Policy

Erdoğan Defies Trump. So Why Do They Get Along?

The two have undeniable personal chemistry, but their countries are drifting apart.

Ideas

The Mothers Who Fled the Turkish Incursion

Attacks by Turkish-backed forces shattered a hard-won pseudo-normalcy for Syrian women who had lived under ISIS.

Threats

The Mad Scramble for Syria

After weeks of chaos in the northeast, great powers redrew a small chunk of the map. And a bigger story is just beginning.

Policy

McConnell Asked White House For Sanctions Position, Dem Senator Says

The Senate majority leader is weighing the myriad sanctions proposals on the Hill, Sen. Van Hollen said at the Defense One Outlook 2020 conference. 

Ideas

It’s Not All Trump’s Fault: Syria Shows the Danger of War on the Cheap

America’s surprise withdrawal is deeply destabilizing, but so is the proxy war that Western countries have fought for five years.

Ideas

Pull the Nukes from Turkey — and Then Think Bigger

Removing America’s nuclear weapons from Incirlik Air Base doesn’t have to drive a permanent wedge between Washington and Turkey.

Ideas

What Was the Point of the Syria ‘Withdrawal’?

Donald Trump, who vowed to get troops out of Syria altogether, incurred all the strategic costs without getting any of the political benefit.

Threats

US Troops, Armor Will ‘Secure’ Oil Fields in Syria, Says SecDef in New Reversal

The U.S. might also maintain “one of our two airfields that are there,” said America’s envoy to Syria to lawmakers.

Ideas

10 Ways America’s Situation in the Middle East Will Get Worse

The Syrian pullout and the Iraqi instability are undermining U.S. national-security interests.

Ideas

How to Protect America After the Syria Withdrawal

Fighting ISIS just got harder—but it’s still possible, and it’s necessary.

Threats

Top SDF Commander: Turkey Blocking Kurds’ Retreat; Urges Trump to ‘Stop This War’

“I am asking President Trump right now to fulfill his promise to us and stop this war,” Mazlum Abdi told Defense One by phone.

Threats

US Intel Aircraft to Remain Over Syria As Ground Forces Pull Out

SecDef Esper heads to Mideast, NATO to talk about the future fight against ISIS.

Ideas

10 Hard Realities of America’s Next Syria Policy

The troops are leaving, but the U.S. still has regional and global interests in what happens there.

Ideas

The Intelligence Fallout From Trump’s Withdrawal in Syria

The chaotic withdrawal from Syria will severely weaken U.S. efforts in the country—and could also be a boost for Russia and Iran.

Threats

US Agrees to Lift Sanctions on Turkey in Syria ‘Ceasefire’ Deal

“From what I understand it’s not a ceasefire,” Sen Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told reporters on Capitol Hill. “You have one-hundred-and-X number of hours to get out of here before we kill you.”

Threats

US Lawmakers Fear The Damage Is Done On Syria

“The egg may be scrambled,” said one Armed Services Committee lawmaker amid a welter of efforts to salvage the situation.

Threats

The US Literally Doesn’t Know How Many ISIS Fighters Have Escaped In Syria

“We just have less eyes on the ground to know for sure what is happening,” said one senior defense official.

Policy

Turkey’s Military Ties to US and NATO Remain Strong: US Army Leaders

Joint exercises remain on the schedule as Turkish forces attack America’s Syrian rebel allies.

Ideas

Trump Is Complicit in Erdoğan’s Violence

Now the war in Syria has a victor. And it’s not the U.S.

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