Threats
How Turkey Twisted Three Words Into a Pretext for Invasion
Ankara said a U.S. plan to train some Syrian Kurds was a threat. So it sent tanks and artillery to kill some others.
Threats
Turkey’s Attack on Kurds Tops US Concerns in Syria, Even as ISIS Keeps Fighting
Over the past three days, the leader of U.S. Central Command and other American military commanders in the region have sounded increasingly alarmed.
Ideas
The Entirely Rational Basis For Turkey's Move Into Syria
Nearly a century of mistrust of America and an obsession with defeating the Kurds sparked its operation in Afrin.
Threats
SPECIAL REPORT: In Shattered Raqqa, Top US General Calls for the World’s Help
Votel assures SDF fighters the U.S. will remain committed to them, but bringing this Syrian city back to life will take more than the troops who liberated it can give.
Ideas
How Should the Pentagon Reshape Its Mideast Posture? Four Indicators to Watch
A tour of possible scenarios reveals what U.S. policymakers ought to be focused on as they chart the future of regional force posture.
Ideas
Rex Tillerson's Syria Policy Is Sensible—But It's Fanciful
The resources the administration is willing to commit are at yawning variance with its ambitious goals.
Threats
America Quietly Starts Nation-Building in Parts of Syria
The U.S. has escalated its presence in the country, and has signaled no timetable for when it will end.
Threats
Turkey Tells US To Withdraw Weapons, Support for Syrian Rebels
In Washington, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim rejected the U.S. desire to keep supporting Syrian Kurdish rebel forces even after ISIS is finished.
Ideas
Four New Questions For Trump on Syria
The ISIS fight is nearly over, military leaders say. Is the United States ready to lead what happens next?
Ideas
Raqqa After ISIS Still Needs US Help
The group’s ultimate defeat is far from assured, and the United States can play a critical role in precluding the emergence of Islamic State 2.0.
Ideas
Don’t Think of Syrian Opposition Groups as ‘Moderates’ vs. ‘Extremists’
The United States and its allies ought to think in terms of 'viable partners,’ ‘irreconcilables,’ and ‘unknowns.’
Science & Tech
Syria is a ‘Laboratory’ for the Air War of the Future
U.S. airmen are rapidly developing and remixing new technologies and techniques in the fight against ISIS, but sometimes you can’t beat the tried and true.
Threats
‘I Want to Finish This’: US Special Ops Leaders Urge Washington to Stick by the Syrian Kurds
Commanders inside Syria say rebels are doing all they hoped for — and are the best shot to break the region's cycle of terrorism.
Ideas
Trump’s Ceasefire May Hand Russia the Keys to Southwestern Syria
The US must quickly send monitors to the ‘safe zones’ — or cede yet more regional influence to Moscow and Tehran.
Ideas
The End of American Support for Syrian Rebels Was Inevitable
Where the insurgency is concerned, Trump and Obama have plenty in common.
Ideas
Is Russia Really with Assad in Syria?
Moscow appears to be preventing a total Assad victory in a bid to boost its international standing.
Ideas
Trump's Syria Ceasefire Is Doomed
It may bring Russia on board, but it hardly acknowledges Iran's role in the war.
Ideas
The Next Battle: State Department, US Military Divided Over Kurdish Fighters In Syria (And Russia)
Frustrated sources on the ground say the State Department is struggling to get behind the Syrian Kurds and the U.S. military would struggle to proceed without them. As for Russia, well...
Threats
Ceasefire or No, US and Russia Remain ‘A Second or Two Away’ from Accidental War Over Syria
The head of Air Combat Command says one mistake by a pilot in an advanced warplane could mean an unintended escalation in Syria.
Ideas