Ideas
15 Questions Trump Should Answer About His 'Safe Zones'
If the president is serious about this, White House officials must clarify exactly what this new and expansive military mission would entail.
Threats
What We Know About the Syrian Ceasefire Announced by Putin
Russia and Turkey say Syrian government forces and rebels will begin a truce at midnight on December 30. Other details are thin.
Ideas
What Are Turkey and Russia Doing in Syria?
CFR’s Steven Cook offers context and backstory behind the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara.
Ideas
A Dictator Among the Ruins: What Comes Next in Syria
Putin and Assad’s victory in Aleppo will usher in a new phase of the conflict, rather than its end.
Ideas
The Syrian Kurds Try DIY Nation-Building in a Wartorn Land
The American military's radical, unlikely, democratic experiment in northern Syria now teeters on a knife’s edge.
Threats
US Special Operators Accelerate Killings of ISIS Leaders
Defense Secretary Ash Carter says this will weaken Mosul’s defenders and stop attacks in the United States.
Ideas
In Aleppo, Echoes of Guernica and Global Disorder
Nearly 80 years ago, a shattered town rang a death knell for international order. We must not let it happen again.
Ideas
How to Survive a Siege: We Made It Through Sarajevo. Here's How We're Keeping Connected In Aleppo
In Bosnia and in Syria, the tactic has been used to destroy bodies—but it’s really an attempt to annihilate the spirit.
Ideas
There’s a Way Obama’s White House Can Save Syrian Lives, There’s Just No Will
As Aleppo burns, little faith as Obama’s White House again considers military options in Syria.
Ideas
Syria Is the Thread That Russia Is Pulling to Unravel International Order
The U.S. must act soon, or see its post-WWII work come apart.
Ideas
Talking to Russia Cannot Save Syria
Putin and Assad make ISIS look hesitant by comparison when it comes to mass homicide.
Threats
Jets Are Targeting Syria’s Volunteer Rescue Workers
And some of the workers have already been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Ideas
Violently Ousting Assad Won't Solve Anything in Syria
It is hardly surprising to hear calls for more U.S. action, but what happens next?
Ideas
It’s Time: The US Should Create A No-Fly Zone, Deliver Aid — and Save Syria
The act of alleviating human suffering may fuel a new dynamic that ultimately begins to change the course of the war.
Ideas
What You Need to Know About Aleppo
Because of the city’s importance to all parties in the conflict, fighting between rebels, ISIS and the Russia-Syria-Iran alliance is only expected to escalate.
Ideas
The Death of Hope in Syria
“I don’t think anyone can help us,” one of the last doctors in Aleppo says.
Threats
Iraqi Troops Not Ready for Mosul, Nor What Comes Next, Says Top US Commander
But in Syria, the fall of Manbij is just one to two weeks away, Lt. Gen. MacFarland says in his final war assessment.
Threats
As Anti-ISIS Forces Close In on Mosul, Coalition Leaders Focus on What’s Next
At a closed-door meeting outside Washington, the multinational group called for more post-conflict planning.
Ideas
Inside the ISIS Enlistment Files: All Jihad is Local
I analyzed over 3,500 leaked ISIS enlistment forms. Here’s what I found.
Ideas