“Trump has betrayed the Syrian Kurds” — so goes a popular refrain regarding the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the areas of northeast Syria held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The events that have followed — namely, a…
“They can do what they want there frankly,” commented President Trump in a recent Cabinet meeting regarding Iran’s role in Syria. Unsurprisingly, Trumps’ remarks attracted a flurry of outrage. “Worst counter-Iran strategy ever,” tweeted Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense…
“They can do what they want there frankly,” commented President Trump in a recent Cabinet meeting regarding Iran’s role in Syria. Unsurprisingly, Trumps’ remarks attracted a flurry of outrage. “Worst counter-Iran strategy ever,” tweeted Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense…
Many observers raise legitimate concerns about President Trump’s announcement of a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. For example, there is indeed the risk that the local allies of the U.S. on the ground — the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces…
Is Qatar an ally of Iran? Such is the claim made against it by its two main Gulf rivals: namely, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have imposed a blockade on the country. One also finds this…
With the Syrian government’s complete conquest of the southern region, the question of the fate of the country’s remaining rebel-held areas looms ever larger. Those rebel-held areas are now almost exclusively concentrated in the northwest of Syria, with the province…
Warnings of a potential large-scale famine in Yemen following a Saudi naval and air blockade that the Saudis have agreed to ease have brought that country’s dire humanitarian situation to the forefront of media attention. Implicated in the controversy is…
As the war against the Islamic State as an entity controlling territory comes to a close in Iraq, control over territories disputed between the Iraqi central government and the Iraqi Kurdistan regional government (KRG) has come to the forefront. Forces…
As the Islamic State continues to lose ground in Iraq and Syria, one of the more common talking points for debate is the supposed prospect of an Iranian “land-route” running through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon and the Mediterranean, and…
Recent news of the Trump administration’s decision to end the CIA program of assistance to select Syrian rebel groups has sparked debate about the decision-making process and its soundness. In a report for the Weekly Standard, Thomas Joscelyn highlights that…