Ideas
Turkey Made a Bet Against Assad—And Lost
Back in 2011, Erdoğan supported the rebels against the Syrian regime in hopes of gaining influence across the Middle East. Things haven’t gone according to plan.
Policy
The US Will Spend Billions in Syria—Just Not on Rebuilding It
The Trump administration has ended a civilian aid program in the country, but the cost of the counter-ISIS fight far outweighs those savings.
Threats
Mattis: No Pentagon Policy Changes Since Trump-Putin Helsinki Summit
The defense secretary also said that his department’s policies on Iran remain the same despite tougher Trump administration rhetoric.
Ideas
Russia Can’t Control What Happens in Syria
As the civil war morphs, Putin is trying to position himself as the indispensable power. But a dangerous confrontation between Israel and Iran is escalating.
Ideas
Ep. 12: Charles Lister on the future of Syria and ISIS; Mara Karlin on the US and fragile states; Lockheed's Greg Ulmer on the F-35 and more.
Welcome to our podcast about the news, strategy, tech, and business trends defining the future of national security.
Ideas
For America, More War in Syria Is All Risk, No Reward
The recklessness of keeping U.S. soldiers in harm’s way is compounded by the fact that there are no vital American interests at stake.
Ideas
As US Tightens Sanctions, Iran Seeks Leverage — and Russia May Win Either Way
Iran's recent relatively mild public statements belie the cards it might play in regional conflicts.
Ideas
An Extraordinarily Expensive Way to Fight ISIS
The tale of a 2017 bombing raid in the Libyan desert that pitted stealth bombers and 500-pound bombs against 70 ragtag fighters.
Ideas
US Officials Just Mislabeled a Syrian Terror Group as al Qaeda. Worse, They’re Missing a Far Bigger Threat
The HTS group is not part of al Qaeda, but at loggerheads with it. Meanwhile, a smaller group is plotting global jihad.
Ideas
Syria Is Now In Charge of the UN's Disarmament Efforts. Really.
The U.S. says the Assad regime’s repeated use of chemical weapons on civilians should disqualify it from the post.
Threats
What the Long, Corruption-Enabling, Mostly Failed Afghanistan-Stabilization Effort Tells Us
It’s about managing expectations: ours about the timeline, the foreign population’s about governance.
Ideas
Arab Women in Syria, Inspired by Kurdish Sisters, Join the Fight — and the Movement
"There is no difference between us and them, we are both women. What is really important now is women are having a role."
Ideas
Neither Precise Nor Proportionate
Trump’s attack on Syria was unserious but intended to relieve emotional pressure—and in many ways, worse than doing nothing at all.
Ideas
A Trump Doctrine for the Middle East
The region has now been Trump-branded as “a troubled place”—and one America is not particularly interested in helping.
Ideas
Trump's Syria Strategy Actually Makes Sense
And it does not involve a commitment to change the horrible and predictable outcome of the civil war.
Ideas
The Unconstitutional Strike on Syria
AUMF? The Syrian government is not Al Qaeda, nor an affiliate, nor a successor, nor anything except a sovereign nation against which the president has decided to go to war.
Ideas
The Strike May Have Hurt More than It Helped
Far from instilling fear in Assad, it may merely have created a short-term munitions shortage.
Threats
Pentagon Declares Strike Successful. Here’s A Look at What Went Into It
U.S., French, and British planes and ships used a wide variety of precision weapons to hit Syrian chemical weapons facilities. Some saw their first day of combat.
Threats
Lawmakers Ask: Where’s the Broader Syria Strategy?
No surprise that Democrats questioned Friday’s retaliatory strike, but even a few GOP defense hawks wondered aloud.
Threats