Policy
Hillary Clinton’s Likely Defense Secretary Wants More US Troops Fighting ISIS and Assad
If the cards fall where many think they will, 2017 could be the year of the no-bomb zone.
Ideas
Inside Obama's Syria Choices (A Guide for Dissenting Diplomats)
Here are six ways we in the administration could’ve approached Syria differently – and why we didn’t.
Ideas
If Diplomacy Fails, Then What for Syria?
What leverage has a United States that is so reluctant to fight?
Ideas
Petty Officer Keating Died 2 Miles From the Syrian Front. How Far Are You?
The war came to him. What will it take for it to reach the rest of us?
Science & Tech
The Future of Intelligence Sharing Is Coming Together in the Syrian War
Fifteen years after 9/11, America's intelligence community finally has a rapid, modern sharing system.
Ideas
Obama Drops Rhetoric as Assad Drops Barrel Bombs
As long as Syrian civilians are on the bullseye, nothing will be accomplished at peace talks.
Science & Tech
Are These Syrian Hackers Cyber Warriors, or Just Thieves?
The FBI added two Syrian hackers to its most-wanted list for cybercriminals, a project that's only been running since 2013 and includes individuals from China, Russia and Eastern Europe.
Science & Tech
Pentagon Mapmakers Are Using Social Media to Chart Syrians' Exodus
Officials admit the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's approach has its limitations.
Ideas
Putin Got Exactly What He Wanted in Syria
Russia pulls out of Syria, going home with the leverage Putin came for. The U.S.-led coalition must seize the moment.
Threats
Russia's Withdrawal from Syria Isn't All That Unexpected
It was never clear exactly what Putin wanted to accomplish, nor how his stay-at-home military was going to do it.
Ideas
Obama's 'Red Line' That Wasn't
Inside the president’s last-minute decision not to bomb Syria in 2013.
Ideas
America's 'Plan B' for Syria Has a Very Ugly Past
Dividing Middle Easterners along ethno-religious lines has a deeply troubled history. There's little reason to believe similar 'last-ditch' plans for Syria would be any different.
Ideas
Securing Syria Region-by-Region from the Bottom Up
We’re too focused on fighting ISIS and Assad and not enough on finding and uniting the Syrians who will govern after the war.
Ideas
Beyond Syria’s Ceasefire, Activists Nervously Preparing for Post-War Politics
Egypt’s pro-democracy leaders hope Syrians are better prepared for the day after the dictator.
Ideas
Look Out, Special Operators in Syria, the Internet Has Spotted You and That's a Problem
It's not only the improvement of an airstrip in Northeast Syria that warrants attention, but how it was discovered.
Ideas
Dispatch from the Turkish Border: Syrians Waiting in Vain for the World
‘People are waiting for the international community to stop this war.’
Ideas
Want Peace in Syria? Put Women at the Negotiating Table
That’s what the Balkan experience tells us, say current and former British and US ambassadors.
Ideas
Here's Why the UN Sat on Its Hands During 5 Years of War in Syria
The 'great power' origins and recent deadly failings of the power of veto inside the U.N. Security Council.
Threats
