig
Islamic State fighters in Iraq
In-Depth Reports
Soldiers of End-Times
Assessing the Military Effectiveness of the Islamic State
The IS military project led not only to the announcement of a “caliphate,” but to the proliferation of jihadist franchises that devastated countries, displaced millions, and killed tens of thousands.
Dec 21, 2021
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  • Ido Levy
Articles & Testimony
Would Russia Ever Help Syria Break Away From Iranian Influence?
Israel seems to hope that differences between Moscow and Tehran will emerge with greater clarity as the fighting ends, but this view reflects wishful thinking more than reality.
Dec 16, 2021
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Lightbulb nighttime Beirut cityscape
In-Depth Reports
Power to the People?
Scrutinizing the U.S.-Arab Effort to Supply Energy to Lebanon via Syria
Residents of the beleaguered country desperately need electricity, but a U.S.-Arab scheme carries complications that could benefit Syria's Assad regime.
Dec 16, 2021
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  • Katherine Bauer
  • Ben Fishman
  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Simon Henderson
  • David Schenker
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Nujana Syria
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Playground: Kinetic Operations Refocus on East Syria
Iran-backed groups seem to be directing their more dangerous attacks against coalition forces in Syria, not Iraq, and the trend could accelerate in early 2022.
Dec 14, 2021
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  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Kurdish woman fighter
In-Depth Reports
Seasoned Skeptics
Why Syrian Kurds Have Resisted Political Islam
The historic role of Sufism, an inclination toward the secular left, and recent repression under extremists have all driven the Kurds away from religiously informed ideology.
Dec 13, 2021
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  • Sirwan Kajjo
  • Oula A. Alrifai
US Army soldiers fire artillery in Syria
Brief Analysis
The Future of al-Tanf Garrison in Syria
The remote U.S. base remains a relatively low-cost, high-impact tool for preventing an Islamic State resurgence, disrupting hostile Iranian activity, and exerting leverage over Syria’s long-term outlook.
Dec 6, 2021
◆
  • Grant Rumley
  • David Schenker
Brief Analysis
Delta Crescent Energy: Refining U.S. Stabilization Strategies in Northeast Syria
If the Biden administration moves forward with canceling the company’s license, it will need to prepare for increased military and economic pressure in the northeast amid further encroachment by Russian personnel.
Nov 24, 2021
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  • Calvin Wilder
  • Kenneth R. Rosen

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Rubin Family Arab Politics Program

The Washington Institute's Rubin Family Arab Politics Program focuses on social, political, and economic developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the Arab countries of the Levant.

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Featured experts

Andrew J. Tabler
Andrew J. Tabler
Andrew J. Tabler is the Martin J. Gross Senior Fellow in the Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute, where he focuses on Syria and U.S. policy in the Levant, and Director of the Institute's Junior Research Program.
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley is the Goldberger Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he specializes in military and security affairs in the Middle East.
David Schenker
David Schenker
David Schenker is the Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Rubin Family Arab Politics Program. He is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
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