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
Terror Arrests Pose New Threat to Syrian Refugee Program
Republicans pounced on the news that two men indicted on terrorism charges had been resettled in the U.S. after fleeing Iraq.
Threats
Saudi Arabia-Iran Break Threatens Syrian Peace Process
Mere weeks after the two countries backed a unanimous U.N. Security Council resolution, their sectarian-fueled escalation has likely sunk fragile hopes for Syria.
Threats
Syrian Refugees in Turkey Are Facing the Same Terror They Once Fled
A journalist's death exemplifies a bitter truth: The easiest and closest refuge is not always the safest.
Policy
US Syria Policy Shifts From ‘Assad Must Go’ to ‘Not Right Now’
The UN Security Council backs a blueprint for Syrian peace talks — and papers over powderkeg tensions between the U.S. and Russia.
Threats
Israel Versus Hezbollah, Round Three?
The Lebanon-based terror group fired rockets into northern Israel just hours after an Israeli strike killed a senior Hezbollah leader in Syria.
Science & Tech
US Considers Using Portable DNA Labs, Iris Scans to Vet Syrian Refugees
Throughout the Syrian civil war the UN has relied on portable eye-scanning machines to register fleeing Syrians, but the US has yet to make use of that data.
Policy
Report: Turkey Has Become the EU’s Enforcer in Bid to Slow Refugees
A damning Amnesty report claims Turkey abused refugees and pressured some to return to war zones.
Ideas
In Town Where Refugees Depart, Trump's Ideas Feel Even More Ludicrous
As Syrian refugee parents fight for food and their children's survival, the policy conversation happening in America could not feel more remote – or more off-base.
Threats
Russian Strikes Killed Syrian Soldiers, Pentagon Says
Accused of airstrikes on government forces, U.S. officials point the finger at Moscow.
Threats
ISIS Will Remain a 'Serious Threat for Some Time to Come,' Obama Says
And a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to yield any change in Moscow's support for the Assad regime in Damascus.
Threats
Putin is Accusing Turkey of Being an ISIS Ally—and He’s At Least Partly Right
The Islamic State group reportedly smuggles a large volume of oil via trader routes going almost exclusively through Turkey.
Policy
Why Obama Is Standing by the Syrian Refugees
The president isn’t speaking to his opponents—he’s talking to history.
Policy
Syrian Refugees Caught Between Political Rhetoric and Reality After Paris
Fear mongering may be 2016 politics, but it denies reality: Syrians seeking refuge in the U.S. undergo some of the strictest scrutiny in the world.
Threats
Russia Is Now Hitting ISIS with 'Pinpoint' Strikes In Syria
The Russian president has scaled up the country’s air campaign against extremists as Moscow's naval forces ally with French warships attacking the Islamic State.
Threats