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
Ep. 57: The Future of the U.S. Military in Syria (for now)
Three Middle East experts forecast likely consequences and the longterm costs of the U.S. military withdrawing from northern Syria.
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.
Ideas
Donald Trump Looks More and More Like Oliver North
Iran-Contra was also about a foreign policy run from inside the White House and outside the law.
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.
Ideas
Trump Is Complicit in Erdoğan’s Violence
Now the war in Syria has a victor. And it’s not the U.S.
Ideas
‘Silent Warriors’ Speak Out Against Trump’s Syria Turnaround
America’s elite special operators are breaking their wall of silence like never before, 'betrayed' by Trump’s decision to pull back in Syria and erase years of hard work. But are they too late?
Threats
The US Is Leaving Syria. Russia Is Moving In.
“I hope they all do great, we are 7,000 miles away!” Trump tweeted.
Ideas
ISIS Is Gloating
The best one could say about America’s abandonment of the Kurds is that they should have known we would sell them out eventually.
Ideas
Trump Made His Real Syria Mistakes Months Ago
U.S. involvement should have ended with the recapture of ISIS’ territory and a Kurd-Assad deal.
Ideas
The White House Abused the Classification System
The question now is whether Congress can summon the will to hold the president to account.
Ideas
'By, With, Through' Was the Best Hope for Syria — And Ending 'Endless Wars'
The U.S. acquiescence to Turkey’s invasion abandons an effective Kurdish partner, but also a creative model that was working.
Threats
Anti-ISIS Operations In Syria Cease Amid Turkish Assault
“The SDF is clearly focused on the northern border to protect their forces,” a defense official said.
Ideas
On North Korea, the Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost
One of the downsides of highly personalized diplomacy is that when the person in question is debilitated, the diplomacy suffers.
Policy
Why US Officials Say Trump is Flexing on Foreign Policy
“Trump has been Trump in foreign policy—but the safety nets are gone,” said one senior national security official, of the president’s Syria decision.
Ideas
The Forever War Fought by America’s Allies
The U.S.-backed soldiers who battled ISIS across Syria and Iraq could be locked in the struggle for a very long time.
Science & Tech
Why Open Skies Is An Old Fashioned Treaty Worth Keeping
Since 2002, the agreement has helped 34 countries to keep tabs on each others’ militaries, without divulging key secrets.
Threats
As Assault Begins, Trump Vows to Make Turkey Keep Its Word While Lawmakers Vow Punishment
The president said 'far more than sanctions' awaits Turkey if its assault taking over northern Syria is not 'as humane as possible.'
Ideas