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  • Washington Policy Weekly
    LevantUS Domestic Politics and Elections

    Congressional Update – Week Ending December 22, 2017

    Dec 21, 2017Marcus Montgomery

    Congress looks to ratchet up pressure on Syria and Qatar; President Trump releases his National Security Strategy; Trump and Haley take issue with the United N…

  • Op-Eds

    Radwan Ziadeh: The Russian Draft of the Syrian Constitution (in Arabic)

    Dec 21, 2017Radwan Ziadeh

    During the Astana talks, Russia distributed a draft for a proposed new Syrian constitution, in order to "expedite the negotiations."Read more

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Using Its Syrian Foothold, Russia Expands in the Middle East

    Dec 14, 2017Charles W. Dunne

    Russia’s victory in Syria does not merely prop up the Assad regime but, more broadly, helps propel Moscow’s strategic interests in the wider Middle East.

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Future Possibilities for the Kurds in Post-IS Syria

    Nov 28, 2017Mustafa Gurbuz

    With the defeat of the Islamic State in Syria, Kurdish activities and aspirations are yet again exposed to the calculations and machinations of all the parties…

  • Op-Eds

    Radwan Ziadeh: Why did negotiation fail in Geneva and succeed in Astana (in Arabic)

    Nov 9, 2017Radwan Ziadeh

    It was apparent that the latest Astana meetings were designed by Russia, Turkey, and Iran to produce predetermined results.Read more

  • Op-Eds

    Radwan Ziadeh: Time is up for calculations (in French)

    Nov 8, 2017Radwan Ziadeh

    The two recent rounds of talks in Astana bringing together the Syrian regime and the opposition had brought nothing new and were merely a facade.Read more

  • Policy Analysis
    JordanConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Bilateral Disagreements Aside, Jordan and Israel Agree on Syria

    Nov 7, 2017Gregory Aftandilian

    Jordan and Israel view military activities by Sunni extremists groups and by Hezbollah as threats and are using their developing ties with Russia to try to mit…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Raqqa’s Liberation and US Policy in Syria

    Oct 31, 2017Radwan Ziadeh

    The Islamic State’s defeat in Raqqa was met with widespread approval among all Syrians, but the Kurds’ control of the liberated city and its surroundings promp…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantMigrants, Refugees, and IDPs

    The Challenges of Turkey’s Operation in Syria’s Idlib

    Oct 19, 2017Mustafa Gurbuz

    Turkey is concerned about who controls neighboring Idlib Province in Syria but is equally interested in thwarting the Syrian Kurds’ plans for autonomy south of…

  • Op-Eds

    Mostafa Gurbuz: Raqqa: a fatal blow to the Islamic state (in Portuguese)

    Oct 17, 2017

    Losing Raqqa is certainly a fatal blow to the EI, whose legitimacy is built on the territorial claim.Read More

  • Policy Analysis
    IranInternational Law

    Trump’s United Nations Speech: More of the Same

    Sep 20, 2017Marcus Montgomery

    President Trump’s speech before the UN mixed isolationism and economic nationalism with calls for international consensus building, two irreconcilable position…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Future Implications of the Islamic State’s Demise in Syria

    Sep 20, 2017Radwan Ziadeh

    Syria’s developments regarding the Islamic State’s expected demise and the Astana meeting should not be taken to signal an end to the country’s war which has l…